2008 started off well but man it ended in pain, so much so that running took a back seat for about two months. Taebo and gym also ceased while I took part in a slow process of recovery.
First was the hamstring injury from the ultra I ran in August 08, when that got sorted then came the near drowning flowed by the tumble down a flight of stairs.
When my friend and running partner Anna suggested a return to Two Oceans it sparked a keen interest to get back on the road.
The last week in December Anna met up with me in the early hours of the morning to do training runs. A new fried up Anna met me on that first day, she proved that although being off for quite a while, the ability and hunger to run was still there. She tackled the hills with a sense of urgency given me new hope and a challenge.
Now really you can’t let your running partner beat you, that is just not on. While running a route one day Anna looked over to a road branching of from the one we were on. This road has a hill not like many others, it is a rather unique hill and rather difficult to describe. In all my years on the road I have given this hill a wide berth as it is scary. This hill is similar to the last turn on the Sani Stagger before you summit, at the top of this hill there is a fire hydrant marking the top of the hill, nasty stuff but a good challenge.
Anna said to me that she wants to tackle that hill, it will help her with her preparation for Two Oceans. Damn I was hoping she was joking but she wasn’t.
So out on Sunday for our run, we come to this same road, a mutual glance at each other confirms lets do it. I say to Anna where ever you stop stay there. She nods agreement and we run to the base of this hill. I hear the familiar beep beep beep of the heart rate monitor signaling that I am heading into the red. I can’t be bothered with that right now, I need to finish this task at hand.
Anna starts to drop back as her breathing changes into gasps for air. I feel my lungs burning in their demand for air, my head is under pressure and my legs turning jelly and almost numb. Anna gives out a sigh and stops half way up the monster, a great attempt by her. I refuse to give up and I watch as the fire hydrant gets closer and closer.
Finally I pull up at the fire hydrant, first time ever to run this monster and I managed to conquer it on the first time. I am ready for Two Oceans. Anna jogged the rest of the way up, she said she had to complete it even if she stopped halfway, a fantastic spirit from her. She has become Anna the brave and no longer the tannie kannie that she started out to be.
We walked back down the hill to where she stopped and I marked the ground with a stone scratching a “A”, this is her mark next week she will go a bit further till she manages to conquer it.
When we do that we will move off to our Polly Shortts which is much the same as the climb at Constantia on Two Oceans.
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