mindfully, on this simple, wondrous journey we call Life
So before we could blink, February was upon us. I have barely published a reflection of the previous year’s running highs or it was almost time to do it again! And that before there was chance to share something about what we have up our sleeves for the next 10 months or so. Continue reading “Of 2018: Dreaming of Races and Places to Come”
During the last few days of 2017, as we reflected on year gone by, I crunched a few running numbers just for the sake of interest /being OCD/Virgo/a runnergeek. The stock take was actually sparked when, during a long run in December, I crossed the 1000 km mark for for the year. A whopping one thousand kilometers! On my feet! That is like running from Namibia’s southernmost border, Vioolsdrift, to Otjiwarongo in the north of the country and having some 60 km in spare change! Continue reading “Of the year that was 2017 in running”
We are nearing the wide coral shelf that lines the shore, the swell is getting bigger and bigger, the waves more frequent. We are returning home early from the reef around Mnemba atoll where the wind got too strong and the water too choppy for the boys to enjoy the snorkeling. But not before we had the most amazing time swimming with and photographing a pod of 8 dolphins! Continue reading “Zanzibar: On Surviving a Shipwreck and Other Fun Experiences”
I woke up with my face full of canvas. Opening my eyes I saw that the one side of the tent was collapsing on us. My first instinct was to reach an arm to each of my sides where our boys lay sleeping, trying to protect their faces from the heavy canvas threatening to smother them. I checked my watch. It was 12:30 am. Nico, always a man of action, was already out the tent door. Assisted by the bright full moon he was searching for his hammer and some ropes to secure the tent. A gale force bergwind was wreaking havoc on our campsite. Continue reading “Brandberg FKT Challenge 2017”
Sweat was pouring down my brow, stinging my eyes when I tried to wipe it with an equally wet palm. Squinting into the bright midday sun I searched the tops of the numerous skyscrapers for a sign. Clearly this was only to remain a figurative gesture, as the buildings were mostly unmarked. I was pretty sure I was lost the moment I stepped out of the hotel. I was also the only mortal to dare the streets during the heat of the day, so I couldn’t even ask anyone for directions. Continue reading “Getting Lost in Doha”
Sitting on a low step in front of Église Saint-Michel, I had a limited view of more than 2000 pairs of legs and shoes around me. How many thousands of kilometers did these feet cover before they could stand there. How many hours, how many sacrifices had to be made? I thought about my own training log of a few hundred kilometers since January. Would it be enough? Would my hundreds of hill repeats see me through? I was feeling strangely calm. Like more of a spectator than a participant. Not in an arrogant kind of way, but in a fearful way.
Continue reading “Marathon Du Mont-Blanc: DNF and Other Things Unexpected”
Currently hard at work organising the Brandberg rhino Run and Ride, as well as the Brandberg FKT Challenge, we are incredibly thankful for the amount of support from sponsors and athletes all over Namibia and beyond. At the initiation of the very first Rhino Run in 2015, a tiny seed was planted that grew into the golden thread that tied us to our beneficiary and the other benefactors, tighter and stronger every year:
Continue reading “Run (or ride, sing, knit, bake or jump) for Rhino”
And so the month of May crept upon us, how is it even possible?! Amidst the excitement and preparation for the 3rd annual Brandberg Rhino Run and Ride, training and preparation for our goal events for 2017 is underway. If all goes well, we will once again find ourselves in Europe late June/July this year. On 25 June I will line up for the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, while in July Nico will once again humour the mountain gods of The Matterhorn and we trust that they smile upon him this time. Continue reading “May Training Update and Gear Check”
We have been back from Canada for a couple of months only but it seems so long ago. We had such a fantastic time there, and even the boys still talk about things that they enjoyed. These were activities that stood out for us and that we can recommend. Continue reading “Things we loved and learned in Canada”
When we started to plan our trip to Canada, we realised that, with the boys a little bigger now, we should start to introduce a different perspective to our travels, have our trips be more just about us having different experiences and more about adding value to what we believe and stand for. Continue reading “What does a Namibian Rhino and a Canadian Muskox have in Common…?”