#stage racing

[therovingrunner]

The Return Of Jan Snow

It’s been a while. Hell, it’s probably been more than 2 years (pre-Covid) since I’ve actually taken the time to write down my thoughts and trail tribulations.

Why? There’s probably a few reasons I could give, from not having time due to work, being fat, lazy, injured or just not motivated to run. Basically LIFE happened.

My last competitive race was the Tankwa Trail in 2021, somewhere in between Stage 2 or 4 of Covid (and stage 6 loadshedding). Covid lead to little or no racing and only social runs with the Wolfpack.

Then events started coming back, and my weekends was spent either marking routes, managing them and then clearing them. Not a whole lot of “me time” to run, other than with my group of mainly primary school learners I started coaching in ‘21, and hell, coach can’t keep up with them unless we do LSD’s (no, not the drug, I don’t need WADA rocking up at my training sessions)

I must confess that the joy I get from coaching, and seeing these youngsters reach their goals, improving or just finding a love for running and trail in specific, has outweighed my own personal needs to some extent.

Have I missed the trail running community? Yes!

Have I missed running & summitting a mountain peak with the Wolfpack (Jon, Jamie, Sam & Colleen)? Yes!

Have I missed reaching that said mountain summit before sunrise and enjoying a cold beer before 9am after a proper trail run? Hell yes!

So let’s back track a little bit. Although I’m lucky enough to play a part in the biggest trail running festival our beautiful country has to offer, UTCT, and got to run a few of the recce runs exploring the route, there has been no major races on my horizon. You get sidetracked by things if there is no real goal race to run. The Otter African Trail Run has been such a integral part of who I am as a trail runner, and the reason I even started running trail, but when that chapter closed in 2019 after Otter number 5, nothing really drew my attention again, other than the Tankwa Trail which is an amazing event with the perfect combo of racing/socializing and having one heck of a trail bash weekend in the Koue Bokkeveld!

With my trusty steed Cole Stanton! We'll be back racing in Nov (or at least attempt to)

Sept ‘22 my running world came crashing down! From harmlessly kicking a soccer ball to hardly being able to walk 50m pain free 2 days later, I underwent back surgery a week later! It felt that my whole being, or that, that defines me as a person in the running community (runner/coach) imploded, and I was house/bed bound for the next 7 weeks.

Coaching happened via preset plans sent on Whatsapp, with the mom’s having to lead sessions and give feed back on times and progress. I’ll forever be thankful for my family (having to deal with old grumpy) and my athletes (having to deal with their mom’s who are apparently much stricter than I am) for sticking with me through this time. We made it out the other side, and they delivered PB’s, records, gold medals and provincial colors the following season!

Rehab followed, and I promised myself I would run one more time before year end! On the 31st of December I laced up my shoes and went for a 5km trot at my happy place down in Cape Agulhas (just don’t tell my physio), a week or to before the set given.

Slowly but surely the running got easier, the pain less and the enjoyment returned, although I still lacked motivation.

Fast forward to May ‘23 and on our way to our annual hunting trip, I bumped in Carel Heroldt, from Dryland Event Management. Over a Karoo thorn bush fire, in a dry riverbed, just off the N1, with a brandy & coke in my hand, a new goal was set! The 2023 edition of the Rhodes Dryland Traverse!

I’ve been lucky enough to run a few Dryland events, 2 Tankwa’s & 2 Traverse’s, so convincing me to run their events is easier than stealing money as a government official or finding dollars in couches at Phala Phala!

So over the next month and a bit I’ll be sharing my “Almost Complete Rookies Guide To Stage Racing”! You can use it if you want, I certainly will be again!

[britishcyclesport]

Rás na mBan round-up

After five days of racing in unusual – for Ireland – weather, the Rás na mBam finished with a individual time trial and a criterium. Rás na mBan (pronounced “Raws na mon” – literally “women’s race”) was established in 2006 and is Ireland’s only women’s international stage race. Last year, twenty-five teams of five riders representing sixteen different nations took to the start in Kilkenny. This…

[tom-is-online]

She's in Sonic Racing Crossworlds and i could NOT be happier, had to draw her cool fit

[enden-k]

obsessed w characters that are introduced/come off as inconspicuous/lazy/relaxed/etc but you know/learn theyre actually dangerous and deadly as hell

[sapphicpixxiedreamgirl]

Sorry to my future gf because she will have to deal with the fact that I will forever be completely and irrevocably in love with Aubrey Plaza

[secondbeatsongs]

in case anyone wanted to watch the wienie 500, here's the stream link

[t4yce]

SASHA COLBY X LEXI LOVE • rpdr 15.11 rip her to shreds x 17.10 who wears short shorts? ↳ for anon

[fcaruana]

— From a Gemini to a Gemini- — From a Gemini to a Gemini! People tell me that we Geminis aren't a good sign but- — We are the best! — We are the best, right? But so many people told me lately that Gemini is really bad... but we are good! — It's because they don't know- — I don't know anything about signs, I have no idea — I don't either, but it doesn't matter! — Ah, you don't either! — But we are the best! — Wait, I'm a Gemini, but my asce- ascendant? is Sagittarius. And my descendant is Pisces! Pisces is good! [some Pisces in the crowd: VERY GOOD!] Let's go Pisces!

[abd-illustrates]

Ty to everybody who voted in those character polls! The results were a fun surprise haha -- I'll definitely be takin note of 'em next time I get to sit down n' do some heartless doodles! (^^)/

[millleti]

“for our post-teammate era”

[elverrie]

dawn testing "things that would send a victorian child into a coma" on spike, but the problem is that he`s been present during the inovation of all those atrocious things, so then she brings her top gun - buffy and makes her flash her ankles, the victorian in spike was struck by a fetal blow and almost choked himself to another death, he needs a couple of minutes to regain his strength.

[skitskatdacat63]

DTS S6E1 "Money Talks" - Fernando Alonso & Lance Stroll

[britishcyclesport]

DAS-Handsling double at Rás na mBan

Stage 3 was the longest stage of the the Rás na mBan and was run off in scorching temperatures. Today’s stage of the Rás na mBan started after a ceremonial presentation in Portlaoise. The riders then headed for the Slieve Bloom Mountains. This included the challenging ascent of The Cut, followed by a fast run back to the finishing circuit around Mountrath. The Rás na mBan was run off in high…

[tom-is-online]

RIDERS DUB CONFIRMED FOR SONIC RACING CROSSWORLDS

[twin-yards]

it is completely one hundred percent baffling to me that any of the foxes would come away from witnessing neil and andrew's reunion in baltimore with the opinion that their relationship was just hate fucking . like my brother in christ are you blind