WE MADE IT THROUGH JANUARY. That means, we can handle anything!!
Things get easier from here, except if it’s motivation that we are talking about… The new-year-new-me resolutions often tend to fade a bit in February but come as good news to those who stick to their goal: Treadmills will be vacant again; gym floor space will return to its normal occupancy, and you will meet up with your small bitter enders running group like old times 🙂
But in all seriousness: Please don’t lose that motivation that came with the turn of a new year. There is so much to look forward to in the coming months, and when the road running season gets underway, you’ll be grateful for all the training you have done.
February is the first official month of OWN MY RUN and we are so pleased to welcome all our members to the platform!! Please don’t forget to subscribe to the Members-only Running Forum where we can have open discussions and share some insights into what is going on in the running world!! Just click on the Running Forum Tab on the website and voila!!
Have you noticed some of the changes in the running calendar this year? The most obvious changes are the Two Oceans that moved a week forward from last year, and the revived City-to-City 50km race that moved from April 2024 to September 2025.
When race dates change, it often has a ripple-effect on other races as many runners like to do certain events leading up to their target events, so a change in date often makes it difficult to do. Smaller races must then make the decision whether to follow the pattern or stick to their original dates. It’s a difficult decision and I feel for race organizers, but it also allows runners to try different races that might never have crossed their minds. I remember feeling disappointed in 2024 when the famous Jackie Gibson race rebranded itself complete with a new date and I had to then look for an alternative race to incorporate as part of my preparation. I decided to run Om Die Dam and had the best time ever!! I loved every minute of it and it made me realize that change can be really refreshing. We are fortunate in South Africa that we have a full calendar and that races often cater for all abilities and distances – something that should not be taken for granted.
To those training for Two Oceans, February will be an important month. For those who AREN’T running Two Oceans, you will have to just excuse the “Oceans bunch”, it will be over before long! And the good news is, there are loads of short distance races coming up in the coming months. I’m talking about ABSA Run your city series (April to September), SPAR Women’s Challenge (March to September), night races, Valentines Day races, Lighthouse 10km and many more across the country.
2025 is well underway and I can’t help but wonder if we will see more world records tumble? It often happens that track and field event records get broken in an Olympic year, however, the marathon and other road running distances don’t necessarily have that strong correlation to an Olympic year, so I am sure that 2025 will see the continuation of some very fast times.