Other things I know for sure:

• Little OL is the cutest little thing ever – even when sick and even when getting me sick.
• I spend too much on paper, any kind of paper.  My latest purchases include but are not limited to
  •  a moleskin note pad (love it)
  •  6 colours x 35 sheets each of tissue paper (the gift wrap kind – not the snot nose kind although I have been using that in abundance too),
  • scrap book paper (I don’t scrapbook)
  • pretty paper napkins
  • paper doilies (don’t ask)
• I get obsessed about something and investigate it to death – then move on.
• I need another goal 

What do you know for sure?

So it was not to be…

After waking up with a cold on Friday morning it just got progressively worse over the day and in to Saturday.  I carried on taking the Viral Guard and other things, got lots of sleep and tried to remain optimistic. We drove through to East London, and I even checked my bike in on Saturday evening on the off chance that I would feel better on the Sunday morning.

Bike Checked in

Transition during bike check in

On Sunday, the morning of the race, I woke up feeling slightly better.  I got dressed, covered myself in sunscreen and sat down to eat breakfast and think – how did I really feel??  Did I feel good enough to do a 1.9km swim, a 90km cycle followed by a 21.1km run?  The answer was no. 

I remembered reading an interview with Chrissie Wellington on her decision on to do race Kona 2 years ago. She said that she thought to herself – if it was a normal training day would she go out?  The answer was no, so she did not do Kona.  A huge decision for her as she was defending champion.  I was not in the same situation, but asked myself the same question.  My answer was also no.

I got undress out of my triathlon clothes and put on normal clothes to go down and watch the start.  I was fine with my decision, until I saw my mom.  How sweet are these t-shirts she had made….

Supporters!

But all in all I know I made the right decision.  I might have been able to finish, but I also might have seriously injured or damaged myself.

For me the outcome of the race was the same, whether I did it or not.  This time it was not about the challenge of finishing.  I know I can do that distance, hell, I know I can do double that distance.  For me it was all about setting myself a goal and forcing myself to get back onto the bike, back into the water and back into a training schedule and the race did that.  I love training again and finishing (or even starting) the race had nothing to do with that.

That is if I race…. I woke up this morning with a stinking cold!  I have been for a Vit B injection, taken Viral Guard (caps and throat spray) and pretty much anything else in my cupboard that I could lay my hands on.  I don’t normally get sick, and if I do I get over it pretty quickly so I am hoping that it is a 24 hour thing.  Please hold thumbs for me.

I did manage to throw out (donate) some stuff that I probably should have thrown out years ago but didn’t because I don’t have anything else to wear  Like pyjama’s – the reason I don’t have anything else to wear is because I never buy new ones. I know I have the old ones at the back of my wardrobe so why spend the money?

Now I tried the other way around.  I got rid of the old so now I need to buy new stuff.  Yay, new PJ’s here we come.  Although knowing me I will still be sleeping in my knickers and an old t-shirt (one of the few I rescued) for the next year or so. 

I hate shopping!

I must admit that entering “The Full” has crossed my mind a couple of times.  It will be the first time my brother has done it and it would be amazing to stand at the start with the two of them when the cannon signalled the start. 

The start of course would be the last time I saw them.  My brother, who before November had never done a triathlon, has discovered he is pretty good at it.  He is on a borrowed bike, a size or 2 too small for him and is still flying.  He is going to do well.

But as tempting as it is I am not going to enter the full Ironman.  The training is hectic and with working full time I see so little of Little OL as it is.  So, I will be there at the start and at the end, but as a spectator.

It will be my sister’s 5th Ironman South Africa.  We did our first ones together in 2007 and she has only missed one since then as she was living in London.

Myself, my sister and a friend - Terry at the start in 2010

This morning I woke up before my alarm.  I then made the fatal mistake at looking at the time – 3:58 am.  Somehow that just seemed too early to be awake.  There was a 3 at the front of the time.  Oh my word.  3 am! Who in their right minds gets up at 3 am to train – 4 am just seems so much more respectable….

Talking about training… Ironman South Africa 70.3 or more commonly known around these parts as “The Half” is in less than 2 weeks.  I have been so worried about the cycle that I kind of just forgot about the other two disciplines… I have not done much swimming or running and am now beginning to stress a little bit about it.  Especially the swim – there could be a possibility that I don’t even make the swim cut off and am not allowed to continue on the bike.  Then all my cycle training would have been for nothing!!!  

Well, not exactly for nothing. I have loved it, I am so happy to be back out on the road, getting fit again.  I feel good about myself and have been spending a lot of time with my sister.  But still – I would like to finish this race!

I knew she would be fine, she is a social child but a wave, a blown kiss, even a backward glance would have been nice.  Nope, she heard the other kids from the car – cried out “baba”, smiled and ran inside. 

And in she runs!

A soon-to- be 1^st time father was telling me how their lives were not going to change AT ALL after the baby was born.  The baby was just going to fit into the way they live their lives and not the other way around.  He was adamant that his wife was going to be able to carry on doing exactly what she did now. 

Smile and nod, smile and nod….

is going to be my word for 2012!

AND it is my 500th post on this blog!!!

I think he must be sick of seeing me, because it was his idea. Well that and the fact that he got himself an iPhone.   Then decided that he needs an iPad as well.  Then realised that he needs access to the internet to get it to work. 

It was quite funny when he realised that he also needed a PC or Mac to get the thing set up… and he does not have one.  Not even at work as they work through a network or server or something.  Hee hee…. guess who has a laptop.  So he had to be nice to me.

He is now set up and playing on his iPad on the couch.  I am on my laptop at the table and peace is reigning in our house. 

I can’t say that you will be hearing more from me though.  I am normally in bed pretty soon after Little OL goes down.

HOpe you are all having a good festive season.

Haga Haga, Eastern Cape