I recently told my friend Elisa about the lengths I’d gone to, to get a photo for social media. My plan was to go up Kgale Hill with Botswana’s flag to get a photo for Independence Day. But with a million things to do, we set off rather late. We scurried up the hill at a pace that left me huffing and puffing, and made it with only ten minutes of light left. Ditiro then got to work trying different camera angles, while I played around with some poses trying to look majestic and serene whilst being terrified of falling off the ledge. We were so relieved to get a few shots and momentarily forgot we now had to navigate our way down in the dark! When Elisa responded with “In Pursuit of Great Content” I knew what my next blog would be – so today I’m sharing some of the ridiculous things I do/have done to get the perfect shot or content for my blog!

1/ Run Every Town. When I’m told about a work trip, my first thought is, Where am I going to run?! Before even thinking of the main task at hand, I’m plotting and planning my runs – not so much for the running as much as for the blog content! My three Ghana work trips have yielded about five different blogs as well as several views and new readers. The same goes for family trips – I literally pore over the map to see what random and interesting place I can run in. One of the reasons we stopped in Bloemfontein on our trip to Addo, was because I’d heard that’s where I’d find the biggest Nelson Mandela statue. And of course, we had to run on the beach in Gqeberha before we headed back. For the love of running or blogging?!

2/ Run In The Middle Of Nowhere. Remember the time I was caught on video running in the most random of places? On my birthday trip to and from the Okavango, I was determined to run in as many new places as I could along the way. On our way back, we parked our car around 2pm in the most desolate of places and did a 4km run in the blazing hot desert sun. When we got home, Ditiro’s best friend sent him a video of the two of us running in the middle of nowhere. Turns out his brother-in-law had spotted our mad antics and sent the video to him in disbelief!

3/ Attempt To Enter A High Security Facility. I had read there was a statue of Oliver Tambo (one of South Africa’s freedom fighters) in Bloemfontein, South Africa. So we plotted a running route that would take us past the statue. But alas! We couldn’t find it. Just as we had given up, we spotted the statue in the grounds of a building across the road. Upon closer observation, we realised the building’s entrance was under heavy security. Being quite naïve, we decided it wouldn’t hurt to ask the South African police if we could take a photo next to the statue. Well… we spent the next five minutes being interrogated on who had sent us on this mission, how we had heard of this building, and what exactly our intentions were. I stood there silently in my bright pink tights as Ditiro nervously explained that we were mere tourists with no hidden agenda! This seemed to work and we were released without further interrogation. So in the absence of a photo, you’ll have to make do with this one – said statue is somewhere to the right!

4/ Say Yes To New Experiences. Before blogging, it was easy to say no to many things I wasn’t comfortable with. Now I think of the blog before saying no! This was one of the big reasons I did the ultra-trail – I knew it was completely out of my comfort zone but I also knew it would make a great story. Same with the first time I tried the #10×10 Challenge which I now do every year! Even when we go on holiday, I push myself to try new things out – like riding in this mokoro (wooden canoe) in the crocodile- and hippo-infested waters of the Okavango Delta.

5/ Get Rejected…Several Times! Ha! I’ve always been terrified of rejection but I’ve sure gotten used to it as a blogger! When I think someone has a great story to share, I reach out to them. Some don’t respond, others say yes and never get back to me, some simply say they are not interested, but there are those few who respond so positively (keep in mind I’m a random stranger!) Many of them have featured on my #RunTheWorld series (here, here and here); others have shared their running and hiking adventures in Dubai, Singapore, South Africa, Norway, Kenya, Tanzania and Eritrea! Some guest bloggers have also shared personal challenges and struggles they have overcome (or are living with), like endometriosis or asthma. All these posts have been so inspirational and received such amazing responses – so I’ll gladly take all the rejections for the resounding successes and amazing connections!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this random selection of a few crazy things I’ve done for blog content! Let me know if you’d like to see a Part Two as a few other stories have just come to mind! If you’re a blogger, have you done anything crazy or out of your comfort zone, for some great content?

I’m linking up with Kooky Runner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics. I’m also joining the link-up, Runner’s Roundup with Mile By Mile, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Runs with Pugs, and Running on Happy! Hop on over to their blogs and others, and be inspired!