I’m so excited to be linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday as well as with Running with Perseverance and Confessions of a Mother Runner for the Ultimate Coffee Date. As I write this, I’m struggling in 36˚C heat so I’m going for some ice-cold lemonade today, instead of my usual cappuccino! What are you having to drink? How have you been?! It’s so good to see you!
If we were having coffee/lemonade, I’d tell you I’m going to have my first ever mammogram this month and it will be free of charge with the medical aid I use. I’ve been meaning to do this since I turned 40 which is almost two years ago now, and I’m looking forward to the whole experience. I’ve loved seeing all the #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth campaigns across the country, in the big cities/towns but also in the more rural areas, driven by both medical professionals and volunteers. So many companies are also choosing to go pink for the month bringing even more awareness. I’m planning to do my part by documenting and sharing my experience on the blog.
If we were having coffee/lemonade, I’d tell you how incredibly hot it’s been in Gaborone the last couple of weeks, with a heat warning even issued by the Meteorological Office. We always joke that if you blink, you’ll miss Spring here, but seriously, it literally lasts for two weeks and then Boom! we’re at 38 – 40˚C with no signs of rain. Running in the early morning is the only way to escape the sun’s wrath. At this rate, I fear to think what it will be like around Christmas time.
If we were having coffee/lemonade, I’d tell you it may not be raining water but it’s certainly raining races in Botswana! Just today, I announced six races on my social media pages, many of them brand new. The running bug has taken Botswana by storm and I’m loving it! I’m eyeing all those in Gaborone and I think I’ll choose the University of Botswana (UB) Half Marathon scheduled for 27 November as my goal race, instead of Jacaranda in South Africa. With fuel prices and living expenses the way they are now, the closer the races are to me, the better!
If we were having coffee/ lemonade, I’d tell you how excited I am to be running a 5K Race with my son tomorrow. My daughter will be representing her school at a Team Olympiad Mathematics competition, and while she is there, the rest of us will be doing the Maru-A-Pula School Fun Run. Ditiro will do the 10K and I will join Thiwa for the 5K. Maru-A-Pula is the secondary school that Ditiro and I went to and has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with several events!
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I was at two weddings this September. The first one was on the same day I did the Kgosi Malope II Race, and the second was a traditional ceremony which started on Thursday at the kgotla in Kanye for the lobola handover followed by the patlo at the homestead, with a huge celebration on Saturday. The BaNgwaketse tribe has a reputation of being very strict with their wedding process, observing the most intricate of details, but my goodness, what a beautiful celebration of our rich culture. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the whole affair, even if I had to wear my tjale (blanket) in the heat for most of Thursday!
When you get me going, I can go on and on, so let me leave it at that! What would you tell me if we were meeting over coffee? What’s the weather like where you are? Have you been to any weddings recently? Are you racing this weekend? Have you had a mammogram this year?
The Gaborone Runner 
It’s funny that it is warmer where you are and getting colder here.
Great news about ore races. You know how much I love racing.
Very exciting that you can run with your son. I would love to run with my older stepson but he has no interest.
Your weddings seem so interesting.
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My son doesn’t have much interest either but at least he is at the age where he can be persuaded to run for ice cream in return 🤣
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Have so much fun tomorrow at your race! How exciting to run with your son.
The last wedding I went to was a second cousin’s probably about 10 years ago or so. Unless you count the online one of one of my nephew’s last year. I think maybe one of my niece’s might be getting close to that, but don’t really know.
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That’s a while ago! Having said that though, before these two in September the last one I had was 2 years ago and the one before was probably 5 years before that.
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So it is your Spring there? When does Summer official start for you? We are in fall here!
Have fun at the race with your son! That should be a good time for both of you!
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Yes! Spring starts on 1st September and summer officially only starts on 1st December 😁
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Well, you’re the first person I know who’s looking forward to their mammogram! It’s not exactly something I look forward to, but it’s really not that bad. I actually just had one this week.
Have fun at the race tomorrow! I love that you’re running it with your son.
I had to look up the celsius-fahrenheit conversion- 40 is 104, ack!!! It’s cooling down in most parts of the US, but here in Florida we’re still hot. Not as hot as you are though!
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🤣I think because I’ve postponed it for so long, I’m looking forward to seeing what the whole process is about. We’ve just woken up for the race and he doesn’t feel too well so I hope he will be okay when we start otherwise we may have to call it off.
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Oh no! I hope Thiwa is feeling better!
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His tummy settled down and he had a good run with a few complaints thrown in. And happily ate ice cream afterwards!
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Well, you asked about weather…it was 32F this morning (feels-like of 27F), with frost on the ground! Winter is already knocking on the door in Iowa and I’m not ready to welcome him in. We do have some pretty colors, though, of changing leaves…I just hope they don’t get frozen off too soon. I saw your Insta pics…great job, all of you, on your race!!!
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Sounds like winter and summer are all too eager to come in our respective countries! What’s the rush?! Thank you – it was an awesome day!
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I’m glad your son felt well enough to run! Do you think he’ll want to run more races? And how fun that you are seeing so many new local races coming on the scene.
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He always feels happy at the end but so far he doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about running! So it’s still up in the air!
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Yay on the mammogram! I’ve been getting one since my 30s because of family history. That reminds me that I am due for one this year. Wow, that is hot weather. Fall is here but I am not used to the cooler weather but I still like it.
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I’m having my first mammogram on Friday! We start to get them on the NHS when we hit 50. I still get cervical smears but only every five years and at some stage get to do a bowel cancer screening, too. So grateful for all of this.
Love your wedding pic! We went to a super wedding of my friends Claire and Sam in the summer, it was such a joyful occasion although they’d asked me to take “official” photos and I was crying and crying; it was a wonder I got any good ones! The food was all vegan and it was on a camp site though we stayed in a hotel, and it was just lovely!
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Every country should aspire to a proper functioning NHS with solid and quality health care. We have free health care here but just not at the standard or quality one needs so you’re kind of forced to pay for medical insurance to get better health care. Of course that means many people miss out on the health care they need and deserve.
Claire and Sam’s wedding sounds lovely and so unique! I’m a big crier at weddings too!!
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