Something I love about having a blog is connecting with so many amazing runners around the world and getting to share some of their inspirational stories on this platform. Today, I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend Musline who, like me, loves running and travelling and if she can combine both, even better! We met on social media a few years ago and were immediately struck by how many things we had in common, for one, we were born just days apart in October (same year!), we each have two kids, love reading and travelling, could live without the beach (yes!), have similar running journeys, and shortly after connecting, we discovered we had both lost our mothers to uterine cancer. Musline is from Zimbabwe but stays in Johannesburg, South Africa. I’m so pleased to have her on the blog to share her running journey with us as well as the incredible places she has run, including the Lisbon Half Marathon!

When and how did you start running? I started my running journey in 2016. I had gained a lot of weight, was prediabetic and hypertensive. My BMI was totally off the charts, and I had to lose 10-12 kg to get to a healthy weight for my height of 166cm. I had terrible heartburn, headaches and fatigue was the order of the day. My doctor advised that if my health doesn’t turn around, I will have to be on chronic medication for hypertension while he monitors the sugar levels. I decided to do a total lifestyle change. I consulted a dietician, and she designed an eating plan for me. I also slowly started being active, walking at least 2km a day before starting to walk/run short distances. As the weight dropped, my running distances increased – I felt lighter, I absolutely enjoyed running, I loved how I felt after each run, my energy levels soared, and I could sleep much better. What started as a 2km walk to lose weight slowly morphed into a very enjoyable activity which has kept me fit and made me meet a lot of amazing people. I signed up for my first 10km race at the Edenvale Marathon in March 2017 and the rest is history!

I lived with migraines until I started running! What would you say running has taught you about yourself? Running has taught me to be resilient and patient. The endurance and strength needed for running has taught me that my body can do anything I set my mind to. As a runner you learn that when its hard and it hurts you keep forging forward relentlessly towards the finish line. I apply this phenomenon to my day-to-day life experiences and sailed through my studies this way. The determination and endurance I get from running keeps me moving in all areas – I don’t give up, my mind controls what I do and how I do it. I have realized that I am more confident, I tackle everything head on and if I sign up for something I must see it to the finish.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered in your running journey? Living in Joburg, my major challenge has been safety on the road. When I go running, I get men hooting and shouting funny remarks. I had an instance where one guy slowed his car down to talk to me, then he left… But I had no idea he hung around and stalked me throughout my 10km run until I was almost home when he pulled up again and said you run very well. I didn’t run by myself for a few weeks after that, I only signed up for races. After this incident, we invested in a treadmill. I don’t run on the road very early in the morning or late afternoons when its dark. I avoid running certain routes where it is too quiet so that I am not on an isolated road by myself and I try to run with my husband whenever he is running and if there is a male runner behind me, I get so nervous and scared until he passes me.

That stalking incident sounds terrible! Let’s talk about something more positive. First of all, how many Half Marathons have you run? And where have you run around the world? I’ve now run 28 Half Marathons and counting! I currently reside in South Africa so have done several races here including the Two Oceans Half Marathon as well as the Drakensburg and Clarens Half Marathons. I’ve also run in Durban, Mpumalanga and Franschhoek. My first international race was the Amsterdam Marathon in October 2022. October is my birth month, so I wanted to do something different – go on holiday and run in a country from my bucket list and The Netherlands it was!!! I did the Half Marathon, and I must say it’s the best race I’ve done so far.

The organization of the race and the communication by the race organizers were amazing; and the supporters along the route shouting our names as we went past from start to finish was spectacular. I’ve also done solo runs while on holiday in London, Bratislava, Rome and Prague.

I also did the Lisbon Half Marathon in March this year and more recently the Victoria Falls Marathon in my home country, Zimbabwe.

That is quite the race resume! I want to talk about the Lisbon Half Marathon but first tell me what it was like to run in your home country? It was such a beautiful experience. Being able to sing along and understand the lyrics of songs when people sang was so amazing. Having my niece there to support me was also so special.

That’s brilliant! Okay, let’s talk about Lisbon. What inspired you to do this race? So, when we plan a vacation, I try to plan around places where I can at least run a race when we are visiting. There is no better way to see a place than running or walking through it.  My husband and I were planning a vacation to celebrate our 25^th marriage anniversary. My husband is also a runner, so we started by looking at places where we can race while vacationing. My inspiration to run in Lisbon came from the fact that Lisbon is a beautiful city and I have always wanted to go to Portugal, I love the Portuguese cuisine and culture and to top it off my late Mom’s first name is Lisbon! There were a couple of races around Europe at the time we were visiting but when I saw the Lisbon Half Marathon, the thrill of starting the race on Ponte 25 de Abril bridge, one of Europe’s longest suspension bridges got me super excited. The bridge is a very beautiful landmark and to be able to run on it with all the breathtaking views of the Tagus River and the marina was an amazing opportunity. The Lisbon Half Marathon is also part of the international running series, The Super Halfs. So, we signed up and that’s how we ended up in Lisbon!!!

Wow! And I love the connection to your mother’s name! How would you describe the race? The race was well organized with free public transport on race day for all the runners who had their race bibs on. Distance from the train station to race start was almost a 2km walk which was a good warm up, it was packed with happy and super excited runners. The race did not start at the scheduled time because we had foggy weather that morning which affected our visibility. We could hardly see the massive red suspension bridge, so we waited until visibility improved. I cannot tell how long we waited because of the excitement. The route is quite a flat, I remember slight uphills then downhill after getting off the bridge. Immediately after crossing the bridge there are no supporters/spectators on the course except for the police, paramedics and marshals. This is because the bridge is totally closed off to traffic and it is difficult to reach the end of the bridge if you are not in the race. Thereafter, there is entertainment in the form of live musical bands and spectators chanting messages of support. The start of the race gets congested and leads to a very slow start because runners stop to take pictures while they are on the bridge. It is beautiful on the bridge, so runners grab every opportunity to take pictures and record videos. The course runs along the Tagus River and takes you past different historical and architectural monuments. The finish is just across the beautiful Jeronimos Monastery in Belem.

Looking back at the race, what did you enjoy the most? The race start had such a beautiful vibe with people dancing and playing music, runners stretching, warming up, taking pictures and video calling family to let them in on the experience. Runners do come out in their numbers from different parts of the world to do the half marathon and the 10km which gave me the opportunity to interact with lots of people from different walks of life. I finished the race with a lady from London who also runs in different cities around the world. The race shirt is very beautiful, one I can frame and keep as a souvenir, and the medal is gorgeous, engraved with the date of the race at the back. The finish line had photo booths and there was a marquee with a seating area where free refreshments were served catering for all dietary requirements.

Sounds amazing! What did you find challenging? What was challenging for me was the late-ish start and we finished the race when it was warm and it being Portugal, it really gets warm as the day progresses. There is a part of the course which gets a bit monotonous where there is a loop to turn around to get to the finish, I hate double lappers and that felt like one.

As most of your races have been in South Africa, what would you say were some differences between this race and those you run back in SA? The races have a lot of similarities except:

• The LATE start. The late start surprised me, and this is not just for Lisbon… in Amsterdam we started the race at 1pm in the afternoon and runners will be on the course until late in the afternoon.
• I did not see any “Buses”, hahaha! Unless I missed them! In South Africa, a “bus” is a group of runners at a race that is led by a “bus driver” with sufficient knowledge and experience of the course to get the runners to the finish line within a certain target time. These buses provide entertainment, support and motivation for the runners on the bus to get to the finish together. Buses are a whole vibe, LOL! The buses in Lisbon, I can say, were in the form of teams, I saw one from the army and different people wearing similar clothing running for a cause.
• No spectators or supporters at the beginning. The starting point in Lisbon is very far out that it makes it difficult for spectators and supporters to reach, so no people cheering you on as you start the race until you are off the bridge.
• There were too few people of colour that at some point I thought I was the only one at the race until I saw two other guys. But I must say, the camaraderie and support are the same as back home and more so out there as people know they are coming from different parts of the world they engaged more with each other.

What are some of the running or fitness goals you have planned for this year (or in the future)? I have started a bit of road cycling which I am enjoying very much. I only learnt how to cycle and got myself a bike this year in March. I got myself a coach and it’s been going awesomely well. I find cycling intriguing and super challenging, but I am happy to add the challenge to my fitness journey. Still doing sessions with my coach to get me ready for some races – I would want to do one or two bucket list cycling races, including the 94.7 Ride Joburg Race. There are lots of rules and things to learn in cycling but I’m ready for it.

Running is my first love though. My goal is to do some more bucket list running races around the world and also to try a full marathon one day! London Marathon, Bucharest Marathon and the Swiss Marathon are all on my bucket list, but I’d want my first marathon to be the Edenvale Marathon in Johannesburg where my journey of running races started.

I have loved following you as you run around the world and can’t wait to see you tick off all your Bucket List races! And, of course, we will have to organise our first run together soon. Thank you so much for sharing your running story, my twinnie! From 2km walks to lose weight to running several epic Half Marathons around the world, now that’s what you call a lifestyle change! If you’d like to connect with Musline, click here for her Instagram Page!

I’m joining Kooky Runner and Zenaida on their link up, Tuesday Topics. Be sure to check out their blogs.

Have you run the Lisbon Half Marathon? Have you run in any of the places Musline listed here? What’s on your bucket list? Did your running journey start with having to make drastic lifestyle changes?