The last Half Marathon I recapped was my twelfth, Phikwe, which I ran in July 2023. After 12 weeks of solid training, I had never felt more prepared for a race. I didn’t think I would PB, I knew I would. But I didn’t. Far from it. In fact, I was a whole 17 minutes off. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I was devastated. It took me six weeks to process what had happened and share some lessons on the blog. One of the lessons, and the theme of today’s blog, is “Dust Yourself Off and Try Again“. Following Phikwe, I immediately signed up for the UB Half Marathon on 24th September 2023. I felt if I didn’t, I would just fall into a dark abyss of “Woe is me”. I continued training as if Phikwe had never happened and maintained the same goals. Race Day arrived and I finished in 2:30:50! Not a PB but faster than I had run in years. I’ve since run even faster but, on that day, it was the victory I needed after a spate of very poor Half Marathon performances. My Half Marathon curse was over at last!

How I Achieved 2:30 After Several Failed Attempts

1/ I Came in Very Strong. Even though my Phikwe race hadn’t gone as planned, I had been extremely fit going into it. Add eight more weeks of consistency to that solid foundation, I was incredibly strong as I lined up at UB. I had shaken off all the disappointment from Phikwe and just felt happy to be out there surrounded by several other runners looking to achieve their own goals.

One thing I love about the UB race is the great atmosphere – the excitement in the air is palpable and although it is a fairly new race, it already has the reputation of being professionally organised. There is a great comfort in knowing you don’t have to worry about whether there will be sufficient water stops, marshals or distance markers. You know you can just focus on your run. When the gun went off, I quickly fell into step with those around me. From the UB Stadium, we ran past the National Stadium and headed to the UB Circle where we turned right onto Chuma Drive. I remember feeling very joyful, even at this early stage, and felt such a beautiful sense of belonging. Isn’t it funny how you can feel so at home surrounded by strangers? Unlike Phikwe, where I felt “off” from the start, here, I could already sense it would be a good day. I tuned out the lively chatter, turned up my music, and found my flow.

2/ I Was Familiar with the Area. Even though I’d never done the UB Half, I was very familiar with the route, having run the different sections several times over the years. On Chuma Drive, we went left onto Julius Nyerere Drive, straight over the Bull and Bush flyover onto Willie Seboni, and then left into the CBD where we passed The Three Dikgosi Monument, Botswana High Court, Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS), and other notable Government Ministries, before making our way onto the New Lobatse Road. From here, we went right joining the Molepolole Road, all the way to the Molapo Crossing intersection where we turned left onto the A1. We pushed to the Rainbow intersection where we turned left onto Kudumatse Road and eventually onto Samora Machel Drive. From here, we turned right into Fairgrounds, eventually making our way back to Samora Machel, and heading back to the UB Stadium.

3/ I Had a Partner When It Got Tough. It was in Fairgrounds that things got tough. The 16km point is always where I struggle the most. Fortunately, it was about the same time that I found a running partner. For most of the race, I had run alone, occasionally joining a group, before leaving them, or vice versa. But around here, I met an old high school mate. We have crossed paths at races but never run together. We hardly spoke but having her beside me, made me calm. I felt that as long as she was there, I just had to keep in step, and I’d be okay.

4/ Seeing My Husband Was Uplifting. Even with someone beside me, about 2km from the Stadium, the fatigue was becoming unbearable. It didn’t help that the road had a slight incline. It was here that Ditiro emerged with his camera. He had done the 10km race, as my sister’s pacer. I didn’t expect to see him but I’m so glad I did. I mustered up the little energy I had left to keep pushing.

Ditiro asked me if I was on track. I looked down at my watch and at that point I knew 2:30 was a real possibility. The last time I had achieved anything close to that was in 2019 so it had been a long time coming. He stayed with me until the UB Circle before running ahead so he could be at the finish.

5/ I Was Fuelled by Failure. As the incline eased, I stepped it up. I looked back at the disaster that was Phikwe and the disappointing races preceding it. I thought about all the hard work I had put in the last few years without any real successes. I had questioned why I wasn’t performing, what I was doing wrong, and whether it was worth continuing with this distance. I slowly brought myself back to the present moment. I could feel the strength in my legs as I turned right at the UB Circle and powered down that road. Suddenly, I didn’t see or hear anything around me. I just focused on getting to the Stadium and making it down those last few metres of track. After running for 20km, I clocked my fastest pace, 06:47min/km, in that last kilometre.

I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, and let out a sigh of relief as I saw 2:30:50. I emerged from my stupor as an official handed me my medal. Only then could I hear the buzz of excitement as runners revelled in their personal victories and took selfies. I heard my sister before I saw her. She ran towards me and gave me the biggest embrace as I shouted, “I did it. I did it!”

This is the story of my 13th Half Marathon and I’m so glad I recapped it now as I train for my 17th Half Marathon which is the exact same race to be held on the 8th of September 2024. Yes! I still have three more Half Marathons to recap – a beautiful training run in March, an almost-PB in Benoni, South Africa, and a surprise PB in Gaborone only two weeks later. It’s been an exciting ride run!

Have you ever lost confidence after a series of bad races? When was the moment you felt “the curse” was finally broken?

I’m joining two amazing runners, Kim from Running on the Fly and Deborah from Confessions from a Mother Runner for their link up, the “Weekly Run Down.