A dream becoming a reality...19 weeks to go!

To follow this journey...

Twitter: @larakruiskamp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiveLoveRun77 

To support or sponsor RESTORE SA: 

L Kruiskamp FNB Savings, Acc # 62065491682, Brch code 250655  

Well with 19 weeks to go to my 7 x 7 Adventure, this week included.....

Introduction

An interesting week, full of ups and downs! On Monday I was feeling completely overwhelmed with the task and challenge at hand and started to feel a quite disillusioned and fearful! I found myself praying for confirmation & encouragement! That afternoon I received 4 wonderful encouraging messages saying that what I am doing is inspiring them and to keep it up! With  one of my key objectives being "To inspire others to live their passion & purpose" that was all I needed to get me going again! Thank you to Rob, Mike, Heather & Debs!

On Tuesday I spent a wonderful morning at LIV Village (www.liv-village.com), a beautiful village in KZN where widows and orphans are given a new hope and future! It was their end of term special assembly and Rory Dyer gave an uplifting message! LIV is an incredible model and will truly play a huge role to RESTORE South Africa! LIV also played a large part in the motivation for the design and name of the NPO I am starting...RESTORE SA. Another milestone was achieved on Tuesday, my logo and business cards were finalised, a great big thank you to Sue Clarke and her team for designing them.

Here it is, what do you think? What does YOUR UNIQUE PIECE look like?

New beginnings.. the Name & logo of of the NPO I am starting!

On Wednesday an article was published in our local news paper..have a look:

In March 2013 I will be kayaking in Antarctica

On Thursday I received an email from the organisers of the Antarctica Marathon which really got my heart racing, its so exciting! And apart from all the amazing information & preparation information, they informed us we could book to go on an Antarctica Kayak Adventure, so this is what I'll be doing in March before the marathon!

So all in all a great exciting week after the daunting start!

ON THE TRAINING FRONT

Total km for the week - 22km (bit bleak..I have a niggle in my right knee so I cut back on mileage!)

Total Hours for the week (includes running, swimming, kettlebells) - 5h00

Monday 15th & Friday 19th October 2012: 1 hour Kettlebells

On Monday & Friday I did 1 hour of kettlebells! The swinging motion and moves are starting to feel a bit more normal! Its takes a while to get the hang of it, but wow it is great strength training! Fridays class was all about the legs with repeats of lunges, squats, burpees & star jumps..boy oh boy I was so stiff until Sunday!

Thursday 18th October 2012

I attempted to have a good swim instead of running to give my knees a break, but being the novice I am, I arrived at the tidal pool at high tide with a waves of 2m and I was just tossed all over the place and decided after 1 length I was exhausted and decided it will be low tide swimming in future ;)

Wednesday 17th & Saturday 20th October 2012: 8km Hilly Salt Rock Run & 14km LSR

I did a gentle 8km jog! And on Saturday I did the longer 14km route along the coast, it was lovely and cool with a bit of light drizzle! My knee is still a bit tender..I think it might be time for new takkies!

Fundraisers on the go for Oceanites (ww.oceanites.org)

1. Durban Barnyard 9th Nov 2012

For those in the Durban, KZN, South Africa area, I am having a Barnyard fundraiser on 9th Nov 2012 - tickets are R125 and the show is "The 7 Wonders of the Musical World", please e-mail if you would like to book tickets! Larasheart77@gmail.com

2. I've donated my birthday to Oceanites. 

If you would like to wish me a happy birthday for 28th November the details are below: 

Lara Kruiskamp

FNB Savings Account

Account Number: 62065491682

Branch Code: 250655

I am in the process of starting an NPO so using this account in the interim.

There is a 5 year waiting list to do Antarctica Marathon but 1 spot for 2013 as a fundraiser for NPO Oceanites and thats me! So really hoping to achieve my target of R200 000 so I can Run 7 x 7 in 1 year for change in SA!

Weekly Inspiration...

Lets all have passion & perseverance like Felix Baumgartner who made history this week by jumping from the stratosphere and recording the highest skydive at 39km! He worked on pursuing this dream for 7 years! Don't give up on your hopes & dreams, perservere with HOPE Humility Optimism Patience Enthusiam.

Have an awesome week

Lara

Kruger Park Skukuza half marathon

4th August 2012

NEVER GIVE UP...7 marathons on 7 continents in 1 year...

What a week it has been, a roller coaster of emotions..

On Sunday I found myself praying to receive confirmation that this 7x7 journey is Gods will for my life to Glorify Him and not just a crazy idea I have come up with that I am asking God to bless...well the message at church that morning was about Jericho where the guys had to march around the city 7 x for 7 days.....

Then on Monday I was feeling quite overwhelmed at the task of raising R200 000 to get into the 2013 Antarctica marathon and questioning whether I should quit this craziness and take the road more frequently travelled and get a 9 - 5pm job! Well an hour after that thought, I received 4 very encouraging messages from people I haven't seen in years to say that they have seen what I am up to & they are inspired & to keep it up ... needless to say I am not job hunting ;)

Then the week progressed to get better and better! On Tuesday my logo and business cards were finalised .. have look, what do you think..SA has 49 million puzzle pieces, yes you and your unique gifts and talents are vital for SA's restoration!

My piece is 7x7 to raise funds & inspire people to live their passions & purpose to RESTORE SA...what does your unique piece look like?

And on Wednesday our local News paper published this article about my journey!

So in conclusion...

Many of lifes failures are people who didn't realise how close they were to breakthrough moments

...so never give up...your breakthrough could be just around the corner hang in there!

Have a great rest of the week!

20 weeks to go...

Well with 20 weeks to go to my 7 x 7 Adventure, this week included.....

ON THE TRAINING FRONT
Total km for the week - 35km
Total Hours for the week (includes running, swimming, kettlebells) - 6h20m

MONDAY 8th October 2012: 300m Swim Thompsons Bay

Gentle 6 lengths in Tidal pool

Charlie's Tidal Pool, Thompsons Bay,
Ballito, South Africa

A stroll on the beach...I didn't want to
leave the beach it was amazing!

On Monday I did 6 lengths in the Olympic length "Charlies Tidal Pool" at Thomsons Bay, which is just a couple of steps away from home. I have not swam lengths in months...actually in years, so I am just easing my way back into swimming.  I generally prefer to stay with my feet grounded on solid foundations...But I know that swimming is really good cross-training for running...especially Antarctica training! So I made sure I kept my head above water to avoid seeing any freaky creepy crawlies! Once I was out the pool, I walked along the edge and saw some beautiful black & silver stripy fish.  I thoroughly enjoyed my first pool session!

Just a bit of info..."Charlie's Olympic size Tidal Pool" was built in 1962 by one of the areas earliest Ballito settlers, Charles de Charmoy.

TUESDAY 9th October 2012: 8km Hilly Salt Rock Run

My usual trick to survive my runs is to walk the hills and run all flats and downs, so today I made sure I ran each and every hill to the TOP! Whoo-ha I was exhausted but it felt so good!



WEDNESDAY 10th October 2012: 1st Kettlebells Class 

Well well well, I have heard so much about Kettlebells I had to try it...WOW what a work out! I was exhausted and my arms felt like jelly...it made me realise just how weak my arms and core really are.

This is going to help my running so much! Thanks Flux!
I started with small weights and as I get stronger and used to the moves I will progress to much bigger weights!

THURSDAY 11th October 2012: 7km run including boardwalk, beach & BALLITO Steps!

A tough 7km run, we started on the boardwalk which is great, then onto the beach sand which as I mentioned last week is really hard and works every leg muscle! And as if that wasn't tough enough, once we were off the beach, we headed for THE BALLITO steps. 1 flight is 240 steps! We did 2 sets of those and my legs were shaky and jelly-like! Our aim is to manage 10 sets in 1 training session!

Have a look in the background of the picture and you'll see the steps just keep going!



Friday 12th October 2012: MUCH NEEDED REST DAY ;)

SATURDAY 13th October 2012: 15km slow hilly run along the coast

On Saturday we had an early start, 5 am.  I did a slow hilly 15km along the coast with Harry (Harry was doing 32km). We went from Ballito through Shakas Rock, Salt Rock to Sheffields Christmas Bay and back again. It is a beautiful run and to top it off we saw a lovely school of dolphins.

SUNDAY 14th October 2012: Gentle 5km recovery run on the boardwalk

The highlight of this run was seeing a whale breaching in the distance!

So all in all, a great week of training and each week I will be building on this and slowly adding distance to my long runs!


Highlights from this week

• I had a chat with our local news paper,  North Coast Courier, and they will be publishing an article in the paper this week!
• Seeing the dolphins & whale on my runs
• Starting kettle bells with Flux
• Getting into swimming training
• Great to have my training back on track!

Fundraisers on the go for Oceanites (ww.oceanites.org)

1. Durban Barnyard 9th Nov 2012
For those in the Durban, KZN, South Africa area, I am having a Barnyard fundraiser on 9th Nov 2012 - tickets are R125 and the show is "The 7 Wonders of the Musical World", please e-mail if you would like to book tickets! Larasheart77@gmail.com

2. I've donated my birthday to Oceanites. 
If you would like to wish me a happy birthday for 28th November the details are below: 

Lara Kruiskamp

FNB Savings Account

Account Number: 62065491682

Branch Code: 250655

I am in the process of starting an NPO so using this account in the interim.

There is a 5 year waiting list to do Antarctica Marathon but 1 spot for 2013 as a fundraiser for NPO Oceanites and thats me! So really hoping to achieve my target of R200 000 so I can Run 7 x 7 in 1 year for change in SA!

Weekly Inspiration...

Have an awesome week

Lara

Kruger Park Skukuza half marathon
4th August 2012

21 weeks to go until the adventure of a lifetime begins..

Well with 21 weeks to go to my Running for Change in SA Adventure, this week included.....

Total 32km - of which 19km were off road (Trails & beach)

Holla Trails Sunset

TUESDAY: 15.5km

On Tuesday I did a wonderful 15.5km Trail run at Holla Trails with Harry! We did the orange route, and it was beautiful, the bird life was abundant, we had a duiker stop and stare at us before dashing of with a huge spring in to the air & we ran from 4pm to sunset and did the last km in the dark and heard all the night life coming alive!

My 1st beach run....its TOUGH

THURSDAY: 11km

Wow my first ever beach run....it is TOUGH! We did an 11km run of which only about 4km was on the beach & my quads were screaming at me! I guess a lot more of that to come in the next few weeks, as running on snow will be tough too!



SUNDAY: 6km

Great opportunity to get out in the rain & wind...I don't think Ballito will ever be any simulator for Antarctica...but anyways I ran on the boardwalk so that I could really feel the maximum effects of the rain and the wind...every little step counts!

Highlights from this week

• North Coast Courier heard about my 7 x 7 adventure and contacted me, Im meeting them on Wednesday!
• East Coast Radio contacted me too after hearing about this adventure
• Received an Email from Sean at Flux...so I'll be attempting another first in a life time this week and trying out kettle bells!
• I found out that Im running the Antarctica marathon with 2 fellow South Africans of which 1, Hein Wagner, will be the first blind man in history to run on Antarctica, Mike Bailey will be his "guide dog"! I have posted the media release at the bottom of this page if you interested!
• I found out that when (positive thinking) I complete my 7 x 7 in 1 year, I'll be the 1st African women to achieve this!

This week will include, beach run, trail run, hills training & my first attempt at Kettlebells!

Some food for thought...Do what you love!

If you would like to contribute to my Oceanites fundraising www.oceanites.org/  - the bank detais are as follows:

Lara Kruiskamp
FNB Savings Account
Account Number: 62065491682
Branch Code: 250655


Im in the process of starting an NPO so using this account in the interim
PS. there is a 5 year waiting list to do Antarctica but 1 spot for 2013 as a fundraiser for NPO Oceanites and thats me! So really hoping to achieve my target of R200 000 so I can Run 7 x 7 in 1 year for change in SA! I will be having some fun fundraisers so keep a look out, details to follow in the next week or 2.

Have an awesome week

Lara

Here is the article on the first blind man to run on Antarctica..Amazing & Inspirational!

BLIND ADVENTURER HEIN WAGNER TO TAKE ON ANTARCTICA MARATHON

Blind adventurer and motivational speaker Hein Wagner will take on next year’s Antarctica Marathon with seasoned athlete Mike Bailey as part of the 100-man race. It will be the first time in 

history that a blind person participates in this extreme endurance event, which takes place on 7 March 2013.

Wagner has set aside the fact that he has been totally blind from birth to live a fulfilling and abundant life and never hesitates or stands back for any challenge. “I’ve taken on many daring adventures such as the Absa Cape Epic, mountain climbing, sailing from Cape Town to Rio, running several marathons and becoming the fastest blind driver in the world (he holds the World Land Speed record for a blind driver) and am excited to tick this one off my bucket list. Mike Bailey approached me around three years ago with the idea to participate in seven marathons on seven continents. I asked him which one was the most difficult of the lot and his answer was the one in Antarctica. Luckily, I’ve already participated in the New York, Hong Kong and Cape Town marathons.”

The marathon offers two options – a half marathon of 21.1 km and a full one of 42.2 km, which is the one Wagner and Bailey will be competing in. Says Wagner: “The biggest challenge of this race is the unpredictable weather. On a nice day it can be minus ten Centigrade, with little wind, but just the next day it can be minus 35 degrees with gale force, icy winds. Of course the wind plays a major role – the harder it blows the less I can hear what’s going on around me, especially instructions from my running partner. The terrain is also very uneven with ice and slush making up most of it.”

Not only is the race treacherous, but the journey there as well. “We depart from the world’s most southern city, Tierra del Fuego, on a Russian reconnaissance boat. It takes around seven days to get to Antarctica and the route will take us through the Drake Passage and past the Shetland Islands. While exploring this most pristine corner of the planet, we’ll come face-to-face with Antarctic gems such as icebergs, penguins, seals and whales. Historians and scientists will provide lectures on board ship and wildlife excursions during landings in remote areas among seal colonies and penguin rookeries and at research.”

Wagner’s guide, Mike Bailey, is a pharmacist by trade and well-known in runner circles. “We’ve only gone for a run once, but will train together at least once per week over the next five months. We need to get the off-road part of the race sorted, as this is what awaits us in Antarctica. At the moment I’m running about 50km per week, but need to increase this over the next couple of weeks. We need to find the coldest places in the country and train there as well. We’ll also try to set up a treadmill in a cold storage room to try and get used to the low temperatures. I’m not sure what we’re going to do about the wind, but perhaps the West Coast is an option!”

For Wagner, the most difficult event he has ever participated in has to be the Absa Cape Epic: “It was most definitely my hardest event to date. It was the toughest 8 days of my life! I promised myself at the time that I’ll never get on a tandem bike again, but alas, time makes you forget.”

Wagner reckons he has not had many disappointments in life, but has learnt many life lessons. He says the most difficult thing he has had to do, was to accept his blindness unconditionally. “It wasn’t easy, but when I started looking at it from a different perspective, it became my biggest opportunity. One of the highlights of my career was definitely winning the World Cup Cricket for the Blind in 1998. It was the first time that the event was held and to be part of the team that won was indescribable. To break the World Land Speed record also had me smiling for days.”

Wagner still wants to pilot a Boeing filled to the brim with passengers from London to Cape Town, a dream that could become a reality soon!

Wagner will participate in this extreme race to promote the abilities of those living with disabilities and to raise funds and create awareness of the VisionTrust, a non-profit organisation he founded in mid-2008, which strives to make the world as we know it a more accessible place for persons living with disabilities. The fundraising goal for this adventure is R500 000.00 after expenses. With the above funds raised for this adventure, the VisionTrust will be able to reach more of its objectives such as assisting an additional 20 blind previously disadvantage individuals to obtain access to the appropriate software and equipment to do such basic things as reading the daily news paper, access to the Internet/e-mail and study materials etc.