The final countdown...

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Its a few days before the Soweto Nedbank 10km Challenge and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, thinking of all the times I had to eat a healthy alternative instead of chips, of all the times I didn't feel like going to gym and but actually went, but most of all, the difference between this attempt to lose weight and my last one, was all the words of encouragement and advice I've received. Thank you to all of you who were part of this challenge in some way or the other.

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My last race was the Spar Ladies' Challenge, and as you all know by now, Faizel has always been by my side at each and every race, except for this one (for obvious reasons).

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I wasn't alone though (amongst the 7000+ ladies), my sister and niece had taken part in this race too. In an attempt to make Faizel proud of me, I decided that I was gonna put in 110% into this race. My race started well, as I broke away from my sister and niece and created a nice little lead. I was proud of myself, listening to the thumping music on my mp3 player and running with purpose! Then I made a"blapsie"! I was following the runners in the 5km race and not the 10km :( As soon as I realised this, a wave of panic hit me and thought about just continuing with the 5km runners, my conscience didn't allow me to follow through with that plan, so I turned around, and like a fish swimming upstream, had to run back the way I came.

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When I reached the correct 10km route, I couldn't help feeling so stupid for making such a silly mistake. And then, in the distance, I saw my sister and niece again! I've never been as happy on a race as I was on that day, and I pushed myself a little bit harder to catch up with them. When I eventually caught up with them and told them what I'd done, we all had a good laugh and decided to run together (at least until we reached the sportsclub where we made a dash for it to claim winner status). Another awesome feeling is having fellow runners, wait for you at the finish line and spurring you on, thanks Martha!

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Just goes to show, that I really do need Faizel around at my races. Over and above being my motivation, my pace setter, my paparazzi, he's my guide too!

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W

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PS: This is my penultimate update, next week I will write about my attempt to break the 1h30 mark!

My week in pictures...

I had a super busy and exciting week, so I won't exhaust you (and myself) by describing where I've been and what I did. All I can say is that I'm on a high...

Bottom line: 81kg...

Guess who's back! :)

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Its been 6 weeks since my last update, and you'll be forgiven for thinking that I fell off the bandwagon (again). I've been away due to religious reasons, I was observing the month of Ramadaan and as you all know that this is a very holy and strenuous time, not only on the body but on the mind too. For me, Ramadaan is a time to reflect and implement the changes that we make during this holy month and carry it through to the rest of the year. What have I learnt? That a little bit of patience goes a long way and that our bodies really only needs a little to be satisfied.

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On 24 September 2009, I celebrated my heritage by doing the Clearwater Mall "Flat One" 10km. As we entered the parking area, we heard the MC of the event announcing that the only flat kilometre is the one inside the mall. We thought he was joking but later found out that in fact he was telling the truth, so much for being a "Flat One"! As you'll notice from the pics, that I'm not wearing my usual shy smile...it was not what I expected to be and being out of practice for 5 weeks, I can honestly say that it was one of the tougher 10km's I've done.

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Last week I went clothes shopping for a very special occasion. You can imagine being a + size customer for years, one would find this task quite difficult, not to mention frustrating. Two months ago I saw this stunning cocktail dress at one of the major department stores and tried it on. It looked good but it was a bit of a snug fit. I decided not to buy the dress as I was convinced that I would never really fit into it.
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So when I received the invitation, I knew that this particular dress I tried on a while back would be perfect for the occasion, so I went out hunting for the dress. My nearest branch did not have this dress and after enquiring at a few other shops, I became desperate. When they told me there might be stock in Pietersburg my eyes lit up with hopes that there's still a chance. However, the dress would've taken 3 weeks to get to JHB. I was so desperate, I even asked Faizel how long it would take to go to Pietersburg and back...

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The saga continued when I went to another branch, I looked at their sale items and at their end of range items. When I found the dress, I hopped, skipped and jumped all the way to Faizel, who willingly helped me search for the dress. I tried it on, being skeptical that it would fit. To my surprise, it was a perfect fit and it had transformed me. I felt like royalty and judging by the way Faizel looked at me, I think he saw his princess.

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This was my gauge that I had lost weight over the last 6 weeks. I have weighed myself and the numbers are looking good. My weight now is 80 kg.

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Thank you all for supporting me through the ups (the hills I encounter in my life) and the downs (the downward trend of my weight loss). Watch this space for pics in my new dress...

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W