Le Weekly #33 – Dove Tale 🕊
One quote, one word, one shoutout, one story, one neigh from Philosophical Horse and one question.
Greetings everyone. Happy Monday!
Take a moment to reflect on each snippet. Comment your thoughts below.
Le Quote 🗣
“Do you have the keys?” – Matthew Carruthers.
Le Word 💬
dovetail (verb) fit or cause to fit together easily and conveniently.
Le Shoutout 🧣
This weekend, the Knysna Half Marathon took place.
The event has no dress code. So, it was an extra special sight when four people chose to wear Batshise FC shirts for the race.
Shoutout to Matt Carruthers, Nic Price, Lloyd Uren, and Cam van Rensburg (not pictured below).
Before this weekend, I didn’t know Cam van Rensburg.
Moments before the race, he saw Nic Price walk past wearing a Batshise FC shirt.
“No way, you have the same shirt as me!” Cam said.
“Unreal!” Nic replied.
“How did you get it?” Cam asked.
“Mike gave it to me,” Nic replied.
“Who’s Mike?”
“The guy who started Le Scarf.”
“What’s Le Scarf?”
It turns out Cam’s brother, James, bought the shirt and gave it to Cam. Cam, who had no idea who or what Batshise FC or Le Scarf were, decided to wear the shirt for the race because he liked it.
Le Story ✍️
After six weeks of too much coffee, not enough water, and not enough exercise, my body wasn’t feeling primed to run the Knysna Half Marathon.
After a slow start, it took about 2km to warm up. Unfortunately, despite warming up, I couldn’t find a rhythm.
It was going to be a tough day out.
3km. 4km. Still no rhythm.
Then, after about 5km, a runner wearing mint-green shoes bolted past me. Her rhythm was great, her feet looked steady on the ground, and she easily navigated the never-ending incline. I knew if I matched her speed and followed her lead, I’d be able to find a rhythm.
After about two minutes, I aligned with her rhythm. After about five minutes, I knew I could keep the rhythm.
She was clearly pushing for a good time. Despite this, she seemed hesitant to ask slower runners to move over if they were blocking the path.
Slowly but surely, I realised how I could contribute to the team. Each time we approached slower runners, I would let them know we were coming through.
Our teamwork was working. She kept the pace, and I helped communicate. Together, we kept our momentum going.
Then, something interesting happened. After an hour of running perfectly, her energy lapsed midway up a steep hill.
“I’m swallowing my pride,” she said as she began to walk.
Now, remember, we were completely strangers. There was no real reason to stay with her; I was more than allowed to keep running, but, she was the sole reason I found a rhythm so early on in the race, and I knew she’d be able to pick up where she left off moments before.
“You’ve got this. I’ll have an energy gel while you rest,” I said.
A few moments passed.
“Okay, let’s go,” she said.
The rest of the run was fascinating. She huffed and puffed for a while before eventually finding her rhythm again. As a result, I found my rhythm. Together, we kept it together.
People always consider running an individual sport. That being said, neither Courtney Hope nor I would have finished the race as quickly as we did if we weren’t there to inspire, motivate, and elevate each other.
Despite being complete strangers, our individual efforts somehow dovetailed perfectly.
We crossed the line, high-fived, thanked each other, and then went our separate ways.
Le Neigh from Philosophical Horse 🐴
“Neigh.” – Philosophical Horse.
Le Question 🤔
Whose rhythm do you want to match?
Have a great Monday, everyone!
Previous Newsletters:
(Remember to send this to someone who you think would enjoy Le Weekly)
Wakeup Call ☎️ No Pain 👟 Big Fan 💨 Vote Le Scarf 🐴 Common Loop 🥕 Road Cat 🐱 Half Way 🚚 Delivery Routine 📦 One Moment ⚽️ Lighting Rod ☔️ Vida Choc 🍫 Street Light 💡 Growth Spurt 📈 Tan Lines ☀️ Steam Train 🚂 Parked Car 🚗 Russ Bus 🚌 Being New ✨ Coffee Coffee ☕️ Leopard Picture 🐆 Clare’s Exhalations 🌸 Boiled Potatoes 🥔 Back Shampoo 🧼 Muscular Swallows 🐦 Long Wood 🪵 Impactful Leaf 🍃 Vulnerable Ankles 🦵 Sea Sea TV 📸 Treadmill Queue 💦 Lemonade 🍋 Meat Factory 🥩 Woolworths Maternitywear 👚
This. This is why I love running. So good. I had a similar experience with someone at the two oceans half a few years back. Would not have crossed that finish line without Mduduzi. Legend.
So inspiring, so feel good, so Mike!