This is my final week of training before a rest week before running the Two Oceans on Saturday 7 April. I anticipate that the run from Newlands to Fish Hoek will be reasonably comfortable. From Fish Hoek to the halfway mark at Noordhoek, just below Chapman’s Peak, it remains fairly flat but I will know that I have run 28 km, and my legs will be a little sore. Chapman’s Peak and down to Hout Bay is a beautiful route and I am hoping that the beauty of the mountains and sea will inspire me to forget about my tired legs and body. Hout Bay is the marathon mark of 42 km, and for the last 14 km over Constantia Nek it will be mind over body, and then a real painful slog home to UCT where the finish will be. I hope to finish in under 6 hours, with an average of just over 6 minutes a km. It will however be a challenge, and at times a painful one.

I do appeal to you to sponsor me per km. All the money raised will go towards building a new gym, the new cricket indoor nets, and our new outdoor campus at Maretlwane in the Magaliesburg. All these projects are needed and will add value to the quality of education offered at St John’s College. The construction of the cricket nets will begin immediately after the Easter weekend, and the site will be handed over to the contractor on 11 April.

If you wish to support my fundraising endeavour, please respond to my appeal. You may download the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon sponsorship form at this link: Sponsorship Form [PDF]

So far I have raised close to R200 000 in sponsorship, but I would like to achieve a quarter of a million. Thank you to the many who have sponsored me, I do appreciate your support.

Have a blessed Easter and a good holiday break.

Kind regards

Roger Cameron

Roger Cameron to run the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon

This is it!  We’re a week and a half away from the Two Oceans on Easter Saturday.

This is my final week of training before a rest week before running the Two Oceans on Saturday 7 April.  I anticipate that the run from Newlands to Fish Hoek will be reasonably comfortable.  From Fish Hoek to the halfway mark at Noordhoek, just below Chapman’s Peak, it remains fairly flat but I will know that I have run 28 km, and my legs will be a little sore.  Chapman’s Peak and down to Hout Bay is a beautiful route and I am hoping that the beauty of the mountains and sea will inspire me to forget about my tired legs and body.  The 7km slow downhill stretch takes its toll. There are two big hills to run up, Constantia Neck and Noordhoek.  Constantia Neck will be particularly tough one because it’s late in the day and hot and there’s not much shade

Running downhill jolts your legs a bit more.  There’s a bit more pressure on your knees and joints but it should be fine.  Hout Bay is the marathon mark of 42 km, and for the last 14 km over Constantia Nek it will be mind over body, and then a real painful slog home to UCT where the finish will be.  I’ll take some anti-inflammatories before I start, and some painkillers with me, and I’ll have all sorts of nutritional supplements to take along the way. So I’m fairly confident about getting there, I think I’ll be fine.  I will be pleased to finish in under 6 hours, with an average of just over 6 minutes a km.  It will however be a challenge, and at times a painful one.

I’m looking forward to it. I’m running with my son-in-law and he’s ready.  Two weeks after that he’s going to be doing the Iron Man which is a mammoth exercise, but I’ll resist that.  There’s no temptation at all to do that race.

If any of you are following my blog, please contribute to my fundraising drive.  I’m getting close to R200,000 and I’d like to get to R250,000, so we’ll make a final appeal to all our parents and old boys just before this week and we’ll see how we go.  I think the gym is an absolute necessity for St John’s and we really need to get some funding and support for that.

I’ve booked my flight, I’ve got my accommodation.  My friends have invited me to a pasta supper the night before.  And if I’m in good shape after the race we’ll go and visit a wine farm on Sunday to celebrate!

Roger Cameron to run the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon

Good day all.  My training for the Two Oceans is going well. I ran another 25km on Sunday morning and intend to run another 25km this coming Sunday. I’m running about 60km a week.

So the early mornings are now cold and dark, and I wear a reflective tape around my middle to stop the cars from bashing into me, and I try to avoid the man-hole covers that are now missing. The Johannesburg streets in the dark are quiet, cold, and a bit gloomy.  But it’s getting close…two weeks to go and I will be in Cape Town running the Two Oceans.  I think I’m ready.  I’m fairly hopeful that I can do the job…it might be bit painful.  I’ve discovered that it’s actually much more difficult to get fit now than it was when I was 23.  Many more aches and pains but we’re getting there.  I’ve got myself all sorts of gels and supplements to keep me going, and so I’ll hopefully finish the 56km without too much pain.

Thanks for your support, appreciate it.

If you’d like to sponsor me, please complete this sponsorship form:

Two Oceans sponsorship form

Roger Cameron to run the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon

Good news today, I’m feeling much better! I ran a 42km marathon on Sunday; the Remax Marathon in Edenvale.  I had originally set out to run a half marathon (I registered for a half marathon), but when I got to the half marathon mark I realised that I could run the full 42km so I did, although I did run out of a little steam at the end.  It was encouraging and made me feel good about running the Two Oceans.  The hamstring didn’t give me any problems at all. I lost a toenail though, but it comes with the territory.  The only problem was that I didn’t drink any of these energy gel supplements, so by the time I got to the 32km mark I needed some ‘Vooma’ which I didn’t have and I ran out of steam. Taking these energy supplements/drinks makes a big difference, because they only hand out water and coke during the race.  I ran the marathon in 4 hours and 40 minutes which is very slow.  My fastest time was 2 hours 28 minutes, when I was a twenty year old.  I would like to have run under 4 hours 30 minutes but I didn’t. I’d like to run 6 minutes per kilometer which would give me a 5 and a half hour finishing time for the Two Oceans.  The race is only three weeks away now, but I’m ready for the race.

I’m really pleased about my run in the Remax Marathon. It was very encouraging for me and I’m running with a lot more confidence.  It was a massive confidence boost for me because I was actually beginning to wonder if I was going to make the 56km Two Oceans run.  I’ll run another 30km this Saturday.  I’ll also continue to run 10km every morning until the last week and then I’ll stop and rest, and I’ll be fresh as a daisy for the Two Oceans!

I now have my number for the Two Oceans and it’s number 14.  There will be over 5000 people running and I’ll be number 14.  That’s my permanent number because I’ve run 10 races earlier on.  So if you’re standing in the side lines in Cape Town, watching the runners go by, look out for number 14.  I’ll be running in the St John’s running outfit.  I’m a member of the St John’s running club, so the outfit has a St John’s badge on the front and ‘St John’s College’ written on the back and I’ll be in the St John’s colours.  I don’t think there’ll be many St John’s running club members running the Two Oceans, so I’ll probably be a lonesome St John’s runner.

I haven’t been on any special diet for the race.  But on the race you can take a whole lot of extra energy tablets or supplements in a gel form which comes in tubes that you squeeze into your mouth.  The body quickly absorbs the gel and it’s designed to help keep runners’ energy levels up.  You get a belt that holds these energy gel tubes or sachets.  You should take one probably, once you start running, every half hour or hour.  I hope the supplements will keep me going at the Two Oceans because my legs were very sore at the end of this last marathon. I’m not too fussed about my diet before the race but I’ll probably go out and carbo-load with some pasta the night before the Two Oceans race.

Roger Cameron to run the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon

Good day everyone.  I trust you had a good week so far?  You may be wondering which routes I take when running each morning.  I make my way from my home down Munro Drive to meet my running partner (my son-in-law, Gareth Devine) at Houghton Primary School where we stretch before our run.  We run one of two routes; the first route is to the Zoo and back, and the other route is down towards St Mary’s (mostly downhill) and back up again.  We choose a route depending on how we feel each morning.

I’m sorry to say that I have a minor setback…I’ve been nursing a hamstring which is quite sore.  So this last week I have been running gingerly and walking in between. I’m still running every morning, but only just.  It’s getting better though so that’s encouraging.  I didn’t attempt my 30km run at Maretlwane last weekend because I was sore, so I just relaxed.  I did however manage to walk up the mountain and it was very pleasant.  Walking up the mountain didn’t hurt.  It only hurts when I run.

Not to worry though, I’ll be ready for the Two Oceans!  But my training has had a little bit of a setback in terms of where I should be.  I haven’t done the long runs that I’ve wanted to do and have only been running 10km or less in the morning.  Two weeks ago I was challenged up Munro Drive by some young man who was running faster than I was.  And in my old age I rose to the challenge of trying to compete with him, and it was probably more than what I should have done.  I’ve been to a biokineticist (my running partner Gareth) and have been given exercises for my leg and it’s been strapped up, but Gareth says that I’m fine.

I’ve now booked my flight to Cape Town!  On Tuesday night, at the PA meeting, the PA said that they would pay for my flight to get there.  That was very kind of them to do so.

I’ve been encouraged by the number of people that have sponsored me and the good wishes that I have been receiving.  Thank you all.

Roger Cameron runs the Two Oceans Marathon

Training has been going well.  I train six days out of seven.  I get up at 4:40 am and have a cup of tea before the run.  It’s still dark out at that time and getting a little chilly.  I’m then out of my front gate by 5am.  I then go for a walk and a little jog and by the time I meet Gareth, my son-in-law, at the bottom of the corner at Houghton drive I’m reasonably warmed up.

We then do a little stretching before the run.  My heel is still sore (heel injury).  It’s not getting better, but it warms up when I run so it’s fine.  We run about 10-12km every morning and I’m back home by 6:15am.

I went to the doctor recently to check my heart out and the heart specialist said I’m ‘stupidly fit!’, so my heart’s fine and I’m healthy. I will run 30km this weekend.  We’re going to the new campsite in Magaliesberg called Maretlwane and will stay over this Friday night and Saturday night and I’ll put in a 30km run there.

When I was younger the fastest marathon I ever ran was 2 hours and 28 minutes; and my fastest Two Oceans Marathon was 3 hours 28 minutes.