The document provides tips for achieving running goals in South Africa. It recommends starting small with realistic goals and gradual increases in distance. It emphasizes focusing on each run as an achievement and not waiting for others. Most importantly, it suggests shutting up and running despite excuses about weather, tiredness or time instead of overthinking obstacles. The author shares her own running experience and mentality of using running to get through both good and bad days in life.

1. Motivate Yourself to Achieve Your Running Goals
Probably about 80% of the South African population have woken up
one morning and said “I think I will go for a run today”.In fact most
South Africans have probably said “ I will run
Comrades next year”,some never make it to
putting their shoes on and others go on to finish
“The Ultimate Human Race” that is Comrades.
Which one are you and how do you go about
achieving your running goal no matter how big or how small. Let me
just state at this point that some people hate running and will always
hate running DO NOT try and convince them otherwise as it will only
reinforce their hatred of running and runners.
Here are some of my “Running tips South Africa”
 Start small, if you aim to run 10km on your first ever run you
are likely to fail, hate running or injure yourself
 Set realistic goals and move up slowly.As South Africans we are
not happy with running a marathon we need to run 300km
through the desert so that we can talk about it at the next
dinner party.
 See each race/run as an achievement, one of the biggest
mistakes I used to make was to talk about the next race before
I had finished the first one.
 We live in a beautiful country with amazing races, stop at some
point in your race and admire what you are running through or
past.
 Don’t wait for your best friend, your partner your aunty or your
cousin to go running, tag on with people where you can but if
you wait for other people you will never reach your goal.

2. Running clubs are great places to run; there will always be
someone there come rain or shine.
 And here is the most important tip South Africa
#shutupandrun, if you wake up or finish work and you think; it’s
too cold, I am too tired, I have had a really hard day, it’s raining,
it’s windy, it’s hot, I don’t have enough time etc, etc just
#SHUTUPANDRUN.
I other day I decided that I do love running, don’t get me wrong I
moan all the way up every hill but it has taught me so much about so
many things. I live my life with a runner’s mentality; it helps me get
through my bad days and my good days. So #SHUTUPANDRUN
Elaine has
been
working
in
the
fitness industry in South Africa and the UK
for the last 17 years. She studied a Sports
Science degree at Rhodes University and
started running long distance in 1997.
Elaine ran her first marathon in 2001 and has not stopped;
she has run 10 Two Oceans Ultras and 10
consecutive Comrades marathons. She also has a
permanent number for the Puffer trail run. Join Elaine’s
running group on http://www.fitnessconnect.co.za/