If not, why not?

I decided to call my blog "Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary" mainly because that seems to be the order of the day for me... I'm not exactly what you'd call a stable, normal person doing what she loves. What I am is constantly in search of new challenges, new passions and new ventures. I'll be the first to admit that once I know how to do something, and do it well, I lose interest and it doesn't take long before another opportunity seizes my attention. But anyway, its all about the fun, friends and wine you drink along the way right? Probably not, but I'd like to think so.

So that's what this is about really, a diary of sorts I suppose. Why I feel it necessary to publish it to the world (or really the three people that will actually read it – Hi MomJ), I'm not really sure, perhaps time will tell... So in the mean time, if not, why not!

Let's begin at the beginning shall we? I was born to Jenny and Patrick Eaton in the winter of 1983. Apparently I was a rather "energetic" child. Thoughts of ritalin and strait jackets come to mind, but thanks be to ya-weh, they were not as popular when I was trying to wend my way through early adolescence as they are now. You just have to fall asleep once in class or pinch a kid who insulted your mother and you'll be on drugs before you can say overreaction! Anyway, I digress...

I grew up in a little seaside community and I must admit I count myself among the lucky. Not only to live in one of the world’s beautiful places, but knowing your neighbours, walking down the beach every afternoon after school with your friends and being in class with the same 20-30 kids for 12 years has its upside. Its downside too, but mainly the sense of familiarity and belonging is comforting.

Growing up my favourite thing was spending as much time as I could possibly squeeze into the day, in a body of water of some sort. Whether it was swimming in the sea, paddling in the river or training in the pool, I was always wet. I honestly don’t think my hair was dry for 10 years!

These days most of my time is taken up by a completely ‘other’ sport. Running! The sport sort of just happened upon me. I was listening to the radio in my office on the 30^th November 2010 and I heard the closing announcement for the Comrades Marathon 2011. My ears pricked up and I thought “Why not?” (Sensing a trend here yet?) It would definitely be a tick off my bucket list... So I tore through to my boss’s office (who is an athlete in his own right) and asked him if he thought I it was possible to train for my maiden Comrades in just 6 months? Just do it, was the answer.
So I entered.
Then I panicked.
Now what? I hit the internet hard and what I found was a deluge of information on shoes, running technique, what to eat, how to run, when to run, who to run with, what to do, what not to do, how to lace your freaking shoes... I literally balked at the concept and realised my giant mistake and supreme underestimation of the enormity of the conquest at hand. I then thought, oh well not the end of the world I don’t have to actually run the race. It was a good idea while it lasted, no harm done, I’ll do something else. I subsequently learned that my husband had taken it upon himself to announce my entry to the entire world! I was officially screwed. Now I had to bloody run!
I went back to trusty Google and tried again. Found a program I liked and made sense, read as many articles as I could, subscribed to the Runner’s World Magazine and literally hit the ground running.

Six months later, I am the proud owner of a shiny Comrades Marathon medal and I wouldn’t change my bout of impulsivity and insanity for the world! It is literally a life changing event, and I recommend the blood, sweat and tears to every able bodied person to do at least once in their lifetime.

So that’s me in a nutshell. I was a swimmer, now I’m a runner. I have a super husband who supports me in all I do and that I love dearly. I live on a farm in rural Kwa-zulu Natal, have way too many animals and although my life is not as I pictured it 10 years ago, its mine and I love it...