Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2017 i Runner's World South Africa

“Don’t be that fruitcake who insists on wearing out-of-date fashion…” WHO WEARS SHORT SHORTS? I recently went shopping for new running shorts, and left the shop disappointed. Every pair I saw had an inseam of 4cm! Whatever happened to short shorts? – ADAM, Knysna Like all trends, short shorts will eventually come full circle. In the meantime, the poly shorts that defined running in the 70s and 80s are out of fashion. And for good reason: advocates were going ‘free Willy’ at races, only to be asked by marshals to ‘put the mouse back in the house’ – especially in the vicinity of schools and retirement homes. Don’t be that fruitcake who insists on wearing out-of-date fashion, particularly when mid-length running shorts are both light enough to run in, and…

“I KICKED MANY CONCRETE DUSTBINS, WHICH PROBABLY DIDN’T HELP.” Don’t overestimate me: this isn’t an uplifting story about overcoming all odds to achieve my dream. I’m neither a Somalian refugee with God-given talent and man-made poverty, nor a young, barefoot Afrikaans girl with wings on her feet and stars in her eyes. I’m not even an aspiring runner whose dreams were cut short by a horrific accident or an incurable disease. And I definitely didn’t win the race. I’m a white, 40-something mom with two young children and a husband. And I stumbled into running – but it wasn’t until I was faced with the prospect of not being able to do it anymore that I discovered it had filled a hole in my soul that I hadn’t known was…

Once upon a time, if you wanted to recover quickly after a run, you had to brave a bathtub full of ice cubes. But recent research casts the efficacy of the cold treatment into doubt. Rejoice! And turn up the hot tap. Hot baths can help soothe tired muscles, and make reading Runner’s World in the tub so much more pleasant. A long, hot bath may encourage your body to adapt as it would to the stress of summer running. (Even better: a 2010 study found that such heat adaptations can boost performance even in cool weather.) So after running this summer, save the ice for smoothies.…

FIND YOUR WAY BACK How to return to regular running after weeks (or even months) away from exercise It happens to almost every runner at some point: you get busy, or sick, or hurt, and you don’t run for a few weeks. A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a few weeks turns into a month – or longer. But when you’re ready to return, beware of New Year bravado. Ease back in slowly and cautiously to avoid another break – this time, due to injury. Here’s how to restart your routine. WALK FIRST If you’ve been away from running for more than a few weeks (or if your break came just a few months after you began running consistently), your first goal is to work up…

Is it possible to train for an ultra while working full-time? Yes, especially if you target a ‘short’ ultra. For a 50-K, apply the 10/10/10 rule to a marathon plan: lengthen long runs by 10 per cent, slow long-run pace by 10 per cent, and recover with 10 per cent more rest or cross-training days. For an 80-K, the formula is 20/20/20. – Ann Trason, a 14-time Western States 100-Miler champion, coaches at trasonrunning.com . I run to stay fit and healthy. Can I do all my runs at an easy pace? Sure! For health and wellness, aim for 20 to 60 minutes of exercise three to five times a week at 80 per cent of your maximum effort. Think: if I can chatter, pace doesn’t matter.…

IT’S HARD to resist the allure of a January or February race. Sun, shorts, and an ice-cold cooldrink at the finish line – what’s not to like? But how do you train for a summer race? “Running a race in heat is going to be much harder than in cool weather,” says Janet Hamilton, a running coach. “You may need to rethink your time goal.” How much to adjust depends on your fitness level: one study that examined decades of finisher data at seven marathons found that the negative effect of temperature, humidity, and solar radiation on finishing time increased significantly the longer a runner took to complete the race. This may sound discouraging, but don’t cancel your racing plans. With a little extra effort, you can acclimatise your body…

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, stretching won’t necessarily improve hamstring flexibility and restore range of motion. If poor alignment is to blame, your hamstrings are already in an overextended position – and stretching can be counterproductive, says Mike Robertson, co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training. The first step in finding relief, he says, is to work towards achieving proper pelvic positioning, which will alleviate tension down the back of your thighs (see previous page). The second step is to strengthen your hamstrings so they can help you maintain that good alignment – while sitting, while walking, and while running. Robertson recommends the following two-day workout. Do the warm-up moves to help you get good pelvic positioning first. Then do the first two strength moves on one day, and the second…

Puma Ignite V3 R1 999 (or free with Puma Speed 600 Ignite, Available February 2017.) The Puma Speed 600 is a surprisingly light and zippy ride – but perhaps even more surprising is that it comes with a pair of Ignite V3, absolutely free! The V3 features the same outsole as the previous version, but the upper has received a few cosmetic updates. It’s a heavily-perforated one-piece mesh upper, covering the entire shoe. Support and structure come from an overlay of hexagonal webbing (which is welded down, for extra strength) at the heel and around the laces – though the forefoot is exposed, in the absence of a toe-cap. 248 grams Brooks Adrenaline GTS17 R2 100 Small tweaks have improved this proven winner. Runners who complained about fit issues with…

YOUR TEST Look back on your last month or two of training to determine how long your longest runs tend to be. YOUR RESULTS If your ‘long’ runs last between 45 and 90 minutes, ramp them up: the longer you go (within reason), the better you’ll build the aerobic capacity and mental toughness you need to extend speedy running for more than a few minutes, Fitzgerald says. YOUR MISSION You probably already know that speedwork is critical to running a short, fast race, and you need to continue to do it once or twice per week. That said, appropriately long, steady weekend efforts can make your performamce great. Long runs build slow-twitch muscle fibres while speedwork builds fast-twitch, and you’ll use both types in a 5-K or 10-K – especially…

YOUR TEST For one month, log all your food and drink intake in real time. YOUR RESULTS You’ll know what, when, and how much you’ve consumed, which will help you identify unhealthy patterns. YOUR MISSION First, assess and improve what you routinely eat and drink at home. Fill your kitchen with perishables. “The healthiest foods tend to be found along the supermarket perimeter, where you’ll find the poultry, fish, beef, dairy, fruits, and vegetables that should make up the bulk of our diet,” says registered dietician Tara Gidus Collingwood. Eating these foods doesn’t just promote optimal athletic performance; it also reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even cancer. If your diet is fairly healthy, see if there’s a pattern in your lapses. Do you stress-eat chocolate from…

YOUR TEST Watch your beltline while you run on a treadmill facing a mirror. YOUR RESULTS If your hips remain level as you run, congrats – your glutes are facilitating a strong, balanced stride, and you’re likely to remain healthy. But a beltline that dips to one side or the other indicates weak or disengaged gluteal muscles, the culprit behind a host of running injuries, says Heather Milton, clinical exercise physiologist at New York University’s Langone’s Sports Performance Centre. Although some hip drop is expected in healthy runners, it’s not discernible to the naked eye. “If you can see a significant drop without measuring it,” says Milton, “it probably is outside of the norm.” YOUR MISSION Invite your glutes to the running party – and don’t take ‘we can’t make…

EASTERN CAPE BORDER FRIDAY 13 JANUARY PWC Old Selbornian Night Race Old Selbornian Club, Pearce Street, East London; 10km: 6pm; 5km Fun Run: 6:15pm Sharon Eldridge 083 284 3781 EASTERN PROVINCE SATURDAY 7 JANUARY Woodlands Dairy 15km, 6km Trail Run & Mini Moo Dash Mentors Country Estate, corner of N2 and St Francis Drive, Jeffreys Bay; 15km: 6:30am; 6km Trail Run: 7am; Mini Moo Dash: 8:45am Elize Fenwick 061 217 0825 / Chris Fenwick 082 577 1800 SATURDAY 14 JANUARY The N2 City Bluewater Bay 15km Challenge The N2 City Shopping Centre, Bluewater Bay, Port Elizabeth; 15km: 6am; 5km Fun Run: 6:30am Colin Parkins 083 651 3836 SATURDAY 28 JANUARY Die Burger Builders Warehouse Rafi’s Friendly City Marathon & 10km Vineyard Church (behind Builder’s Warehouse), Buffelsfontein Road, Port Elizabeth; 42.2km:…

“The reality lies in the middle. It’s why the best experts are almost always circumspect…” – Dr Ross Tucker “…sometimes the most effective methods are based on our own trial and error.” In running, there are plenty of trends and fads that float in and out of the zeitgeist, all rooted in a mixture of science and hype. Everything from barefoot running to Banting diets makes the rounds, and the evidence of each fad’s effectiveness is deemed compelling if the marketing gurus and social media have ticked the right boxes. Often, at that point, we are asked by readers to put together definitive guidelines to the merits of the trend in question. But we often take a circumspect view – for the reason Ross discusses in his column this…

 I’m training for an ultra marathon. How do I stay motivated? – DENZIL, Bloemfontein “…your family helps to make the process a rewarding team effort.” Training for a marathon or ultra can be a selfish and lonely pursuit – but only if you let it. Including your family helps to make the process a rewarding team effort. While your relatives and friends (and furry friends) might not be able to do all of your training with you – or any of it, for that matter – that doesn’t mean they can’t still be part of it. I often arrange to meet my wife, Vanessa, at a restaurant or coffee shop after my weekend run. Not only does this give me something to look forward to – it also forces me…

NAME Ryan Scott AGE 42 PROFESSION RW Gear Editor Chamonix is best known as a bustling Alpine ski town. During winter, snowfall and après-ski festivities attract lots of tourists. But this French valley is equally impressive in the summer. IN THE DARK I arrived at Chamonix late at night, having taken a short bus ride from the airport in Geneva. I checked in to the friendly and well-priced International Ski School and got my head down early, to ensure I was fresh enough to go exploring the following morning. I awoke to one of the most impressive vistas I have ever experienced. The first light of day only managed to crest the tops of the gigantic peaks surrounding the valley some time after sunrise. But when it did… wow. I…

How can I tell if I’m hurt, or just sore? It’s normal to experience some aches and pains as you get used to running again. If your discomfort affects your gait or does not subside with three to five minutes of walking, cut your workout short and take a few days to recover before attempting another run-walk. How can I stage a comeback when it’s hot outside? If you can’t find an indoor track or treadmill, run first thing in the morning or late in the evening when it’s cooler. Wear reflective gear, carry a light, and take care if winter weather has made surfaces slippery.…

“…start easy and build up gradually over time.” I dream of running the Comrades in 2018, but I’m new to running. Where do I start? – SONIA, East London The best advice I can give you is to start easy and build up gradually over time. Following a 12- to 16-week beginner’s 10km programme will ensure you build up gently enough to avoid injuries like shin splints and ITB. Ideally, the programme should take you up to running your first 5km in six to eight weeks, and 10km in 12 to 16 weeks (runnersworld.co.za/training). Once you’ve completed 10km, begin a half-marathon programme, which will last 10 to 12 weeks and should take you up to the middle of 2017. After you’ve successfully completed a half-marathon, then you can join the…

RUNNERS OFTEN ASSUME that tight hips and hamstrings are simply an occupational hazard. And that if they ever want to touch their toes again, they’ll have to dial down the mileage or spend hours on the yoga mat. But Trevor Rappa, a physical therapist at Resilient Performance Physical Therapy, says that running isn’t necessarily to blame – poor posture is probably at fault. And stretching will only provide temporary relief until the root cause is addressed. A lot of runners, and people in general, carry themselves with what Rappa and others call ‘extended posture’. In this type of stance, a person carries his lower ribs in front of his body, his glutes jut out behind him, and there is a big curve in his lower back (see right). It’s not…

EVEN IF YOU RUN every day between now and February, you’re not immune to weight creep. In fact, more than 50 per cent of annual weight gain happens during the festive period (give or take a few days, depending on the calendar). Here’s how to make it through the eating-and-drinking season without waistline regret. 1. PRE-GAME YOUR PARTY Make the most of arriving fashionably late by having a healthy mini meal an hour before you go. Aim for 1 000 kilojoules (or fewer), with 15 grams of protein and five to 10 grams of fibre, like a spinach salad with chicken and cranberry relish. Filling up will make it easier to resist the mini sausage rolls. 2. KEEP YOUR OFFICE STOCKED Holiday desserts are loaded with sugar and fat and…

YOUR TEST After warming up with a 1km jog and a few 30-second pickups, run 1km fast. YOUR RESULTS Aiming for a 5-K? Add 21 seconds to your time to estimate your per-km pace. For a 10-K, multiply your time by 1.15. YOUR MISSION This “Magic Kilometre” test from Olympian and running coach Jeff Galloway helps you guess how long your first 5-K or 10-K might take, which helps you determine how to prepare. For example, a 7:30-minute Magic Kilometre equates to a 38:59 5-K or a 1:25:44 10-K. For these distances, you’ll want to work up to a long run that keeps you on your feet for about as long as you will be on race day. So if your longest run to date has been 30 minutes, start…

YOUR TEST Assess how your body responds to workouts. YOUR RESULTS If speedwork feels harder than hours of slow kays, you probably have more slow-twitch muscle fibres. If you feel energised by short, fast sessions – and drained by long, steady ones – you have more fast-twitch. YOUR MISSION Your body’s unique ratio of muscle fibres affects how difficult certain workouts feel. And though it sounds counterintuitive, McMillan recommends tailoring your training to your strengths rather than your weaknesses. “A plan that suits you boosts your motivation and makes you feel excited,” says McMillan. Endurance aces will want a programme with lots of steady-pace long runs and tempo workouts. Speedsters, however, will do more intervals, with shorter ‘long’ runs that they will start slow and finish fast. So, an endurance-focused…

YOUR TEST Hop on the scale first thing in the morning. Repeat on a daily basis, and track your results. YOUR RESULTS “There’s no optimal weight for everybody,” says Dr Gary Foster, Weight Watchers’ chief scientific officer. Chasing an idealised number – what you weighed when you finished high school or before you had kids – is more likely to end in frustration than success. However, if you’re not happy with how your clothes fit or with your overall energy level, start with the goal of losing five per cent of your current body weight. “That’s been scientifically proven to confer significant medical, psychological, and quality-of-life benefits, and it’s achievable for most people,” he says. YOUR MISSION While it’s true that logging kays at any pace will help you shed…

“ He Was Already Inspiring A Lifestyle That I Too Would Lead One Day” I’d been moving (slowly) in an upwards direction for the last 18km, and I knew it was nowhere near being over. Despite that, I was delighted to still be feeling good. So far it’d been a dreary year of running for me, spattered with injuries, DNSs, and a general lack of enthusiasm. The build-up to the Old Mutual Wild Series Mont Aux Sources Challenge, a 50km mountain run in the Northern Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal, had been no different. Weeks plagued by dented self-esteem, constantly questioning my fitness and ability, put a dampener on my training, and an irritated hip put a pirate limp in my stride. In fact, the only thing that kept me going was…

NAME: JENNA CHALLENOR AGE: 35 PROFESSION: QUALIFIED TEACHER, PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE AND PART-TIME PHOTOGRAPHER “…if you want something badly enough, you find a way to make it happen.” My knee surgery wasn’t the main reason I didn’t go to Rio. After all 10 hopeful South African women had posted their finishing times in the marathon, mine was the fourth-fastest – or the ‘first loser’, as I like to call it. Though it was a tough pill to swallow, I accepted the fact that it wasn’t meant to be. The Olympics is an event every athlete aspires to participate in, and I’m passionate about the idea of representing my country there in 2020. At the same time, I’ve got to survive – which involves finding ways of making a living in the…

TARA DA SILVA Age: 33 Home Town: Pretoria Height: 1.65m Occupation: Graphic Designer Time Required: 2 Years Then: 95kg Now: 66kg THE WAKE-UP Most people love food – but if you love anything too much, it becomes an unhealthy infatuation. At my first job as a graphic designer, I regularly ate greasy food from the canteen, and on my way home I’d stop to buy chicken wings from a fast-food restaurant. Even after all that, I would indulge in a large dinner. Which eventually damaged the lining of my throat. My doctor diagnosed me with reflux disease. He warned that if I didn’t change my habits, my risk of developing diabetes later on in life would increase. THE SHAKE-UP I was engaged, and wanted to lose weight to look my…

How to get there Lufthansa and Swiss International Airways fly directly to Frankfurt and Zurich, and from there it’s a scenic train ride to Chamonix. Or on Emirates, fly via Dubai to Geneva, followed by a short bus trip. Where to eat Burgers and beers at Elevation 1904 was our staple every evening. The staff were friendly, we met fellow travellers, and the prices were great. For dessert, the gelato we bought from street vendors and stalls never failed to impress. Where to sleep AirBnB has really taken off in Chamonix. You’ll find an abundance of houses, hostels and small hotels. How to be local Climb the wall; indulge in a wedge of fresh, gooey cheese at a market on Saturday morning; ride a ski-lift to the glacier and camp…

1 / Sort your race shirts into two piles: the ones you love and the ones you never reach for. Do the same with medals: do you need to save them from every race? (No!) 2 / Photograph memory-triggering but unused race memorabilia, and create a scrapbook that pairs those pics with captions explaining event memories and achievements. 3 / If you’re crafty, you can turn unwanted race T’s into a quilt, or display medals in a box. Both put mementos where you can see – and appreciate – them. 4 / Cart away the discards. Kondo advises people to thank their objects for the happiness or service they provided. Then donate T’s and medals to charity.…

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS The scientific way to go further without getting hurt. If you get injured, you must have been running too much, right? Recently, sports scientists have been rethinking this belief. In some cases, hard training may act as a ‘vaccine’ against injuries by toughening up your body – so doing too little can be as risky as doing too much. That doesn’t mean you should crank up your mileage immediately. Instead, focus on the balance between how much you’re running now and how much running you’ve done over the past month. By tracking this ‘acute-to-chronic’ ratio, you guard against the twin perils of too much and too little. CALCULATE THE RATIO The acute-to-chronic training ratio compares your mileage for the last week to your average weekly mileage for…

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Unpacking the one-size-fits-all approach to running. I recently spoke at an IAAF Coaching Academy event in Florida, USA, at which discussion focused on young athletes. It’s a topic that always fascinates me, because the most common phrase you’ll hear among coaches and scientists is ‘Children are not small adults’. Which is true, of course, so it’s not a meaningless rule. But on another level it is, because when you’re coaching anyone – child or adult – you should be doing so according to principles, rather than rules. And principles, you’ll find, are intelligent and adaptable. On the other hand, if you are trying to manage training by a set of formulas and rules, then it’s different. You have to figure out a different set of them for…

1 / Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Take a breath in through your nose. Notice how your abdominals lift and your tailbone pushes into the floor. 2 / Exhale through your mouth. Push all the air out of your lungs; there’s more in there than you think. Keep pushing. Your abdominals will move closer to the floor, your back’s curve will lessen, and more of your pelvis will contact the floor. 3 / With all of the air out, hold the bottom of the exhale for 3 to 5 seconds. Your ribcage will come down. Use your lower abs to pull the pelvis into neutral alignment – your mid-back and upper glutes against the floor. On the next inhale, try…

SMOKY BLACK BEAN Stay full with the fibre and plant protein from black beans. TOP 1 slice whole-grain bread with mashed black beans, sliced roasted red pepper, grated smoked Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced avocado, and second APPLE CHEDDAR Antioxidant-rich apples and omega 3–packed walnuts add crunch. TOP 1 slice whole-grain bread with thinly sliced apple, grated sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped fresh sage, chopped walnuts, and second bread slice. SALMON BEETROOT Nitrates from beetroot and omega fats in salmon may improve muscle endurance. TOP 1 slice marble rye or pumpernickel bread with smoked salmon, a squeeze of lemon juice, a smear of cream cheese, sliced roasted beetroot, dill, and second bread slice, coated with more cream cheese. CHICKEN FIG Roasted chicken is high in protein, and figs give you bone-building calcium.…

Look around at people in the shopping centre, at a soccer match, or on the street. The majority of shoes on the feet of young and old are some sort of running shoe. That wasn’t always the case. “Prior to 1972, nobody was wearing running shoes casually,” says Nike DNA Product Heritage Director Rick Lower. The shoe that initially crossed from sportswear to fashion was the Nike Cortez. “The original Cortez was quickly updated in the 1970s, and became adopted by different cultures,” Lower says. Cheerleaders wore them, skateboarders wore them, musicians wore them. Runners wore them even when they weren’t running. They were attractive and comfortable. They made you look young and athletic. To the generation who came of age in the late ’70s, running shoes all but replaced…

YOUR TEST Keep a training log for a month – and don’t leave out missed or abbreviated runs. YOUR RESULTS Identify your problematic patterns: when you skipped runs, was it because you hit ‘snooze’ too many times, or because you often had to work later than planned? Did you bail on hard workouts more than easy jogs, or vice versa? YOUR MISSION Solve frequency issues first. For example, if you intended to get in four runs per week but usually only managed three, analyse the cause and build a fix for the rest of 2017. If schedule is the culprit, reassign your workouts to more reliable time slots (for most people, that means mornings). It helps to be honest about how many runs you can manage: “Ask yourself what you’re…

YOUR TEST Add up your usual weekly mileage, and note how much of it comes from a long run. YOUR RESULTS If you’re already running 40 to 48km per week, including a long run of at least 16km, you’re ready to begin a marathon-training plan for a race 16 to 20 weeks out. (Find a plan at runnersworld.co.za/training.) If you’re running less, you need a base-building phase first. YOUR MISSION Building to 40 to 48 weekly kilometres with a double-digit long run will allow you to complete the first few weeks of a 42.2 plan with relative ease. “Many marathon first-timers don’t realise that their daily 5-K doesn’t qualify them for marathon training,” Fitzgerald says. These runners will struggle to build up mileage and long runs – and while they…

This could be the year you: run your first 5-K or your fastest half marathon, or even conquer a technical trail-running race. Whatever your 2017 running goals are, we’ve got you covered. Here are our favourite (and most fun!) must-do races in SA. 1/ Fun Run YEAR-ROUND / Nationwide NEON RUN A variety of cities; 5km: evening Neon Run 0600 00 2525 / 082 640 5388 neonrun.co.za Walk, run, skate, cycle, hop or jump – as long as you’re wearing something neon and glowing, and you’re having a jol , you’ve grasped the spirit of this event. Afterwards, there’s music, light displays, food stalls and beer tents. Goodluck, Rubber Duc, iScream & the Chocolate Stix and Paul Almeida are among…