Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2020 i Runner's World South Africa

adidas UltraBoost 20 PB / R2 999 The UltraBoost 20 already has the top-end Boost midsole material running the full length of the shoe, giving you the maximum benefit from this acclaimed cushioning system. Now adidas has a premium offering that goes a little further into the luxury comfort zone, with the PB version. The differences are noticeable in the very fine Celermesh upper fabric, which also makes the shoe lighter than the standard UltraBoost 20. shop.adidas.co.za Suunto 7 Smart/ Sport Watch / R7 999 We’ve asked around to see what the hardcore runners think of this new sports/active/all-day metrics-measuring watch from Suunto; and they aren’t too sure how the ‘sports’ side of this hybrid watch will measure up. So far, after unboxing, we’ve seen a…

THE TIME IS 2AM, and I’m running alone on a closed-down service road. The night is cool, but I still feel the desert heat radiating off the tarmac. The only signs of life are the faint yellow and red blurs of infrequent traffic humming along the highway far in the distance. I am hyper-aware of every sound, every footstep, and every breath. Part of me feels completely terrified as my mind races through uncertainties and what-ifs. I keep asking myself questions. Why am I out here? Can I finish? But another part of me – a bigger part – feels confident. Strong. That’s because of the five women waiting in a van just a few kays ahead. I may be loping by myself in the middle of the desert, but…

Gerda became the first women to break the six-hour mark for the ‘Up’ run, in 2019. She won by 18 minutes and 47 seconds over the second-placed finisher – the biggest margin since the race became an international event (Frith van der Merwe won by 45.58 in 1991, when the ultra marathon was still a purely South African affair). She is one of only four women to have won both the Two Oceans and the Comrades in the same year. The others are Caroline Wöstmann (2015), Elena Nurgalieva (2004, 2012) and Frith van der Merwe (1989). Over the final 8km she was running at 5:45 finishing-time pace, and was the third-fastest up Polly Shortts overall. Her 2019 time is the fourth-fastest in history, surpassed only by the ‘Down’ run performances…

ABEBE BIKILA Bikila won the marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, running barefoot. He had intended to run in shoes, but the new shoes he’d purchased ahead of the marathon gave him blisters, so he ditched them. ZOLA BUDD “Going barefoot was a way of life (in South Africa),” Budd told Runner’s World in a previous interview. “Growing up, I loved my running. I was just barefoot, and playing, and getting stronger. It’s good for the feet.” Budd ran barefoot in all her track and cross-country races, including when she won world cross-country titles in 1985 and 1986. “Barefoot running is a great movement, but you have to approach it conservatively. You have to do it gradually. “For kids, I recommend running on grass and safe surfaces. I…

AT THE TIME OF WRITING we were in deep lockdown here in SA, thanks to The Virus. But despite restrictions on running outdoors, as is typical, we South Africans found a way. Social media was full of ‘garden challenges’, ranging from half marathons to Ryan Sandes’ monstrous 100km epic that took almost 24 hours to complete. If there was anything that kept us motivated here at RW, it was you – our runners – posting about your own journeys, in the midst of it all. Few complained. Many found a way to get through each day with a little running, or some other form of exercise. In my Science of Sport podcast with Professor Ross Tucker, we spoke about the importance of exercise as a way of improving immunity, and…

ADDIE PULLEY GET TOUGH Be relentless. In all aspects of running and life, being willing to put it all out there – and not give up – changes everything. Also: When a run gets tough, I always start repeating mantras. My go-to ones are “I am strong”, and “Head up. Knees up.” GENE DYKES YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD In the Cross-Country Nationals, I’d run a reasonably strong race and was beginning to listen to demons whispering in my ear that it would be okay to coast. Then an age-grouper passed me. I had to fulfil that runner daydream of going head-to-head with an opponent and nipping him at the wire. I picked up the pace, though I was already struggling. Then I picked it up again – and again. I…

Vitamin D is important for your health, but there may be another reason to make sure your levels are optimal: researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University have found a link between vitamin D and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). In a 2018 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers tested the blood of nearly 2 000 participants to determine their vitamin D levels, and compared those to their VO2 max – a marker of cardiorespiratory fitness that shows how efficiently your body uses oxygen. The researchers discovered that participants with the highest vitamin D levels had significantly higher VO2 max measurements than those with the lowest D levels, suggesting that their cardiorespiratory fitness was higher, too. Previous research suggests that vitamin D may increase one type of fast-twitch muscle fibre…

JEANNIE RICE: After moving to the US from Korea in 1968, she took a trip back home in 1983 and gained three kilos – all her relatives fed her a feast at every gathering. “We had to eat to be polite,” Rice says. “I came home, I’m 1.57m, and I’m a little chubby. I wanted to lose those few kilos.” So she started walking and jogging around her block. That summer, her two sons were on a local swimming team. Another mom invited Rice to run with her while the kids were at their daily practice. Her first race, an 8K, soon followed. “I found out I could run!” Rice says. GENE DYKES: He was a successful high-school track runner, running 10:17 for the two-mile (3 200m). But when he…

Before you add any resistance to an exercise, make sure you master perfect form with your own body weight. If you’re just starting out in the weights room, focus on these four things to help you choose how much weight to add: • Begin with a weight you know will be too easy. • Perform 3 sets of 10 reps. • See how you feel, and slowly add more weight from there. • When the last few reps of the third set are really tough, start with that weight. You can increase the weight every two weeks, similarly to the way you increase your running mileage in a training plan. By month two or three, you should be performing fewer reps and more sets; 4 sets of 3 reps, for…

Catch Me If You Can Download their app, and join the moment. This club exists both online and on the road; it’s a women-only group based in Johannesburg and Cape Town that helps connect women runners safely for group runs – with the focus firmly on fun. CHECK OUT CMIYC.CO.ZA Sub-30 Club: Founded because of a Runner’s World article about breaking 30 minutes in the 5K, this Facebook crew offers advice and encouragement, no matter what your pace. SEARCH FOR ‘SUB-30 CLUB’ ON FACEBOOK #WeRunSocial: Their motto? “Running all the miles and winning life on the interwebs.” Their events are a bit out of reach, as they’re in the US, but their posts are inspirational. FOLLOW @WERUNSOCIAL ON INSTAGRAM…

Don’t Count The Kays I say it on social media all the time – don’t count the kilometres you run. Yes, to run a race like Comrades you need to do a lot of training; but you need to get it done without damaging your body too much. Cross-Train Cross-training really helps. I love to hike, ride a bike, row, do strength work… it all helps, and gives you strength for running and prevents injury. Daily Runs I run every day, but I only do hard efforts every two or three days. I fill in with cross-training every day. In fact, my hours spent cross-training are more than the hours I spend running. Mix It Up Cross-training isn’t just about keeping your body strong and injury-free, but also about giving…

Dion’s sandals are produced locally; the t-rockets are hand-built in a boutique factory in South Africa. Production is dependent on weather conditions and availability of materials. The soles on t-rockets are hand-mixed and poured from liquid rubber constituents, and must be cured in dry, warm conditions. Each t-rocket sandal is unique, and may show minor variations from one shoe to the next. The t-rockets are available in the following options: StreetLite – a minimalist sandal, for road and leisure use. Yeti – built for road and trail. Yeti X – for technical off-road terrain; more serious trail running. The outer sole includes 4mm lugs, equally distributed across the entire sole for added grip. Vegan Trail – a minimalist sandal, with 7mm sole and a deep, traction-building tread pattern across the…

TO HELP ANSWER our runners’ most frequently asked questions, we tapped Dr David Nieman, health professor at Appalachian State University and director of the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus, Brian Labus, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Matt Ferrari, PhD, associate professor of biology in the Eberly College of Science and a researcher with the Centre for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Penn State University. Is it safe to run outside once the lockdown is lifted? Yes – as long as you’re alone, and if you follow the regulations in place then. When people congregate together and someone sneezes or coughs, Nieman explains, droplets get onto objects that people touch, and then people touch their faces.…

MOST RUNNERS GAUGE their workout intensity by pace: the faster you run, the harder the workout. Seldom do you hear someone ask what heart rate zone you’re in, even if you’re clearly wearing the latest heart monitor or activity-tracking tech. But with heart-rate data more accessible than ever (think wrist-based devices, and treadmill training software), more runners are tuning into those numbers and wondering how they can enhance their performance. That data can be a smart technique to guide your intensity during training and work your various energy systems depending on your goal, says Heather Milton, an exercise physiologist and clinical specialist at the New York University Langone Health Sports Performance Centre. “Heart-rate training really helps make your easy workouts easier and your hard workouts harder, and ensures that you’re…

mastersathletics.org.za South Africa has an active Masters Athletics community and once hosted the World Masters Athletics Championships, in Durban back in 1991. Check out their website for their latest events, and to join the community. There is also a list of all the South African age-group records, including remarkable records for athletes over the age of 100 (see legendary runner Philip Rabinowitz’s current SA 100m record of 30.76 secs). You can also view the international website at world-masters-athletics.com for info on events and current age-group world records. Sadly, this year’s World Masters Athletics Championships event in Toronto, planned for March, was cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.…

Remember, you’re a runner using weight training to improve your running, not a weightlifter who also runs. Here, Fitzgerald shares some common weight-lifting mistakes to avoid: 1 GOING TOO HEAVY The weights room is no place for ego, so leave it at the door. “Not every lift has to be super-heavy and super-hard. Don’t risk injury trying to be a hero in the gym.” 2 LIFTING TOO LIGHT If you’re always lifting low weight for high reps, you’re building endurance in the weight room; but you shouldn’t be. “Runners work on endurance all the time with every run. The goal with weight training needs to be strength and power.” 3 FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC BODY PARTS “Runners don’t need to lift that often, or as long, or isolate individual muscles. You…

I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. I recently started cycling, and I absolutely love it. So much so, in fact, that I’m cycling more than I’m running these days. If this makes me a traitor to the running tribe, I plead guilty. But before you judge me too harshly and throw me out of the inner circle, consider this: the cycling programme I’m on has completely transformed my running. I’m powering up hills with an ease I’ve never known before, and I end my long runs feeling refreshingly strong. All this before I’ve even tried Nike’s Vaporfly shoes. Just saying. Here’s my point. Cross-training is doing me wonders, and I feel a great sense of duty to spread this gospel far and wide – especially to those of you who…

MISSION USA In 2010, Kilian Jornet – the world’s most successful trail runner – made the much-anticipated decision to travel from his European comfort zone to race in the USA. Straight into the iconic Western States 100 was the best way to prove himself. But on a hot November day in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Jornet failed to hydrate himself effectively; and after making an early charge, he slumped to an unfamiliar third-place finish. Back in Europe, he made his way to the Salomon experimentation lab. To Jean-Noel, the head of design and prototyping, he said: “I need to carry water in the lightest possible way,” and then let the team get to work. In 2011, Jornet went back to the USA with a handheld soft hydration flask straight from…

Favourite breakfast : FutureLife (the chocolate one, obvs!) and oats. I always eat breakfast before I go to training. A lot of runners prefer to run on an empty stomach, but not me. I eat a balanced diet. I’m not vegetarian, and I love meat and chicken and carbs. But I don’t forget my greens. I also like smoothies during the day, and I add in some protein powder and peanut butter so my body is always fuelled enough. If I have any cheat days, I love sushi, Chinese food, and ice cream. But to be honest, nothing really beats a braai.…

1. One reason to run in the sandals is that they are just great fun. 2. You can run or walk anywhere in them. They’re incredibly versatile. 3. But be careful when starting out. 4. Take it easy, take it slowly. Start out by doing 10 to 15 minutes of running in the sandals. If you want, take a backpack with you, with your usual running shoes, and then put your shoes on once you’ve done your time in the sandals. 5. Even if you run once a week in your sandals, they’re a great addition to your training regime. 6. They are incredibly durable. I think I’ve done about 2 000km in one pair, and they probably have 1 000km left in them. 7. I do prefer shoes in…

Eight steps to sleep success. 1 / Maintain a regular schedule of going to bed and waking up. 2 / If you can’t sleep within 15 mins, get out of bed and perform a mundane task. 3 / Eliminate the bedroom clock. 4 / Avoid coffee, alcohol and nicotine in the hours before bed. 5 / Don’t watch TV, eat or work in bed. 6 / Watch food and fluid intake before bedtime. 7 / Nap smartly (30 mins max and not after 2pm). 8 / Maintain a comfortable room temperature for sleeping (around 18°C).*…