Innholdsfortegnelse for July/Aug 2020 i Runner's World South Africa

The most basic mask out there is this Disposable 3-Layer Mask with elastic earloops, which gave testers a heat spot irritation on the ear after one test run. Still, the filtration fabric is created for basic medical-industry use; but as with all the masks tested, it doesn’t create a full seal on the face. All jmasks are ust precautionary measures – but way better than nothing. Dis-Chem R13 South African sports apparel brand Enjoy have put their factory to good use, creating some feel-good masks that cover the face comfortably, thanks to the pleated design with mouldable nose piece. This clamps down on the bridge of your nose – just be sure you get the correct size for the best fit. The Weatherlite fabric is moisture resistant on the outside,…

CREDENTIALS CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER, ENDURANCE COACH, HEALTH AND FITNESS JOURNALIST FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS GO-TO SHOES HOKA ONE ONE MAFATE HARDEST RUN EVER THE MARATHON AT THE END OF IRONMAN KONA – I WAS DELIRIOUS FROM THE HEAT. BEST RUN EVER FIRST TRAIL RUN AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO MY DAUGHTER – I FELT SO LIGHT AND FREE! SOUL ROUTE  THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN TRAIL SYSTEM IN PENNSYLVANIA, US. CHALLENGING ENOUGH, BUT NOT SO TECHY THAT I CAN’T ENJOY IT. RUNNING PHILOSOPHY RUN NAKED. I DON’T WEAR A WATCH OR TRACK MY METRICS UNLESS I’M DOING INTERVALS.…

NEGATIVE SPLITS This method involves running the second half of the race faster than the first half. Holding back a little on the front end helps you conserve energy, so you can finish strong – and lower your chances of bonking. EVEN SPLITS This strategy involves running a steady marathon pace throughout the entire race. It works well on flat courses but gets trickier on undulating routes. YELLOW-ORANGE-RED EFFORT This strategy, from running coach Jenny Hadfield, is geared towards first-time marathoners and emphasises running on feel. Run the first 22-23km at an easy, happy, ‘yellow’ effort, where you can breathe easily and speak in full sentences. Run kays 23 to 39 at an ‘orange’ effort, where you can start to hear your breathing but you’re not out of breath, and…

HEALTH EXPERTS’ ADVICE on social distancing is key to containing coronavirus. That advice will make solo runners of most of us. For some runners, that’s a challenge. Running with others can help you stick to your plans and get you through the kays. Without that support, you might feel a little daunted at the prospect of running solo. You might even worry you’ll fall out of your running routine. But there are lots of things you can focus on to make solo running feel easier. It starts with learning to keep your regular training schedule and habits. Don’t kick the habit If you had been training for a big race, now can be a good time to scale back your weekly volume and intensity, and reset your focus. But this…

Something Humorous IT ALL STARTED WITH A FRENCHMAN. WHEN ELISHA NOCHOMOVITZ got the news that the Barcelona Marathon (for which he was entered) was cancelled, he decided to run a marathon on his seven-metre-long Toulouse balcony, with just enough width to make the 6 000 turns he would have to execute to link together the ludicrous 3 000 laps that would make up 42km. His goal was to lighten the mood by taking on a humorous challenge – and at the same time, should he attract any media, draw attention to his country’s courageous health workers. It’s safe to say he achieved his goals. At the time of writing he had gone on to complete seven marathons on the very same balcony, and he now raises money for charity with…

WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE ‘RUN STREAK’ CONCEPT I thought I knew what it was all about: tons of running. But now, as a veteran run streaker, I know it’s about more than doing x kays every day for as long as possible. It’s powerful and life-changing. As my first streak went on, each day I felt more accomplished. I felt more capable. I felt proud. Each day was a victory! By participating in a run streak, I felt like I was becoming a better version of myself. And I felt an undeniably strong sense of accountability, thanks to social media, friends and fans out there, streaking no matter the day, no matter the weather, no matter what. And something else happened: I realised that my fellow streakers were…

Check Strava. Use Heat Maps to find the most popular places to run in an area. Check out routes that other users have created, and find one that matches the distance you’re up for. Hire a running tour guide. It’s an option in many cities across the world. You pick the distance, and they take you on a private tour, with info about landmarks along the way. Keep it simple. Don’t underestimate the simple out-and-back route – you can measure distance easily, and not worry about getting lost.…

THESE ARE CHALLENGING TIMES… no doubt about it! But if any group of people has risen above these challenges – and even embraced them – it’s us runners. At the time of writing, the Comrades Marathon had just hosted (unofficially) the world’s biggest virtual race, with 40 700 runners from over 100 countries taking part in distances from 5km to the full 90km (yes, close on 900 runners opted to run the 90.1km distance, including Kenneth Ramaano who did it while running on the spot using a step counter!). On that Sunday, all around Cape Town I spotted hundreds of runners wearing their ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ numbers. Some were clearly going long; but for many, even the 5km was enough for them to feel part of the event. What…

LAUREL BAERMAN The best piece of advice I received was from a Chi Running lesson: when going uphill, swing your arms with your hands held closer into your chest (leading to chants of “Uppercut! Uppercut!”), maximising the upper body to reduce legwork. ALSO: My husband and I both started running after we were 51 years old – and wish we had known how much we would love it, because we would have started much earlier. JAMES HENSON Other truck drivers look at me like I’m crazy. Probably I’m one per cent of truckers who get out of their truck, get up early in the morning before driving, or get out on a 30-minute break – right now I’m about to put on my running clothes and go running, because it’s…

AS JOSHUA CARRAFA trained for the 2019 Berlin Marathon, he spent less time looking at his watch and more time tuning in to how his body felt during long runs. In past races, he’d struggled with proper pacing and relying too much on the numbers. So with the help of his coach, Jes Woods, an ultrarunner and Nike Run Club coach, Carrafa focused more on getting a feel for how hard he was working so he could apply it on race day. The goal was to implement a 10/10/10 race-day marathon strategy. Carrafa is not alone in his pacing struggles. A study published by the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that recreational runners misjudged their pacing efforts by 24 seconds per kilometre compared to experienced runners, who were only…

How about our mental health? What do runners struggling with anxiety and other issues need to know? “I think the unknown is a great source of anxiety, so in some ways that will reduce as we learn more about the virus and have more information,” says Dr Frankie Jackson-Spence of the UK’s National Health Service. “Things will also become the ‘new normal’, and we’ll make adjustments. My top tip for reducing anxiety would be to maintain a routine: get up and get dressed and showered as you normally would; try to keep as much normality as possible. Think about those social interactions throughout the day, like the chat with the person you sit next to in the office, or the chit-chat you might have at lunch. These are still important…

1. The Runner’s World UK Podcast  Hosted by RW’s Rick Pearson and Ben Hobson, with appearances from other team members and guests from the running world, it’s packed with passion, insight and inspiration. 2. Radio The team behind the app that took meditation mainstream chat to athletes, adventurers and scientists about what the mind can do. Learn what your brain looks like on kindness and why regret can be good for you. 3. Bryony Gordon’s Mad World A roster of A-list stars sharing their mental health struggles is humanising; and in times when many of us are facing such challenges, much needed. 4. Running Commentary Comedians Paul Tonkinson and Rob Deering talk about life and comedy – but mainly running. Quirky, funny and insightful.…

Find out how a streak can change your life – join us for the winter Runner’s World Run Streak! It’s easy: From 1 July (or any day, for that matter!) run at least 2km every day for two months. Can you do more than 2km? Of course! But 2km is all you need to make it count. Do it anywhere: Whether it’s lung-busting speedwork at the track, a jog on the treadmill or laps around the lounge in your PJs, it all helps pave the way towards your ultimate goal – running every damn day. It’s 41 days (take the last day off!) of making a commitment to get out there and get after it. Where will you run? How will you make it happen? How will your life change?…

MOVE TO THE SIDE Performing lateral and external-rotation hip exercises strengthens the gluteus medius and minimus – the muscles that stabilise your hips as you bound from one foot to the other, says Gillanders. These muscles are often weak in runners. WORK YOUR CORE Your core is a complex series of deep muscles around your trunk and pelvis that provides stability when running. Weakness in this system can throw off trunk positioning, stressing the hip joint and overworking certain muscle groups, such as the hip flexors and abductors, says Scott McAfee, a physical therapist with MovementX and the Formula Running Centre. Increasing your core exercises – such as deadbugs, planks, and hollow holds – in your routine is also vital. To improve core activation when running and optimise your overall…

Just As A Refresher, Or For Anyone New To Running, Here Are The Forever Rules Of Running – Always Relevant. 01/ No spitting or snot balling on busy roads and pavements. 02/ Remain polite. (Even in a time of global terror and panic. If we can’t smile and wave, then the virus has won. Of course, with a mask on, no one can see you smile; so these days, it’s more of a friendly eyebrow raise. You might need to practise this in the mirror.) 03/ No visiting your favourite coffee shop in sweaty running gear. Yuck man. 04/ No littering, especially on the trails. 05/ Share the path, road or trail. 06/ Use your common sense – if you wear headphones, keep the volume down. If you’re on a…

THE ADVANTAGES of ‘carboloading’ have long been clear: when British researchers tracked more than 250 runners before the 2009 London Marathon, those who carbo-loaded before had 13.4 per cent faster overall finishing times, and maintained their running speed during the race better than those who didn’t – regardless of age, gender, weight, training volume, or experience. But... though carbo-loading is a no-brainer, how to optimise carbohydrate consumption is far less straightforward. Scientific understanding has evolved since carbo-loading became a thing back in 1967, but it’s hard to keep up to date on the latest and best practices. To help you out, here’s a definitive guide for maxing out your carb storage for peak performance. WHY CARBS COUNT You know carbs are important, but here’s a quick refresher on the science…

• Try out this method in training, to prepare your body for race day. “Once a month, practise a long run that includes a number of kays at goal marathon pace,” says Woods. For example: on a 24km long run, run the first 8km easy, the next 8 at goal pace, and the last 8km slightly faster than goal pace. “Your long runs should always where you shift from running 400 metres at marathon pace to 400 metres at 10K pace, after a short warm-up and finishing with a cooldown. “That drastic gear change helps you practise turning your legs over and running fast on tired legs.” That – plus the heart – is really all you need to close in on the finish line. start off slowly, then progress,…

WHEN LIFE GETS overwhelmingly stressful, some people retreat into their running. Others take the opposite approach – they put running on the back burner to devote all their time to the crisis. Research on exercise and stress is firmly in favour of the first approach. It has found that staying active during periods of high stress – work, family emergencies, relationship troubles and the like – will help you experience the stressors less severely and survive the situation in better physical and mental health. Research in lab settings has found reduced emotional reaction to artificially induced stress after people exercise. For example, in a US study at the University of Maryland, people who looked at unpleasant images 15 minutes after a 30-minute workout showed lower levels of anxiety than people…

“YOU DON’T FINISH A RACE BY AVOIDING HILLS; YOU CAN’T OVERCOME WHAT YOU WON’T CONFRONT.” AND JUST LIKE THAT, we found ourselves in July. Okay, ‘just like that’ might just be the biggest euphemism of the decade, but here we are – we’ve made it to the 2020 halfway mark. Admittedly it’s been an arduous journey; and while it isn’t quite over yet, it’s worth pausing to reflect on how much we’ve had to overcome to make it so far. This year is panning out like a stage race of epic proportions. As in any stage race, I’ve found myself lurching between feelings of inspiration and confidence in one moment and despair and self-doubt in the next. There have been periods in the past few weeks in which I have…

Think of food as fuel. When deciding what to eat, imagine that you’ll go for a run in an hour. What will make you feel strong on your run? What will make you feel terrible? Pick the former. Cut cravings with better sleep. When you’re fully rested, your brain can better identify hunger, and it’s easier to make good food choices. It’s old news, but still true: get eight hours of sleep. And go to bed and wake up at the same time every day – experts say the consistency can help you fall asleep more easily. Stay hydrated. Your body can confuse thirst for hunger. Start your day with a 250ml glass of water, and keep a reusable bottle near you so you can sip frequently. Try an app,…

The Western Cape likes to tout itself as an events capital, and for good reason. The province hosts a number of major events, from running to conferences to festivals. Runner’s World asked the Office of the Premier for its view on 2020 events, in a province that attracts large numbers of event enthusiasts. “At this stage, it’s still too early to tell when exactly we will be able to return to hosting sporting events, or any major gathering of people,” said Bianca M. Capazorio, spokesperson for Premier Alan Winde. “Being able to host major events again would depend on a number of factors, including whether gatherings and interprovincial and international travel are allowed by national government regulations at the time, the number and rate of infections in the province, and…

1. FEMUR The ‘ball’ of the ball-and-socket hip joint, your femur attaches to many of the hip’s strongest muscles and absorbs impact with each foot strike. It should glide easily in the hip socket, but running’s repetitive nature can contribute to bone deformities (such as FAI) – as well as muscular imbalances – and can cause painful irritation on the femur’s bony protrusions. 2. LABRUM The rubbery cartilage lining the acetabulum, the deep circular socket in the pelvis. The labrum makes the joint strong and stable, and helps the femur glide more easily. If the femur pinches against the labrum (which it often does, though it may not cause pain), the protective tissue can tear, increasing the risk for pain (especially when running) and arthritis. 3. HIP FLEXORS This muscle…