Rest is Best

Healthier Options

WHITE VS WHOLEGRAIN BREAD

Whole wheat bread in
general is a richer source of protein than white bread – a slice of 100% wholegrain
bread provides about 3.6g of protein, compared to 1.9g for a slice of
commercially-prepared white bread. The wholegrain is also substantially higher
in dietary fibre, 1.9g compared to 0 to 0.6g, and it will make you feel fuller
for longer because the fibre takes longer to digest. Furthermore, wholegrain
bread is a rich source of selenium, a trace mineral that provides antioxidant
benefits.

 

FAT-FREE VS FULL-CREAM MILK AND YOGHURT

There is a significant
difference between fat-free and full-cream dairy products:

 

Nutritional summary

Fat-free milk

(1 cup)

Full-cream milk

(1 cup)

Fat-free yoghurt (175ml)

Full-cream yoghurt (175ml)

Calories

86

146

77

104.3

Fat (g)

0.44

7.83

0

5.6

Saturated fat (g)

0

5

0

6

 

Also, people are often
under the impression that fat-free dairy products are lower in the important
mineral calcium, but they’re actually equivalent, if not higher, than their
full-fat versions. One cup of whole milk generally contains 276 milligrams of
calcium, while one cup of fat-free milk contains 299 milligrams.

 

OSTRICH MEAT VS REGULAR BEEF

Ostrich meat low in
fat and lower in cholesterol than regular lean beef. However, both are a great
source of iron, as the high iron content in regular beef is only slightly higher
than that of ostrich meat:

 

Nutritional summary

Ostrich (100g)

Lean beef (100g)

Calories

116

150

Fat (g)

2.4

7.3

Protein (g)

22

21

Cholesterol (mg)

46

60

Iron (mg)

3.2

3.25

 

DARK VS MILK CHOCOLATE

Everyone
loves to hear that their favourite indulgence is “good for you.” Not so fast!
Cocoa and dark chocolate are rich in a group of antioxidants known as flavanols,
which emerging research shows promote blood-flow to the brain, keep arteries
elastic, lower inflammation and ‘top up’ your levels of antioxidants
. But while dark chocolate may have
more health benefits than milk chocolate due to the antioxidants it contains,
it’s still just as high in calories, fat and sugar.

 

DECAFFEINATED VS CAFFEINATED COFFEE

Decaffeinated coffee
still contains caffeine (about 4mg per cup versus 130mg in a cup of regular)
and has been shown to have similar health benefits to caffeinated coffee. Caffeine
is a central nervous system stimulant that can have some positive effects on
the human body, such as it may help reduce the risk
of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, Parkinson’s disease and maybe even
Alzheimer’s disease.
Caffeine in low doses is also thought to be
associated with an improvement in sporting performance, increased alertness and
reduction in fatigue.

 

However, there are
some definite drawbacks to too much caffeine, including anxiousness and
irritability, headache, irregular heartbeat, muscle twitches, and sleeplessness.
Caffeine can cause temporarily high blood pressure, nervousness and increased
production of urine and gastric acid, and may trigger arrhythmia in people with
heart conditions.

 

MARGARINE VS BUTTER (UNSALTED)

Butter is an animal
product, high in both saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, so increases our
risk of heart disease and stroke. On the plus side, butter is a good source of
fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Margarine is made from vegetable oils and
contains no cholesterol, but it the controversy with margarine lies with its
level of artery-clogging trans-fat, a largely man-made fat formed when hydrogen
is added to vegetable oils, making the oil more solid and less likely to spoil.
In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans-fat it contains. Fortunately,
there are a number of margarines on the market that are trans-fat-free.

Bedfordview Country Club

Chowing the Challenge

There’s
nothing like a new challenge to get Clive Chowles going: “It’s nice to try something
you don’t know about,” he says. “For example, I knew nothing about canoeing and
got into a boat and was wobbling around. I remember completing a 2km leg
without falling out and an expert told me I would never be ready to compete in
the Duzi in a few months, but I got there!”

 

With
a runner-up finish in the World Duathlon Championships in 1997 and a win in
1999, Clive went on to win the Powerman in 2001, grabbed an 11th
placing in Ironman South Africa in 2005, finished the Duzi Canoe Marathon and completed
the ABSA Cape Epic. And he achieved all that while working full-time in the
sport retail market, first with New Balance for 12 years, then helping Inov-8
to put their first range together for SA, and more recently by relaunching the
Brooks running footwear and apparel brand in South Africa through his SBR
(SwimBikeRun) Agency, which he runs with his wife Michelle.

 

“We
wanted to find an alternative running brand where there was a huge demand in
the country,” he explains, “and we wanted Brooks so much that I flew out to
Germany a few times to meet with HQ.” Clive is very proud of what they have
already achieved, and is committed to the brand. “Brooks is a brand for runners
by runners,” he explains. “It’s not only for the elite runner who’ll win
Comrades, but for the guy who is starting out. In the next few years, I hope Brooks
will dominate in speciality running stores and retain the ‘run happy’
experience the brand brings.”

 

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

“I
never take a rest day,” says Clive, “my family and work depict my rest.
Sometimes you miss a session with a meeting running late, but I have a
structure I try and stick to.” This structure is training every day, from 15km
morning runs at 4:30am to 3km swim sessions and three-hour bike rides. Weekends
are dedicated to events or five-hour long rides while he fits in a three-hour
run on Sundays. And with his first ever Comrades Marathon coming up, the more
training the merrier.

 

Having
grown up with a running background, Clive made various SA schools athletics and
cross-country teams as well as provincial spots at club level. After his stint in
the army, he came back with a new interest in duathlon, and after his world
championship win, Clive decided to take his training and competing more
seriously, including entering several international races. “It was always great
to target a few races elsewhere, especially during South Africa’s winter
season. I’ve also enjoyed a few Ironman competitions over the years… I targeted
just under nine hours at Ironman Austria and with 8km to go I
remember running into a spectator and getting cramp, then missing out with a 9:02.
It was still amazing though!”

 

IF THE SHOE FITS…

After
his three-hour morning ride, Clive is welcomed home by Michelle and his
two-year-old daughter Hannah. “I can’t wait to get back from a ride and see
them. Hannah is also at gym and events with her bike, and I want to imprint
that active lifestyle from an early age. It’s also great working together with
Michelle, and we have very defined roles: I do sales and liaise with the
company in Germany, while she does the marketing and operations side.”

 

For
Clive and his team, there is an active culture in the company, and even
Michelle is now training for her first 5km while Clive aspires to a silver
medal at this year’s Comrades. “I’m not intimidated by the distance and length
of time, but it’s physically harder than Ironman,” he says. “But at the start
line, we’re all fit and ready – it’s who’ll stick it out mentally in the end.”
Clive would also like to go back to Ironman South Africa next year and says he will
push for other goals as well. “One can always make time to train and compete.
You can have all the money in the world, but without your health, you have
nothing. Time will be available if you really want it.”

8 Mindful Eating Tips

Dusi Domination

Robyn Kime
can look back on quite some 2012! Not only did she win her third consecutive Unlimited
Dusi Canoe Marathon title (one solo K1 win sandwiched between two K2 wins with
Abbey Ulanski), but also claimed the under-23 title at the SA Flat Water
Marathon Champs, then went to the World Marathon Champs in Rome and finished
second in the under-23 category, as well as fourth in the senior doubles with
Michelle Eray. She also won the Drak race for the first time, after finishing
second the previous three years, and was second in both the Berg and Fish
races.

 

Then in
November she decided to take on the Salomon Skyrun 100km trail race with
boyfriend Mike, having done the 40km off-road Mweni Marathon earlier in the
year. “Mike entered in 2011, but got injured a month before the race. When he
entered again, I decided to run it with him. I had been to Rome in September,
paddled the Fish River Marathon at the beginning of October, so I was fit and
had been doing a lot of running, but during the race it was very windy and we
both got what they call ‘milky corner’ in one eye. We couldn’t see properly, so
the medics told us to pull out at 65km. I felt I could have pushed through, if
not for that, so I want to do it again.”

 

STARTING YOUNG

Robyn (23) was grew up in Pietermaritzburg, where her
father worked in forestry and her mother gave swimming lessons. The family was
always active, going on mountain bike rides and hikes, and Robyn did various
sports at high school, including hockey, waterpolo and cross-country, as well
as canoeing. “The school would take a bus down to the Fish River race, so that’s
how I got started, and I went on to win a few races as a junior. I love being
on rivers – the rapids are exciting and the places we paddle through are
beautiful.”

 

She is
currently halfway through her Masters degree in civil engineering at the
University of Stellenbosch, and she lives near the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
just outside the town, where she does all of her running training. “The
entrance to the reserve is 3km from our door and there are few better places to
do trail running – it would be wrong to live there and not take advantage of
that.”

 

VITAL RUNNING

Running is
an important part of canoeing, since most races include portages where the
paddlers have to carry their boats around obstructions in the river or
dangerous sections. “With my paddling background, I find that if I run all
year, I can focus on that in training and then just do peak paddling training
for three weeks before big races. I’m stronger on the portages thanks to my
running background, but I still need to train running with a boat, so I carry
my boat on every second run I do up in the nature reserve – and yes, I do get
some funny looks.”

 

When it
comes to picking a favourite race, Robyn admits to a bit of hometown bias. “The
Dusi is special for me because it’s a big thing in Pietermaritzburg and has an
amazing atmosphere. I also really enjoy the extra dynamic that the long
portages introduce.” The first day’s 45km stage includes roughly 15km of
portaging, with shorter portaging sections on days two (45km) and three (35km).
“Growing up in Pietermaritzburg, you have the Comrades, Dusi and Midmar Mile,
and it is definitely possible for all people to do them if they put in the
training. All three are so aspirational.”

Saving Sudan

Golden Couple

Being a top athlete in South Africa
in the 70s and 80s had its highs and lows. It was a time of world class
athletics, performing to stadiums packed with thousands of spectators, and two
of the best on the track were married couple Sarina and Danie Cronje. Between
1979 and 1981 she set South African records in the 800m, 1000m, 1500m, mile and
3000m, and ran the fastest 10km on the road in 1980, while Danie was awarded
his Springbok colours in 1981 for the 3000m steeplechase after he ran the then
second-fastest time ever by a South African. The disappointing part of their
success was that they were never able to compete on the international stage,
despite their times being more than good enough to qualify for most
international meets, because South Africa was suspended from international competition
due to its apartheid laws.

 

“There are many days that I sit and
wonder what we could have achieved if we were allowed to compete internationally,”
says a wistful Sarina, and this borne out by the fact their running times still
compare favourably to those run by the current top South African athletes. Some
of Sarina’s records remained unbeaten for eight to 10 years, and her best times
still rank in the top five of all time in SA in some distances, and nearly as
high in the rest. Danie, meanwhile, is still ranked eighth in his favourite
event. “At that stage we were not aware on what we were missing out on,” says
Sarina. “My coach, De Villiers Lambrecht, used to tell me what times I should
be making on each distance and I was pretty good at reaching them. Now, when I
see where these international race meetings are held, I realise how much we
missed out on. I think the athletes in the era between the 70s and 90s can be
called the ‘disadvantaged athletes.’’’

 

YOUNG TALENT

Sarina’s interest in athletics began
in primary school. By grade 7 she had won her first cross-country event, and
when she began high school she surprised everyone, notably the older girls that
she beat, when she had to race against the senior girls because there were no middle
distance events for girls between the ages of 14 and 15. In 1971 she won the
South African under-16 title in the 400m and that was when she decided she was
going to give athletics everything she had. “I really enjoyed running – the further,
the better. There is nothing more exhilarating than being fit and floating
through your 1500m and 3000m distances.”

 

Danie’s athletics career started a
bit later in school, thanks to an injury early in matric. An avid rugby player
and sporty person by nature, he had broken his arm in a rugby match, and being
unable to play, he found solace in running. Danie ended up packing away his
rugby togs for good, having become addicted to athletics, specifically the
3000m steeplechase.

 

The two aspiring athletes’ paths
crossed when they both started training with coach De Villiers Lambrecht’s
training group in 1977. By early 1979 they were engaged and got married in
Bloemfontein that July. “We understood and could motivate each other, as we had
the same goals,” says Danie. Sarina adds that “Danie could often predict my
race times, as he would monitor my training. It was definitely an advantage
having my partner in the same industry as what I was in. When a person is
serious about achieving success, you need to plan your whole day, month and
year around your training. Between 1977 and 1981 I managed to run my best times,
and Danie managed to get his Springbok colours in his favourite event, the
3000m steeplechase, with a time of 8:27:62.”

 

ATHLETICS NOWADAYS

Danie and Sarina’s outlook on the
South African athletics scene of today is that efficient marketing tactics need
to be set in place in order for it to grow and thrive. “Athletics meetings in
South Africa need to be televised live on television, highlighting selected
events as well as our elite athletes. Newspapers scarcely publish anything
about athletics anymore, while the public isn’t aware of what our athletes in
South Africa are capable of. We need to have more organised meetings and
showcase our talented athletes to the public,” they say.

 

The couple are also outspoken about
the standard of meets: “Some of the events are so badly organised and it has
created a bad reputation for the athletics industry. There are too many
inexperienced people in charge of our sport at the moment and it needs to
change in order for athletics to grow. Our top athletes need more support, and
we need an improved budget for the development of the sport.”

 

Both describe athletics in their heyday
as “near perfect,” excluding the fact that they couldn’t compete on the world
stage. “Today our athletes can compete internationally, yet the circumstances
regarding the sport in this country are not ideal. In my senior athletics
career, we participated in many sponsored invitational events, which attracted
thousands of spectators due to excellent administration and organisational
skills. We need to try bring athletics back to that point in our country,” says
Sarina.

 

IN THE GENES

The couple have three sons, Johan,
Hendrik and Danie Jnr, and say they believe in bringing kids up in a sporty
environment: “It keeps their bodies healthy and helps them through the emotions
that a young person tends to deal with,” says Sarina, and Danie adds, “You can
create the environment for them, but not pressure them to take part if they
don’t want to.” Well, all three inherited their parents’ athletic genes, with
Johan going all the way to the Olympic 1500m in Athens, Greece in 2004. “When
Johan was selected, we were ecstatic,” says Danie. “The fact that I could go to
the Olympics with my child and support him was a bit of compensation for the
fact that I could never compete at that level. It was an amazing experience
which I am so grateful for.”

 

Danie and Sarina, both now 57, are
still involved in athletics today. She is the sports manager at the University
of the Free State and coaches athletics there, while Danie now farms full-time
with cattle, going out to their farm in Winburg two to three times a week, but also
assisting Sarina with coaching triathletes and duathletes in his spare time. They
are also both still active athletes. In 2011 Danie won the South African
Cross-country title in the 50-55 age category, and in both 2010 and 2011 he finished
third at the South African Duathlon Champs. Sarina says she tries to run twice
a week and also keep fit by cycling, even though sometimes her knees don’t want
to cooperate. “I will never stop training. It is similar to an addiction, a way
of life for me. By 4pm I start feeling restless… that’s when I know I need to
get out on the road.”

THEN AND NOW

Modern Athlete asked Sarina why she thinks female athletes achieved better times in
her era than they do today.

 

Today’s youth are less active at
school. We walked to school, we cycled and played outside. The situation in our
country today is so that kids can’t walk or cycle to school. Many kids also
spend most of each day in front of the television and on social networks. Therefore,
they spend less time outside and are less active. In ‘our time,’ the kids,
especially the girls, were just more active. Also, there is no longer a
physical education period in school, and another issue is that there isn’t, as
such, ‘summer sport’ and ‘winter sport’ at schools anymore. We used to have
athletics and cricket in the first term of the school year, the second and
third term was for rugby, netball and hockey, and then in the fourth term
athletics again. Because athletics is a very demanding and individual sport,
kids now rather stick to team sports where they can be more social with less
physical demands.

 

Girls at the age of 12 and 14
sometimes also get pressurised into achieving too much, too soon. When they hit
puberty, things tend to happen to their bodies that make running a lot more
uncomfortable, and that’s when they then become demotivated and lose interest.
This is how we lose many talented girls in the sport, whereas if the girls are
just motivated and supported through this time, they will be able to achieve
high standards again. Also, we only started competing a lot later back in my
day, so the fact that they start so early puts too much pressure on them.

Sarina’s PBs

800m          2:02.30       SA Record 1980-1983

1000m        2:42.30       SA
Record 1979-1983

1500m        4:08.60       SA
Record 1980-1984

Mile            4:28.40       SA Record 1980-1989

3000m        8:49.30       SA
Record 1981-1991

10km          34:18          Fastest
time in SA 1980

I am a Runner

My Journey of Self-Discovery

Ten
years ago I was living the regular life of a 20-something. I enjoyed going out
with friends, late nights, clubbing, drinking, and eating rich foods. Then I
started noticing blood every time I went to the toilet, and the trips to the
bathroom became more frequent. After numerous blood tests and a colonoscopy, I
was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a disease with no known cause or cure.
Symptoms include swollen, inflamed and ulcerated intestines. I was told I would
have to be on medication for the rest of my life.

 

I
just wanted it to go away, so that I could carry on with my lifestyle, so I
took the medication and carried on as normal. For a while things were fine, but
then the disease would flare up and I would be struck with terrible abdominal
pain and bloody diarrhoea. Sometimes I would have to rush to the toilet 35
times in a day! For a number of years, that was how things were… I would have
times when everything was relatively normal, and then all of a sudden I would
be struck with a flare-up and life would become hell.

 

CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE

About
five years ago, after a very bad flare-up that saw my weight drop from 90kg to
62kg, I decided that I needed to make a change in my life. I changed my diet, I
became conscious about what I was putting into my body, I stopped the late
nights and I gave up alcohol. I then started running, initially a few 5km races
and then moved onto 10km, and before long I was hooked. I joined a running club
and soon was tackling half marathons.

 

Running
became my party place, so while friends were coming home from clubs in the
early hours of the morning, I was getting up to run. It was so amazing to feel
the life force in my body again. It was amazing to go from being so ill that I
had to be helped in and out of the bath, to being able to go on 30km training
runs. Then in 2012 I managed to complete the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in a
time of 5:26, and I plan to be back in 2013 to try to better that time.
Hopefully 2014 will be the year that I tackle the Comrades Marathon.

 

There
are still numerous challenges I face with my illness and running, and also
everyday life. A big factor is nutrition, as my diet is so limited. At first it
was a nightmare to get used to, but your body soon adjusts and after some time
you find you no longer miss those things. My advice to anyone living with a
disease such as this is acceptance. Once you accept things are the way they are,
then all the sadness, anger and questions disappear. Once you accept life the
way that it is, then you can decide to be happy.

 

RUNNING LESSONS

Running
has had an amazing effect on my life, and has taught me so much about life. It
has taught me to be disciplined, it has taught me about sacrifice, it has
taught me about dedication, and it has taught me how to be strong. Running has
made me into a better person. I have learned to appreciate every single moment
of good health in my life that I have, and to make every single day count.
Running is my meditation time, my time to be with myself and to really connect
with my body. Sometimes when I am out running, I am so overcome with joy, it
feels like my body could explode into a million pieces.

 

There
is no known cure yet for Ulcerative Colitis, and for now it seems I will be on
chronic medication for the rest of my life, but I have amazing support from my
wife and family, as well as my friends. My plan for the future is to take it
one day at a time, as I never know when I could be hit with a flare-up and be
crippled with pain and bloody diarrhoea again. For now, I just want to rise to
meet each morning with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. Having
good health at the moment is a blessing and being able to get out there and run
is an added bonus.

Blazing a New Trail

Give Us More!

Many
people consider triathlon to be the flagship of multisport, but for some
endurance junkies, three disciplines apparently just isn’t a big enough
challenge… and so it was that the Stellenbosch-based team at Stillwater Sport
& Entertainment dreamt up an even bigger challenge, with seven disciplines!
Held in the second week of January each year, the
Totalsports Challenge comprises a 12km surf ski paddle, 1.5km swim,
50km road bike, 13km road run, 13km canoe paddle, 25km mountain bike and 9km
beach run, with separate categories for individual athletes and teams of two,
three or seven. In recent years the organising team added the Terra Firma race
to the event, comprising the four biking and running ‘land’ legs only.

 

DING-DONG
BATTLE

Going into the race, a big battle was expected between
defending champ Dan Hugo and last year’s runner-up Stuart Marais, and what a
race it turned out to be. Unfortunately, due to windy early morning conditions
in Gordon’s Bay, the surf ski leg had to be cancelled, and the swim was
shortened to 1km, which possibly had quite an effect on the final results. Dan exited
the swim with a narrow lead and held it through the road bike, but then Stuart made
his move on the road run, going into the canoe leg in first place. Dan caught
and passed Stuart near the end of the paddle and led through the mountain bike
leg to take a lead of just under two minutes into the beach run, but Stuart
then dug deep into his reserves and passed Dan shortly after the halfway mark, going
on to win in 5:13:30, just under three minutes ahead.

 

After the race, Stuart admitted that the
cancellation of the surf ski leg had probably been to his advantage, as Dan is
stronger in this leg and he had expected Dan to have a bigger lead early in the
race. Nevertheless, he was still over the moon at winning: “I didn’t know
whether I should laugh or cry. It was rough going, with Dan going out super
hard. He is by far the toughest oke I’ve ever had to race against and this is
definitely my biggest career win.”

 

Jeannie Bomford marked her return to the Totalsports
Challenge after becoming a mother with a well-deserved win in the women’s individual
race, crossing the line in 6:33:54 and describing making a comeback as tough. “The
last time that I competed here was in 2009, and since them I’ve had two
children. The event has definitely grown, with loads of new faces now
competing, and the Totalsports Challenge is just that, a real challenge. I love
all the disciplines – it just makes life so much more exciting.” Bradley Weiss
took gold in the individual men’s category of the Terra Firma in 4:02:26, while
Colleen De Oliveira was victorious in the individual women’s category in 5:27:27.

 

 

DOING IT FOR
BURRY

In the build-up to the 2013 event, a fair amount of
media coverage was given to the Terra Firma challenge between Team Stoltz,
consisting of four-time XTERRA triathlon world champion Conrad ‘Caveman’ Stoltz
and his wife, former SA Netbal captain Liezel Stoltz, versus Team Velocity
Cycle Lab, consisting of multiple ultra-marathon winner Ryan Sandes and his
partner, Vanessa Haywood, who is best known for her modelling and TV
appearances, but is now also an accomplished rider. However, following the
tragic death of Burry Stander in December, Conrad was determined to race as
hard as he could in memory of his friend, and from then on there was only going
to be one winning team, not only in this celeb duel, but in the mixed pairs
category overall.

 

“Liezel and I decided to race
for Burry, and instead of towing everyone from Gordon’s Bay to Kleinmond, I
wanted to arrive at the first handover alone, like Burry did three years ago,”
says Conrad. “S
till raw from Burry’s funeral, I rode to Gordon’s Bay
filled with emotion, warmed up like I would for a big TT race, and got to the
start simmering. I tried to do Burry justice by finishing alone, but Louis
Bressler and Bradley Weiss were with me at the finish – I just didn’t have
enough ‘wors power’ to do ‘The Kid’ justice. I left it all out there
nonetheless. Liezel then did her part as well, blitzing the 13km road run, and her
BMT kicked in on the 9km beach run as she ran her toes blood blisters to ensure
we won for Burry.”

 

 

THE NAME
GAME

One of the funniest aspects of the Totalsports
Challenge is the weird and wonderful team names, and this year’s event once
again dished up its fair share, like Jaded Candy, Rustproof, Cheesy Challenge, Lake
Snakes, Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies, Timone & Pumba, The Last Mayans,
Come Sias at the Lucky Draw, 3 Musketeers & a Hobbit, and Wii Not Fit.

 

For some teams, it is a ‘family affair,’ hence names
like Mammas and Pappas, Mommy Divas, The Better Halves, and Me & My
Mother-in-Law, and when it came to the gender wars, the Powerpuff Girls and
Chicks Rule teams were pitted against the Working Boys. Also mixing it up were
6 Men & a Lady, Three Ladies & a Bloke, and Cool Chicks & Hot Guys.

 

But probably the whackiest bunch were the nine teams
entered by the Open Box company, which included Open Box Scrambled Legs, Open
Box Rapid Thigh Movement, Open Box Honey Badger, Open Box Victorious Secret,
Open Box Gangnam Style and Open Box E-Lemon-Ators. Somebody at that company
must have spiked the coffee!

 

 

ESSENTIAL
LOGISTICS

An event like the Totalsports Challenge requires a lot
of planning, whether you enter as an individual or as part of a team. With six
transitions along the way, you either need a personal second to meet you at
each transition with the necessary kit for the next leg, as well as your eats
and drinks, or you need to arrange for your next relay team member to be there
for the handover. Now and again, team members or seconds don’t quite get their
timing right, leaving the incoming athlete scouring the transition area and
asking the announcer to call missing people to report for duty.

 

Spare a thought for Team Podium. Entered in the Mixed
Trips category, their road cyclist came into transition just ahead of the
second team in the category, but their runner was stuck in traffic and a
frustrated rider had to stand around for ages waiting for her. She eventually
got there, but the leaders were long gone. To their credit, Team Podium fought
their way back to second in their category and still finished on the podium,
but next year this team will probably do things a bit differently!

Chasing the Big 5

Tough & Terrific

Spur Cape Winter
Trail Series 2013

It’s
amazing how trail running has developed over the last couple of years and each
of the four Spur Cape Winter Trail Series races was quickly sold out via online
entries. All four of the runs in this series were different and special in
their own way. The first race at Paul Cluver, my favourite, had its endless
climb, followed by magical single track and gulley crossing with ropes – I
always wonder how those with less lengthy legs manage to descend through the
rocks here!

 

Race
two was all about taming the ‘Tyger’ at Tygerberg Nature Reserve. Not many flat
parts, but at least every climb had an awesome downhill. It was not a very
technical route, but it was quite slippery in places, and some of us gained a
few war wounds. This year’s new start worked well, except that our hearts were
jumping out of our chests within the first five minutes with that 1.5km near-vertical
climb!

 

The
third race at the Taal Monument in Paarl was a fast and non-technical route,
with amazing views. Having raced the previous day, I wasn’t perhaps as speedy
as I should have been, and I think my legs were quite glad that it wasn’t
technical. It’s much easier to get into a rhythm on a course like this and I
was able to enjoy the scenery without having to concentrate on the footing
underneath. With the dry weather preceding the race weekend, the route was much
less slippery than last year.

 

At
the time of writing it is a few days to go to race four, the finale in Kleinmond,
which looks set to be an awesome morning of racing, although the weather
forecast isn’t looking too favourable. I’ve decided to tackle the longer XL
again this year, and I’m especially looking forward to the section over the
rocks in the first loop and the single-track down the mountain.

The Best in 25 Years!

Maintain Your Cycle

A
woman’s body is sensitive to change, so when you suddenly increase (or start) high-intensity
running while training for a goal event or chasing a PB, your body may respond
negatively. Besides niggly over-use injuries potentially cropping up, like ITB
or shinsplints, another area where problems can occur is the menstrual cycle.
Not only can the cycle be disturbed, it may disappear altogether, a condition
known as amenorrhea. Now this may sound convenient to many women, but it’s a
serious condition that can lead to osteoporosis, the weakening of your bones,
and continuous stress fractures, due to the reduction in oestrogen produced by
your body.

 

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Amenorrhea can occur for a variety of
reasons, some of which are perfectly normal, such as pregnancy or menopause,
but others may be a sign of a medical problem, such as a hormonal imbalance, or
a side-effect of medication or contraception. Other possible causes could be
lifestyle-related:

?        
Stress can temporarily
alter the functioning of the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls
the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, notably oestrogen and
progesterone. Ovulation and menstruation may stop as a result, but usually
resume once stress decreases.

?        
Excessively
low body weight
interrupts many hormonal functions in the body,
potentially halting ovulation. Thus women with an eating disorder, such as
anorexia or bulimia, often stop having periods.

?        
Excessive exercise can also
affect the hypothalamus, resulting in the disappearance of menstruation.

 

Looking
at those three lifestyle factors, you should understand that a female runner
doing excessive high-intensity, long distance training could be at risk of
developing amenorrhea, given the combination of low body fat, stress and high
energy expenditure.

 

HOW TO AVOID IT

If
you’re upping your training, make sure you seek nutritional guidance to
properly nourish your body for that extra effort and mileage. Quite simply, more
training means more nutrition! If your period then becomes light, unbalanced or
eventually disappears for two or more cycles – and you’re not pregnant – see
your doctor immediately. Take the signals as a red flag that you need to slow
down and cut back a bit – by at least 20% of your training volume – because no
race or running goal is more important than your health!

Muddy but Marvellous!

Driven to Tri

 

On the 12th
of October, Nicole Driver of Pretoria will line up for her biggest triathlon
event yet, the Ironman World Champs in Kona, Hawaii. Only a select few athletes
from all around the world qualify for this event through their local Ironman,
and Nicole secured her entry earlier this year when she finished second in the
women’s age category 25-29 at Ironman SA in Nelson Mandela Bay, clocking a time
of 10:58:11.

 

Unsurprisingly,
she describes this podium finish as the highlight of her triathlon career thus
far, and now she is aiming for a top 10 finish in her age category in Kona, but
regardless of results, she says she will just be thankful to be participating. “My
best friend was involved in a terrible accident last year in October and broke
her neck, which unfortunately resulted in her being left a quadriplegic. The
accident really made me realise how blessed I am, and that you should live
every day to its fullest. I think of her during each and every training session
and race,” says Nicole.

 

TRI TIME MANAGEMENT

Nicole has
a demanding full-time job as a brand manager for Bosch, Siemens and Gaggenau,
which does make training for the Ironman harder, but she says the people around
her make it possible. “My work colleagues are really great supporters, as most
of them are athletes, so we all have a common interest and understand the
dedication needed to be a successful athlete,” she says. “You need to sacrifice
a lot of time and accept that it takes a lot of hard work.”

 

This
dedication sees her up every morning of the week at 4:45am for a bike session,
and at the end of a working day she either has a swimming or running session – and
she makes sure she is bed no later than 9pm. “I get to bed early and follow a
very healthy diet and lifestyle,” says Nicole. “The hardest part about
triathlon is the training and time, especially training for Ironman distances.
It is tough on your body and mind, but at the end of the day, I do the sport
because I love it. I know when I cross the finish line in Kona, all the
training, dedication and sacrifice will be worth it.”

 

COMPETITIVE NATURE

Nicole’s
sporting career started early, at the age of three, when she took part in horse
riding and went on to represent South Africa in show jumping in her junior
years. The competitive bug had bitten deep and she competed in most sports
offered at her school, including athletics, hockey, netball, swimming, biathlon
and triathlon (as part of a team). However, it was only in 2010 that she took on
her first individual triathlon, over the sprint distance, and she took 15th
position in the women’s race. Not bad at all for her first effort.

 

Since
then, Nicole has enjoyed brilliant results. After winning her age category at
the Bela Bela 5150 in 2011, she had a great year in 2012, finishing third in
her category at the 11Global Tri at Sun City and fifth at Ironman 70.3, then
being selected to represent South Africa at the ITU World Champs in Spain and
coming home sixth in her category. This year she started off with a fifth place
in her category at Ironman 70.3, but what topped it all was getting that second
place at the full Ironman. Now her sights are firmly set on that top 10 in
Kona.

The Need for Speed

Keep it Cool!

Ice has long been used with great success
to reduce inflammation, pain and bruising, but it can be messy, uncomfortable
and awkward to apply – and you can get ‘ice-burn’ if the ice is left on too
long. A much better idea is a Physicool bandage, which cools more effectively
than ice and has the added benefit of compression and support as well.

 

The natural cotton bandage contains a
coolant that draws out heat, rather than driving cold in, instantly treating
inflammation and bruising of muscles, tendons and ligaments. The bandage has a
long-lasting cooling effect, even after it has been removed, and it’s comfy and convenient to use –
no refrigeration required, no risk of ice-burn, and the adjustable strap makes
it easy to apply in seconds. Once used, or when dry, simply refresh with a
squirt of the coolant spray and store in its re-sealable pouch, ready for the
next use. This re-usable cooling bandage is therefore a must-have item for
everyone’s first aid kit.

 

Used with success
by athletes to treat sprains and other injuries, helping to speed recovery, it
is also being used by people with arthritis and has received high praise in the
medical field, such as from orthopaedic surgeon Simon Garrett, who has been
using Physicool on patients
following knee replacement surgery. “We found that post-op, after day one,
patient pain scores were much reduced and in the first 48 hours it made a dramatic difference.”

 

Physicool re-usable
bandages and coolant spray and are available from Dis-Chem stores:

?        
Physicool bandage size A (for wrists,
knees and ankles) – R112.95

?        
Physicool bandage size B (for elbows,
thighs and shoulders) – R139.95

?        
Physicool Combo pack (size A bandage
plus 150ml coolant) – R168.95

?        
Physicool 500ml coolant spray – R199.95

 

For
more info, go to
www.ivohealth.co.za,
call 0860 456 123 or mail [email protected].