Author: Modern Athlete

Let’s face it, when it comes to buying Christmas gifts
for runners, they are not easy to shop for. Not if you want to surprise them,
that is, because they need to actually try on shoes before you can buy them,
and the same goes for clothing. Even the choices of watches, heart rate
monitors or GPS units depends largely on the specific runner’s needs and taste…
In other words, before you buy one of these items, you invariably have to get
the direct input and participation in the buying process from your runner,
unless you already know the exact shoe brand, model and size that he or she
wants, or the specific item of clothing, or the specific watch or unit.

 

Therefore, this month we decided to focus on something
easier to pinpoint, some smaller, more general gifts for runners that would
make great stocking fillers, or a quirky extra gift to put on top of something
else and give your runner another present to open. (And if you’re the one who’s
the runner and you’re struggling with gift ideas to pass on to your family and
friends, these will do just as well for you!)

 

Always wear sunscreen!

TECHNIblock Ultra Sunblocker SPF40 (150ml)

Nobody likes rubbing in sunscreen, so a transparent,
non-greasy aerosol sunscreen really makes it quick, easy and mess-free! The
TECHNIblock range includes SPF15 and SPF40 sprays, in various sized tins from
125ml to 340ml. They also produce a handy SPF40 stick for sensitive areas, like
the face.

R100 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks, Link Pharmacies and other outlets.

 

Put a sock in it…

Falke Hidden Cool

Most runners go through socks quickly, so there’s
nothing boring about giving a runner good socks at Christmas! The thick
padded cushioning of these babies means that every part of the foot is comfy,
and they are remarkably well ventilated for such a thick sock. Your feet will
thank you!

R39.95
at Sportsmans Warehouse, Runner Group, Cape Union Mart.

 

Race Planning 101

Nedbank Runner’s Guide 2013

While race calendars are available in several
magazines and on several websites, the handiest guide to everything you need to
know about every running event on the calendar throughout SA for the whole
year, both on road and trail, remains Tom Cottrell’s excellent guide book, now
in its 22^nd edition!

R150 at CNA, Exclusive Books, Sportsmans Warehouse and Sweat Shop, or
online at Mapstudio, Kalahari and Loot.

 

Never forget to lube!

BLUE STEEL
SPORTS Anti-Chafe cream

Runners do not
like getting rubbed up the wrong way, so get them a tube of this long-lasting,
non-sticky, non-greasy lube with a pleasant smell. It won’t irritate sensitive
skin or stain your clothing. Use it to protect from chafe, blisters, cracked
heels, saddle sores and windburn.

R54.95 at Sportsmans Warehouse for a
100ml tube.

 

And work on that Core

Body Sculpture Exercise ball

You can cross-train even while sitting at your desk if
you replace your chair with an exercise ball, because you’ll be using your core
stabilising muscles to sit upright, still and balanced – and these same muscles
will then help you run more efficiently. All you need is some lung power to set
it up.

R179 at Sportsmans Warehouse.

 

More Gift Ideas

?        
Is your runner always
complaining of sore muscles? A gift certificate for a sports massage will
soothe those muscles – and stop the complaints.

?        
Does your runner
struggle with motivation to keep a training programme going? A logbook or
running journal is great motivation to get out the front door!

?        
Has your runner
achieved something great this past year on the road or trails? Put those race
photos in a frame or album and really make your runner feel special.

?        
Does your runner have
black toenails from running? A gift certificate for a pedicure may tickle their
fancy.

?        
Has your runner
dropped any hints about a specific race or event on the calendar that is high
on that Bucket List? Then plan a weekend away around that event, with transport
and accommodation sorted, and give your runner a big surprise.

There’s an old saying about something being just a
hop, skip and a jump away, and that appropriately sums up the benefits of
plyometric training, because with simple hopping, skipping,
and jumping drills, you can improve running economy, lower-body flexibility and
stride length, in addition to strengthening all lower-body muscles, tendons,
and ligaments. Plyometrics teaches the proprioceptors of your muscles and
joints – the internal receptors that enable coordinated movement and balance – to
push off the ground with greater force, by recruiting fast-twitch muscle fibres
more efficiently. In other words, plyometric training puts more spring in every
step you take, which is the key to better running.

 

Perhaps
the best thing about plyometric training is that while it can help you run faster
times and improve your endurance, it doesn’t add much time to your training
routine. Just one or two quick sessions a week will do the trick, and those
sessions should only take a few minutes. For most plyometric drills, you only
need a few metres of space on a flat, stable surface that provides a bit of
give, like grass, an athletics track or a cushioned gym studio floor. And as another
old saying goes, jump in with both feet, because giving maximum effort will see
you become a stronger, faster runner.

 

WHEN I SAY JUMP…

John Cissik, co-author of Sport Speed and Agility, recommends
beginning your plyometric training with the following three drills, once or
twice a week.

 

1. Vertical Jump: Stand
with both feet hip-width apart and place your hands on your hips. Tilt your
hips back, bend your knees, and leap straight up as high as you can. Land with
both feet flat in the same spot. Make sure you bend your knees to absorb the
impact.

?        
Reps: Begin with one set of 10 jumps in rapid
succession. As you get stronger, build up to three sets, with each set
separated by a one-minute rest.

?        
Strengthens: All of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments
from the waist down.

 

2. Split Jump: Place one foot a step ahead of your centre of
gravity and the other foot two to three steps behind your centre of gravity,
with your knees slightly bent and hands on your hips. The front foot should be
flat and your rear heel should be off the ground. Tilt your hips back and jump
as high as you can while maintaining your leg positioning. Land in the same
spot, allowing your bent knees to absorb the impact.

?        
Reps: One set of three to five jumps. Build up to three
sets with one-minute rests between.

?        
Strengthens: Entire lower body, but emphasises the
quadriceps and hip flexors, and also enhances balance.

 

3. Ankle Hops: With feet hip-width apart, balance on the
balls of your feet, with heels elevated. Bend your knees, place hands on hips,
and repeatedly hop forward, pushing off and landing only on the balls of both
feet. Stay on the ground as little time as possible between hops and never let
your heels touch the ground.

?        
Reps: Start by hopping 10 metres. Build up to 20
metres, then add a second and third series of hop sequences with one-minute
rests between them.

?        
Strengthens: Everything below the knee, but especially
Achilles tendons, shins, calves, and the flexors that support the ankles.

 

The
bottom line is that just running long slow mileage in training each week will
get you fit, but not do much for your speed, whereas adding plyometric drills
will improve muscle power, which will mean faster race times.

For trail runners wanting a taste of travel and challenge, this event is
perfect – it’s a three-day, 120km mountain running journey through the
magnificent Ketane Ha Mothibi and Thaba Putsoa ranges in the remote mountain
kingdom of Lesotho. Only this year, the Lesotho Wild Run got wilder! A
cold front moved in which meant maximum temperatures of about 12 degrees, rain
and wind, making the course muddy and slippery, considerably slowing the pace,
and changing the dynamics of the race, making it far tougher, but also a whole
lot more dramatic, more beautiful, more real.

 

BEST LAID PLANS

My
plan for each day was to start steady, maintain a consistent pace, and finish
each stage strong. Most importantly, I needed to not get lost! The race is
self-navigational – GPS waypoints are provided and runners need to choose their
optimal routes between points.

 

Day
1 covered 43km with 2080m vertical gain, topping us at 2640m at the 32km mark.
The trails were incredible, passing remote villages reachable only by horse and
foot. Crossing the Ketane River, said to be “knee-deep at worst,” was an eye-opener
– the river was chest-deep and the force of the current was strong. I slipped
in a stream about three hours into the run and completely drenched my thermal.
Within minutes I was shivering. Fortunately I had a dry thermal in a ziplock
bag in my pack, so I literally stripped off my wet stuff, pulled on my dry
thermal and my waterproof, and felt like a million bucks again.

 

Day
2 – 28km with 2175m of climbing – was a stunner. The route circumnavigated the
Maletsunyane River Gorge with an eye-level view of the 192m Maletsunyane Falls,
the highest single-drop falls in southern Africa. Again, the single track was
breathtaking, a mountain traverse trail that often meandered just metres away
from 300m sheer drop-offs to the gorge below.

 

Day
3: 39km and snow! The air was cold, the ground crisp, and the beauty of the
surrounding mountains draped in soft white snow took the burn from our legs and
lungs as we pushed up the infamous Baboon’s Pass at around 2500m. The race
finished with a river crossing and a sharp climb to the lavish green lawns of
the Ramabanta Trading Post.

 

MEMORIES…

The
Lesotho Wildrun is an incredible journey filled with rich experiences and
intoxicating views into a world that time seems to have forgotten. For me, the
most lingering visual memory is a quintessential Lesotho image, of a tall,
statuesque Basotho shepherd high on a mountainside in the rain, wrapped in his
traditional blanket and leaning on a staff as he watches over his grazing sheep.

 

The
race was won by Jacques Mouton in 17:09. Linda finished first women and third
overall in 17:50.

When you
get Wynand Du Preez, chairman of the Pretoria Marathon Club, talking about his
club, he immediately turns the conversation to history and tradition. For starters,
the club membership hails from all over the capital, but there is a notable
training group called ‘The Wilgers,’ which has been getting together for
morning runs Monday to Sunday in Wilgers suburb since 1978!

 

“It’s
definitely a great legacy to have George Claassen as our founder, and we have
some proud traditions,” says Wynand. “This includes the faster runners tracking
back after they finish a club run to fetch the guys at the back of the pack, so
that the group can finish together. We recognise the effort of all our runners,
and everyone here is treated the same.”

 

EXTENDED FAMILY

Wynand
joined the club in 2000 to get the licence number and club colours he needed to
run Comrades. “I thought I’d do my own thing, but started making great friends
along the way!” This club spirit helped him go on to finish the Comrades 13
times, when he initially he planned to only do two, and this year he completed
his 10^th Two Oceans as well. Unsurprisingly, he describes the club
as his extended family and says he has made lifelong friends that he can call
on for anything.

 

“The
amazing thing is we are a small nucleus of Pretoria runners who organise to run
together all over South Africa, and at events we make sure to bring out the
gazebo and join up for a drink and bite at the finish.” That sees the club
provide free food and drinks at 10 races for its members, including Comrades,
Loskop, Om Die Dam and the local Deloitte Marathon in Pretoria. The club partly sponsors the annual
weekend getaway for members, which this year was held at the Klein Kariba
Resort, and Comrades participants get free long-sleeve tops.

 

The club
also holds a year-end prize-giving and several social breakfasts, and will be holding
a 40^th anniversary celebration later this year, where all the Alumni
will relive their glory days with family and friends. Meanwhile, on the racing
front, the club hosts the PWC George Claassen Road Race (21.1km, 10km and 5km)
on the last Saturday in January, an event that has consistently grown in
popularity since its first running 35 years ago. Then in late September, the
club organises the Andrew Greyling Memorial Run in Brooklyn’s
suburbs.

 

IN IT TOGETHER

“What I
love about being in this club is that you will find people who will share their
advice, you will find friends, a community and branch of support. For the board
members and volunteers who make coffee and scones on race days and for club
runs, there is no gain – except the love of running and being in it together!”

For more information
contact Wynand du Preez on 082 371 8292. Annual club fee: R150 – walkers and
beginners also welcome!

Chat to any swimmer,
especially triathletes, and often the refrain is mostly the same: “I get so
tired of swimming from one end of the pool to the other, with only the white line
as company… It all gets a bit monotonous.” Sure, we all know that when swimming,
one needs to be in the moment, concentrate on form, focus on breathing and all
those things that help to us become better swimmers – but there is definitely a
time and a place that some underwater tunes can brighten a swimming session,
especially when doing long aerobic sessions!

 

FINIS, a world leader in
technical swimming products, recently launched the new waterproof Neptune MP3
Player, and what a nifty little gadget this is! You can now listen to your favourite
music, or even audio books, while working out in the pool. Many runners will
tell you they just can’t train without their iPods, and very soon many swimmers
are bound to be saying the same about the new Neptune.

 

BONE WHAT?

My initial question was,
“How do I listen to this nifty little gadget without earphones?” Well, this
unique MP3 player uses revolutionary bone conduction technology to transmit
crystal clear audio through the cheekbone and directly into the inner ear. Humans are
able to detect sound vibrations through the air via our eardrums (air
conduction), or through our bones directly into our inner ear (bone
conduction). Because there is no air under the water, bone conduction is the
best way to hear audio while swimming.

 

The device has two side speakers that rest on your
cheekbones and attach to any goggle strap. The OLED screen sits comfortably on
the back of the head. You simply open the clips on
the side unit and slide up onto your goggle straps. It needs to fit flush
against your head and the speakers should be placed in front of the ear and not
over your ear, resting against your temple bone for ideal clarity.

 

The speakers vibrate the jaw bones and send vibrations
to the inner ear, or cochlea. The result is a great audio experience that makes
it feel as if the music is playing inside your head. Your ears are free and
clear, and there are no ear plus to mess with. And what a pleasure while
swimming: The device is extremely comfortable and after a couple of minutes,
one is not even aware of it. It feels as comfortable as your goggles or
swimming cap.

 

STORAGE

You don’t have to worry about runnig
out of new tunes when swimming, because the Neptune’s 4GB of
storage holds approximately 1000 songs, or 60 hours of playback. The device is
compatible with iTunes and plays all popular formats. The Neptune also comes
with a charging cable that allows for quick song uploading, and a drawstring
mesh bag for storage. It is waterproof up to three metres and has a rechargeable
eight-hour lithium-ion battery. The Neptune MP3
Player has already been awarded the
prestigious “Red Dot Award: Product Design
2013” for high quality design, and we’re sure you will love it, too.

 

The Neptune MP3 Player retails at
R1890 and can be ordered online at www.finis.co.za.