Author: Modern Athlete

It all
started just over a year ago when Elana was heading up the JAG Foundation and
doing sterling work to get more and more youth involved in running. “However, I
saw that these kids are going to exit our sport unless we create a pathway for
them to get to the next level, and ultimately to the top levels,” She says.
“Then I looked which marathoners would be in contention for the Olympic team
and I was quite shocked where we are in distance running in SA. In the early
90s we had guys winning Big City Marathons, with over 40 guys breaking 2:15 in a year. Currently we only have six. You can’t expect runners to perform consistently
well at the highest level if you don’t have enough of them doing it, so I began
to think, other sports, like rugby, have academies, and I thought it can work to
get the runners working as a team to help each other run faster.”

And so
Elana signed off at JAG, joined forces with business strategist and former
training partner Janet Welham, and after a hectic period of planning and
meetings, Endurocad (short for SA Endurance Academy) was launched in June. It will be
dedicated to elite endurance athletes who wish to improve their times, make a
living from their talent and to build a brand and business for life after
sport. “There is so much running talent in South Africa. We want to identify
and develop these athletes and help prepare them for the 2016 Olympic Games in
Rio and to do well in the Big City Marathons,” says Elana. The academy
structure will ultimately be made up of an elite academy of 40 athletes based
in Stellenbosch and satellite squads based elsewhere. These athletes will then
have access to regular training camps, and the structure will have as a
foundation the community-based SA Can Run initiative.

BUSY TIMES

Now Elana
is juggling a busy schedule, heading up the new academy while also raising two
young kids with partner Jacques Jansen van Rensburg. She is also to be found
every Saturday morning on Audacia Wine Farm, just outside Stellenbosch,
overseeing the Root 44 parkrun which she says ties in with her SA Can Run initiative. And she still does a bit
of running herself.

“It’s part
of who I am. I don’t feel the need to go show how fast (or slow) I am any more, but running is
still important to me – for my health, and sanity! Obviously being a mom of two
kids and having a family is the most important thing in my life, but you have
to juggle your time. It is taking a huge time commitment to get Endurocad off
the ground, so it is hard to fit in a run, but you have to make it a priority
if you still want to squeeze it in.”

To learn
more about Elana’s new running academy, visit www.endurocad.co.za.

Nobody likes getting sick, especially us runners,
because it keeps us off the road, so here are some tips to help you stay winter
savvy:

1.      
Your hands are a germ factory, so make sure you wash
them often and well, with warm, soapy water several times a day. Try to carry a
hand sanitiser with you and use it several times daily. Also, try to rather use
a paper towel to dry your hands and not a towel used by everyone else. And keep
your hands away from your nose and mouth wherever possible, so that they don’t
attract additional germs.

2.      
Colds and flu are spread by viruses, which can easily
spread from surface to person and person to person. Try to carry an alcohol-based
cleanser with you to sterilise any surfaces that might be putting your health
at risk. Antiseptic wipes should also be used to clean desktops and phones
regularly.

3.      
Exercise to build your immunity. By working out and
making your heart pump a little faster, you strengthen your immune system.

4.      
Get at least eight to ten hours of sleep a night to
prevent your immune system from weakening and making you more susceptible to
colds and flu.

5.      
Eat large quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables,
which support your immune system.

RECOVERY
101

Despite your best efforts,
you still can feel like you’re “coming down with something.” Here are
some things you can do to help your body recover more quickly:

•         
Eliminate dairy products.

•         
Eliminate alcohol.

•         
Eliminate grains (bread, rice, pasta, etc.).

•         
Boost your Vitamin C (with bioflavanoids) intake when
you initially feel something coming on.

•         
Boost your intake of Zinc.

•         
Increase water consumption – even more than normal!

•         
Eat less food, as this will give your body a much-needed
rest from digestion and give it a chance to concentrate on fighting off
potential invaders.

•         
Add herbs like Echinacea, Goldenseal and Grapefruit
Seed Extract to your supplemental regime.

•         
Get more rest than normal. If you normally get six
hours of sleep a night, try increasing it to seven or eight.

SOURCES: Vicks Press
release, June 2012, Health24

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.

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!

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.