Author: Modern Athlete

Life is interesting, exciting and fulfilling, but short. It is in our own interest to pack as much as we possibly can into it. I realised this after fighting cancer for a number of years. In the fourth year of my fight I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and now in my sixth year, at age 68, I am going to run the Comrades Marathon. How exciting for me!

I’ve realised you can do whatever you truly want to do, but how many of us truly want to achieve and savour life to the full? Do not allow yourself to waste the precious gift of life. Toss the couch potato lifestyle and live! As your great mag clearly shows, whatever your age, whatever your circumstances, whatever your infirmity, anything you really want to do, you will!

Do it today if you truly want to experience what great things God has in store for you. – IAN

A gem in the Karoo

This year we finally made the long trip from Bothaville to the Karoo Ultra in Laingsburg. The great scenery and local support on the route really made it special. At times it felt like I was running into the future, surrounded by perfect scenery, open space and winding road in the oh so green Karoo this year.

On my way back to Laingsburg, three boys and their dog accompanied me, and did they run! I was feeling strong and really moved on, and they stuck with it. At some point the one smaller child started coughing and I suggested he rather walk, for fear of them getting sick. The bigger one kept running with me, and the dog was so obedient, I was impressed. Dog and owner finally succumbed to the long run, after almost 10km! Real local support.

My only regret is, why did I wait so long to come experience this gem? The trip and the race were great!

Thanks for your great magazine. – MARINDA LUDICK

Put it in the bin!

I love my running and really enjoy the races and getting a medal at the finish. I realise as a runner that during a race, water sachets, GU sachets, etc. get thrown down in the road near the refreshment stations to be picked up later. What really disturbed me was what I saw at the end of the Old Mutual 10km race I did recently.

All over the grass at the finish were discarded medal packets (and other assorted rubbish) from people who opened their medals and just threw the packet on the ground. Come on people, runners are not pigs… if I can throw my rubbish in a bin, or take it home when I can’t find a bin, then it’s not that difficult, why can’t everyone else do it, too? – CAROL WARD, BOTHASIG

Head down to the Edgemead Sports Fields on a Tuesday evening for the Edgemead Runners time trial and you’ll see anything from 50 to over 100 runners and walkers lining up for either the 3km or 5km routes. Come back two days later and many weekends and you’ll see another horde of athletes heading out for a club pack run, and on both days you’ll be able to find at least a few first-timers in the mix. That’s because this club is growing at a proverbial rate of knots! “We have grown from about 180 members to just over 300 in the last year,” says club chairman Francois Gouws, “and we put it down to our FIGLERS group. Every week we see more new faces at the training runs and time trials, and it is all thanks to word of mouth spreading about the group.”

FIGLERS stands for ‘Fast Improving Gents and Ladies Edgemead Runners,’ and this is the club’s beginner training group. It is led by experienced runners from the club, members are supplied with training programmes and advice, and the group splits into two for its training sessions so that walkers can also join. The concept has proven a hit with the Edgemead community a well as the club, says Francois. “The FIGLERS bring a lot of enthusiasm to our sessions and it’s exciting to see some of them now serving on the club committee. Also, these days we have much higher number of members participating at most races, about 30 to 50 per race on average. That never used to happen in the past.”

With all these new members and the general enthusiasm in the club at the moment, he adds that it is the perfect time for them to finally get their own clubhouse. “We’ve shared with the Edgemead Cricket Clubhouse since the club was founded in 1992, but in January we will start building our own clubhouse next to the tennis courts at the Edgemead Sports Fields, and we hope to be done by April. These are exciting times for the club.”

EARLY DAYS
It all started in December 1991 when Patrick Fear, newly arrived in the Cape from Midrand Striders in the then Transvaal, put a notice in the Edgemead News calling for runners in the area to join a new running club in the area, offering local time trials and training runs. He compiled a list of interested people, then invited them to a meeting in March 1992. Thirty-six prospective members turned up and a volunteer steering committee was formed to go ahead with establishing a running club in Edgemead.

It was unanimously decided that the club would be called Edgemead Runners and would link with the soccer club in restricting the club colours to red, white and black. It was also decided that a weekly time trial would be held, commencing the following Tuesday, 18 March. Regular Sunday pack runs soon followed. The first club newsletter appeared in May 1992 and went out to 65 members, and the first race to see the new club vest in action was the Rainbow Chickens Half Marathon in Worcester on 1 August of that year.

One of the standout performances by a club member came in 1997 when Michelle Stewart broke the SA women’s record for 100 miles at the Hewat 100 Miler in Cape Town, clocking 17:42:08. In 1996 she had won the women’s title at the Washie 100 Miler in 18:45:34 to become the first Edgemead race winner, and her national record saw her awarded Western province colours – another first for the club.

NOWADAYS
These days the club has over 300 members and offers it members not only a weekly time trial and regular training runs, but also speed work and hill sessions, and even free Pilates classes on Monday nights. The time trial takes place at 6:15pm on Tuesday evenings (6pm in winter), starting and finishing at the sports grounds and offering flat, fast 3km and 5km routes. An 8km is also offered twice a month.

Two races are presented by Edgemead each year, the Womens Day Challenge 10km and 5km on National Women’s Day, 9 August, and the Runners Memorial Race 8km on New Year’s Eve, 31 December. At the Memorial Race, tribute is paid to all runners from all Western Province clubs who have passed away or been killed, with names read out club by club. Unfortunately, due to logistical difficulties, one of the club’s races no longer on the calendar is the Robben Island 15km, which was first run in 1992 when access to the island was still strictly controlled. It was a very popular event, with runners scrambling to secure one of the 250 limited entries and then predicting their finishing time and trying to get as close to that as possible without wearing a watch, with the winners being the closest finishers to their predicted times.

The club website is something they’re very proud of, although at the time of writing it was being upgraded. Not only does it contain all the club info, but also offers training programmes for every distance from beginner jogger to the Comrades – and members can e-mail the club’s virtual coaches for free advice as well. Most impressive, though, is that in 2009 the site became the first club site in South Africa to contain every single race result by every single member since the club’s inception. Weekly e-mail newsletters also keep the members up to speed on club matters and upcoming fixtures.

On the social front, the first Tuesday of each month is Club Night, after the time trial, with awards given for the previous month’s performances, and other social events include two annual pasta parties prior to Two Oceans and Comrades, and the family weekend away, which the club subsidises. The club gazebo is up at most of the big races as well as league races, and drinks and snacks are supplied to all members. As Francois puts it, “We have a great vibe in the club and love to welcome new runners and walkers to our group, so everybody is welcome.”

CONTACT DETAILS
Telephone: Club Secretary Shaun Martheze 083 652 7951
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.edgemeadrunners.org.za

I’m training for my first Ironman 70.3 and have recently developed a painful Achilles when swimming. The pain starts with a burning sensation in my lower calf and moves down towards my Achilles during the session. It only happens when I’m swimming and is usually worse after I’ve had a hard bike session. What causes this and how can I treat and prevent it? – SANDRI HOUGH, SUNNINGHILL

ANSWER
We all welcome you and commend you for starting this journey. Let’s get the medical jargon out of the way. The Achilles tendons connect the calf muscle to the heel and are used extensively during all three disciplines. Achilles tendonitis (inflammation of the Achilles tendons) is a chronic injury that occurs primarily from overuse. It tends to come on gradually over time until pain is constant and exercise too painful to continue.

Your problem probably originates from cycling more than swimming because the pain is worse after a hard bike session. Pain in the Achilles usually indicates a problem in pedalling technique, where the saddle is set too high and forces the cyclist to point the toes excessively to reach the bottom of the pedal swing. Having your cleats set too far forward, or otherwise pedalling with your toes can also cause it. The farther forward the contact between the foot and the pedal, the greater the stress on the Achilles tendons.

The main reason why you’re feeling it mostly during swimming is because your feet are plantar flexed (toes pointed down) during swimming, causing the calf muscles to be under constant contraction and under tension the whole time.

As a guideline, more information or an assessment is needed, as many contributing factors still need to be taken into account for a more accurate diagnosis, but these are my recommendations.
• The body needs to work together in equilibrium, instead of through imbalances and overcompensations. Get your calves checked out to eliminate chances of muscle tears or any other damage – if there isn’t any damage you should follow a conditioning programme to strengthen weaker muscles, like your calves, to help take strain off your Achilles tendons.
• Instead of focusing on stretching your calves after cycling, stretch your quadriceps.
• Do a proper bike set-up and get a professional to analyse your pedalling stroke. Also focus on lighter gears and cycle at a higher cadence.
• Make sure you haven’t started training too much, too soon, and that you’re properly hydrated during training and events.

Modern Athlete Expert
ANDRIES LODDER
Biokineticist at the Technogym Wellness Centre in Fourways, Johannesburg, lecturer in exercise science and Ironman finisher. Andries specialises in sport and orthopaedic rehabilitation and sport-specific testing and conditioning. (www.topbio.co.za)

Running on Empty
I find myself completely exhausted by the end of a training week and have to force myself to go running most Thursday afternoons. How can I improve my energy levels throughout the week? I take all the prescribed rest days and usually train in the afternoon after work. – JANINE THOMAS, DURBAN

ANSWER
Most of my clients who suffer with low energy levels or exhaustion are either over-trained or depriving themselves of carbohydrates. Since you say you are taking the required rest, it’s more than likely your diet is the culprit for your fatigue.

Carbohydrates are the main fuel for the human body. Without them you cannot exercise and about 50% of your diet should be coming from carbs. This is especially true for active people. Your body cannot exercise at high intensity without glycogen, the storage form of carbs in your liver and muscles. Between your liver and your muscles, you have enough storage space for about 500g to 1kg of glycogen, only about 30 to 90 minutes of fuel depending on your intensity of exercise. Once your glycogen levels run out, you begin to feel tired and ‘hit the wall.’ So it is vital to make sure you refuel your muscles and liver as optimally as possible.

The best way to do this is by consuming carbs (and a small amount of protein) within an hour after exercise, as this is when your body is geared to replenish those lost glycogen stores. If you don’t consume carbs immediately, it generally takes much longer for glycogen restoration to occur.

Your training programme probably kicks off after a day’s rest, meaning your glycogen stores have had time to top up, so running on day one feels great. However, if you don’t replenish your muscles with carbs sufficiently after training, as well as during the next 24 hours, you are more than likely starting the next day’s run with sub-optimal glycogen stores. You may be able to cope with this lower fuel level for day two, but every day you’re further depleting your glycogen stores and never properly topping them up. This means that by day four (Thursday afternoon), your glycogen stores could be less than half full, leaving you feeling exhausted.

I would suggest you follow a healthy balanced eating plan throughout the day, making sure you eat enough low GI (slow energy-releasing) carbs spread out in three meals and three small snacks. Then make sure you eat within 40 minutes after your run in the afternoon.

Modern Athlete Expert
CHRISTINE PETERS
Registered Dietician at Sunninghill Medical Centre, Johannesburg. Member of Morningside Country Club with eight years’ running experience, including one Comrades finish and three ultra and two half marathon finishes at the Two Oceans Marathon.

Most of us do our running, cycling or swimming in the early morning or late evening hours, which means we are training when the sun’s rays are not at their strongest, between 10am and 4pm, which in turn means we do not have to worry too much about sunburn and the harmful effects of the UVA and UVB ultraviolet rays of the sun. However, we do sometimes go for lunchtime workouts, and some of the longer races we do, notably marathons, ultras, cycle tours and Ironman events, will have us out in the sun for a much longer time, and that’s when sunscreen becomes an absolute essential part of our gear.

Sunscreen comes in different forms – lotions, sprays, gels, sticks – and is designed to absorb or reflect some of the sun’s UV radiation on the skin and thus protect against sunburn (UVB) and cell damage and premature ageing (UVA). All sunscreen products have a sun protection factor (SPF) rating, which is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of the sunscreen when applied at an even rate of 2 milligrams per square centimetre (mg/cm2). Basically, if your skin starts turning red after an hour, an SPF 15 allows you to stay in the sun 15 times longer before you starting turning red.

However, that doesn’t take into account the varied intensity of the sun’s rays during the day, different skin types, the amount of sunscreen applied and how often it is reapplied, the amount of sunscreen absorbed by the skin, and activities the wearer engages in (swimming and sweating leads to a loss of sunscreen covering). Therefore, athletes are recommended to use at least a SPF30 sunscreen and remember the following sunscreen tips:
• Look for a broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
• Apply the sunscreen thickly enough to get the full SPF protection.
• Apply the sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before exposure to the sun. Regular reapplication is necessary after activities such as swimming, sweating and rubbing.
• Beware reflective surfaces like water, sand and concrete, which increase the amount of UV radiation your skin is exposed to.

PUT TO THE TEST
We went looking for sunscreen products and found quite a few ranges out there to test. After smearing in a few armfuls of lotion, we decided that the spray-on types, both pump action bottle and aerosols, are just so much easier to apply, and the transparent types are top of that list, because nobody wants to look like a ghost! Of course, it is very important with these clear sprays to take note where you have sprayed and rubbed, so that you don’t miss a spot and end up with a little patch of sunburnt skin. If you prefer to see where you’ve covered, stick to a lotion or ‘white spray’ like Nivea’s Sun Spray product.

So, here are a few of the choice sunscreen products tested and recommended by the Modern Athlete team. Take note that the prices supplied here are recommended prices only and may vary from one store to another.

Everysun Aquasport Invisi-Spray SPF30 (125ml)
R95 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
The Everysun Aquasport range of light, non-sticky, water-resistant sunscreen products is enriched with Teavigo Green Tea extract to help combat the effects of UV sun damage. It also helps prevent premature ageing by eliminating excess free radicals on the skin, while moisturising to keep skin elastic and firm. You can choose from SPF 10 to 50 in lotions, invisi-sprays, aerosol sprays and sticks.

Island Tribe Invisible Spray SPF30 (125ml)
R70 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Cape Union Mart and other outlets.
Enriched with vitamin E to increase the protection against UVA rays and the ageing effect they have on our skin, the Island Tribe spray also does the job to protect your skin from UVB rays. Also available in a light lotion format, and Island Tribe have also brought out SPF40 Clear Gel and Stick versions in their sport range, but we preferred sticking to the spray-on version for its ease of use.

Nivea Invisible Protection Transparent Spray SPF30 (200ml)
R100 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
Offering broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays, this sunscreen is 100% invisible and sprays on easily, meaning that you don’t even need to rub it in, but we recommend that you do to ensure complete coverage of all exposed skin. If you really want to see what you’re applying to your skin, you can also try the Moisturising Sun Spray or Lotion options.

Piz Buin Active Long Lasting Spray SPF20 (150ml)
R175 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
Available in SPF20 or 30, this aerosol spray is water- and sweat-resistant and offers protection from both UVA and UVB rays, using Piz Buin’s Helioplex formula to ensure this broad spectrum protection. Piz Buin also have a lotion in their range, available in SPF15 and SPF30. This range is substantially more expensive than the others, but then Piz Buin is one of the oldest and most trusted sunscreen manufacturers in the world.

TECHNIblock Ultra Sunblocker SPF40 (150ml)
R100 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks, Link Pharmacies and other outlets.
This South African company was one of the first in the world to produce an aerosol sunscreen in the early 1990s and now has SPF15 and SPF40 products in its range, in various sized tins from 125ml to 340ml. Being transparent and non-greasy in a spray format meant it went on to hairier parts of the body without any problems or the need for much rubbing in. Also available in a SPF40 stick.

Modern Athlete Choice
Tropitone Acti-Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF30 (125ml)
R85 at Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Clicks and other outlets.
This broad spectrum water- and sweat-resistant sunscreen comes in SPF15 and SPF30 options, and we tested the pump-action clear spray type. Easy to spray on and rub in, and easily absorbed by the skin, the non-greasy formula is enriched with Monoi Tahitian coconut oil, which helps keep your skin moist and supple while you work out in the sun. The Acti-Sport range also offers lotions, gels, aerosol sprays as well as sticks.

When talking to professional athletes about their daily routines, you quickly realise a ‘day in the life’ generally consists of three things: Training, eating and sleeping, and each one is as important as the other. Training and eating go without saying, but many people think the reason professional athletes sleep so much is because they’re lazy, or because they have too much time on their hands. However, research done earlier this year at the Stanford Medical School of Medicine in California in the USA indicated that getting enough sleep should be as important a part of any elite athlete’s preparation as their training.

In this study, researchers found that basketball players who slept more than 10 hours per night performed better on the court, as their accuracy, sprint speeds, reaction times, mood and perceived level of exertion improved. They found that the majority of players usually experience fatigue or drowsiness during the day and were operating on a so-called “sleep debt.” Once they started eliminating this sleep debt, by increasing the time the athletes slept, all of the above-mentioned factors improved. Why? According to research, sleep rewires the brain and body, and lots of learning takes place while you sleep as brain connections are made and pruned.

PHYSIOLOGY AND SLEEP
Until now research has been limited to how sleep deprivation negatively affects athletic performance and not the other way round. Previously, Dr Eve Van Cauter from the University of Chicago Medical School found sleep deprivation can have a big impact on our basic metabolism, causing glucose metabolism to drop by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Her results showed that after four hours of sleep per night (the sleep deprivation period), glucose was metabolised least efficiently while cortisol levels (a stress hormone) were higher. Van Cauter said that after only one week of sleep restriction, young, healthy males had glucose levels that were no longer normal and showed a rapid deterioration of the body’s functions. This reduced ability of the body to manage glucose is similar to those found in the elderly. What makes this study interesting is the fact that it indicates sleep deprivation does not only impact immune and brain function, but can also negatively impact physiology that is critical for athletic performance, such as glucose metabolism and cortisol status.

Glucose and glycogen (stored glucose) are especially important for endurance athletes because they are the main sources of energy and the only way to store energy. Those who are sleep-deprived may experience slower storage of glycogen, which prevents storage of the fuel an athlete needs for endurance events beyond 90 minutes. Elevated levels of cortisol may interfere with tissue repair and growth, and over time, this could prevent an athlete from responding to heavy training and lead to overtraining and injury.

GET SOME SHUT-EYE
It is the alternation of adaptation and recovery that takes the athlete to a higher level of fitness, and the greater the training intensity and effort, the greater the need for planned recovery. This is exactly why high-level athletes who train much harder than most of us do have to sleep more than we do. So those afternoon naps that most elite athletes take aren’t just because they’re lazy or bored, they are actually a part of their training programme!

The question remains how much we as recreational athletes should sleep? Monitoring your workouts with a training log, and paying attention to how your body feels and how motivated you are, is extremely helpful in determining your recovery needs and should help you to modify your training programme accordingly. To get the edge you want, keep the following in mind:

1. Determine how many hours is your normal sleep allotment to feel your best. An easy way to do this is to calculate how many hours you sleep after one week into a relaxing vacation.


2. Particularly during season, try to protect that time for sleep. This means no electronic media at least an hour before bedtime, allowing you to rest before sleep so that you really rest throughout the night.


3. Prioritise sleep as a part of your regular training regimen.


4. Extend nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce your sleep debt before competition.


5. Maintain a low sleep debt by getting a sufficient amount of nightly sleep: Seven to nine hours for adults, nine or more hours for teens and young adults.


6. Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same times each day.


7. Where possible, take brief 20 to 30-minute naps to obtain additional sleep during the day, especially if drowsy.

Source: The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. By CD Mah, KE Mah, EJ Kezirian and WC Dement. Published in Sleep, 2011, Volume 34(7).