Author: Modern Athlete

I have been running for two years and have done three ultra-marathons to date. I seem to suffer from exercised induced nausea. As a race progresses, I tend to get stomach cramps. I drink regularly, but whatever I take in just sits in my stomach and does not pass through the system. The result is I did not urinate at all during my 2010 Comrades. I ended up in the medical tent and the doctors said I was dehydrated, but as I left the tent, I vomited out all the liquids in my stomach. When I ran Two Oceans this year, I felt the same nausea after the race, but did not throw up. A week later I ran a 54km race at a very slow pace and surprisingly did not suffer from any symptoms. Can the intensity of a race be responsible for these symptoms? – HAMID SANGLAY

ANSWER
Exercise intensity can definitely be a one of the causes of your gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disturbances, which are common in endurance athletes. Exercise affects the GIT in a variety of ways, all of which can disturb the GI function and result in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or even bleeding. It has been shown that there is a relationship between increasing exercise intensity and a reduction of blood flow to the GIT. The result may be nausea, which at some point may progress to vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea; more than just impaired digestion. These symptoms can be severely, even critically compounded when hot weather and dehydration are thrown into the mix.

Without sufficient blood supply, the GIT simply can’t function as designed, rejects the stomach contents, and in some cases the contents of the intestinal tract. The reduction of blood supply also compromises the intestinal barrier, contributing to and compounding the GI symptoms.

Another concern which may be affecting your absorption is the type of fluids you are consuming. You may not be getting the correct type and concentration of your fluids, which may be causing the fluid that you are drinking to not be optimally absorbed. (Check out a previous article I wrote on hydration and sports drinks, titled Beat your Thirst, archived under the Nutrition section on the Modern Athlete website.)

Some Recommendations
• Avoid solid food three hours or so prior to exercise.
• Take liquid food as a pre-race meal and during endurance events, e.g. Future Life cereal or Perpetium (from Hammer)
• During endurance events, the optimal concentration of your drinks should be ‘isotonic’ e.g. sports drinks like Powerade or Energade.
• Keep meals the day before the race low in fibre.
• Drink the same drinks in training as you will on race day.
• Avoid caffeine prior to and during exercise.
• Drink a lot of fluid the day before the race and avoid alcohol up to 48 hours before.

Modern Athlete Expert
CHRISTINE PETERS
Dietician at Sunninghill Medical Centre, Johannesburg. Has 10 years’ running experience, including two Comrades and three Two Oceans Marathon finishes.

Persistent Sharp Pain
In November 2009, whilst running at the 36km in the Nelspruit Marathon, I felt something ‘pull’ just below my abdomen. This created a sharp pain when picking up my legs and I had to walk the last 5km. Despite a long layoff, I’m still troubled by this. An ultrasound scan found nothing. I have cut back on my training and manage by taking painkillers. I also use a sauna belt and strap it tightly around the painful area, but at the 18km mark the pain is severe. I’m determined to continue with my running, as it keeps me healthy and my weight in check. Please help – I’m desperate. – MIKE GORDON

ANSWER
The symptoms you describe sound very much like it could be coming from the pubic symphysis, a cartilaginous joint that is tightly bound by very strong ligaments that allow a very limited amount of movement.at the front of the pelvis, where the two pelvic bones join. There are several muscles that attach near the pubic symphysis and exert a pulling force on it as they contract. Excessive force due to too much repetition or a single high force, can damage the symphysis, causing inflammation and resulting in a condition known as osteitis pubis.

This is usually an overuse injury and typically occurs due to repetitive running, kicking or changing of direction. Pain may be experienced on one or both sides of the groin, the lower abdominals or at the front of the hips. Pain is also usually experienced by firmly touching the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis and aggravated by exercise such as running or kicking. The treatment requires sufficient rest from any activities that increase the pain, and once the activities can be performed pain-free, a gradual return to these activities is recommended, provided there is no increase in symptoms..

Ignoring symptoms delays the healing process and is likely to lead to the condition becoming chronic and requiring an intensive period of rehabilitation, with the likelihood of future recurrence increasing. Recovery can take six months or more.

A careful physiotherapy assessment is required to determine and correct the factors that have contributed to the injury. These can include muscle weakness (especially the gluteals or core stabilisers), muscle tightness, inappropriate training, increase in training frequency and intensity, poor posture and poor pelvic and core stability.

Modern Athlete Expert
TONI HESP
Physiotherapist in Edenvale, Johannesburg. Has finished 21 Comrades, four Ironman and two New York Marathons, plus various cycling and canoeing events.

Let’s be honest, it is that much harder to motivate yourself to put on your running kit and head out the front door when it is cold and miserable out there. But cold weather doesn’t mean that you have to banish yourself to the treadmill all winter long. Thanks to the modern technology in winter running clothes, gone are the days when runners trudged through winter running workouts wearing lots of heavy and uncomfortable clothing. But one part of the body that is often still neglected when it comes to wrapping up warmly is the head – and that’s a big mistake, because you can lose up to 40% of your body heat through your head, so it is important to keep it covered when running on cold days.

A beanie or fleece hat is great for keeping your head warm and they are normally lightweight to wear. However, some runners don’t like their heads being covered, in which case earmuffs would still offer some form of protection and heat-retention. And for those really cold days, keeping your neck and face warm and protected is also recommended, and that’s where a Buff really come in handy. And the good news is that all this head-warming gear is lightweight and easy to carry, so if you get a bit too warm during the run and want to let your head cool off for a while, simply tuck the beanie, headband or buff into the elastic of your shorts or tights and carry on running.

So, if you simply can’t imagine going through the cold months without your daily running fix, here are some great head-warming options to keep your noggin warm during this winter.

BEANIES

Cape Storm Pulse Beanie
Made from a high performance wicking fabric, and available in six colours. The stitching pattern helps it keep its rounded shape very effectively. R135 at Cape Storm stores.

Cape Storm Insulator Beanie
Similar to the Pulse model, but with less stitching for a slightly looser fit. Just as fleecy and warm, though!
R135 at Cape Storm stores.

First Ascent Skull Beanie
This snug-fitting nylon-lycra ‘skull pleaser’ is just what you’ve been looking for to protect your head and your ears. R99 at First Ascent stockists.

First Ascent Powerstretch Beanie
Made from Polartec Powerstretch fleece, a four-way stretch fabric, this beanie has amazing wicking and thermal properties. R159 at First Ascent stockists.

New Balance Performance Fleece Beanie
Made from micropolar fleece material, this beanie also has reflective logos for extra visibility in low-light conditions, and a key stash pounch. R149 at New Balance stores.

Nike Lightweight Running Skullcap Beanie
The contoured design provides great ear coverage, plus it has reflective detailing and a ponytail opening to accommodate longer hair. R149 at Nike Stores.

Salomon Beanie
Made from quick-drying frabrics, it features a fleece headband lining to ensure a warm head, nad one size fits all. R150 at Salomon Concept Stores and Due South Stores

Salomon Momentum Beanie
Part of Salomon’s Nordic Ski range – which tells you that this beanie will cope with even the coldest temperatures! R199 at Salomon Concept Stores and Due South Stores

EARMUFFS

First Ascent Fleece earmuff:
Keep your ears warm on a cold day with this fleecy product – can also be used for cycling, as it will fit comfortably under a helmet. R69 at First Ascent stockists.

First Ascent Softshell earmuff
This super-cool earmuff will protect your forehead and ears from any cold wind generated by your running speed. R119 at First Ascent stockists.

BUFFS

Original Buff? & Wool Buff?
Not much to look at when it juts sits there, but this simple multifunctional ‘tube’ of material can be used as a cap, headband, mask, scarf or balacalva. Wicks moisture and is easy to carry when not in use. Also available in a 100% Merino wool version, which is slightly longer to give extra coverage on top of its extra insulation. R150 for the Original Buff and R229 for the Wool Buff from various stockists

MORE ADVICE FOR COLD WEATHER RUNNING
Start warm: Getting out the front door is often the hardest part when it is cold outside, so put your running kit in the tumble-dryer, or next to the heater, for a few minutes and warm them up a bit, then dress quickly and hot the road. You start the run warm and toasty, and by the time the clothes have cooled off again, you’ve warmed up.
Stay dry: In extremely low temperatures, sweat is the enemy, because once you’re wet, the wind-chill factor can really hit you and send your body temperature plummeting. Therefore, dress in thin layers, starting with a moisture-wicking base-layer, followed by a fleecy-type outer layer, and if the conditions are windy, add a wind-resistant outer shell as well.
Hands up: Just as you lose heat through your head, so too do you lose heat through your hands – up to 30% of your body heat – so wear gloves to keep your hands and fingers warm. Mittens are even better on really cold days, because your fingers stay in contact with each other and thus stay warmer.
Don’t forget your legs: It’s a bit pointless wearing three layers on the upper body, plus gloves and a beanie, and then wearing just shorts, leaving your legs exposed to the cold by, so invest in a pair of full-length tights and make sure your legs stay warm too.
Protect your lips and skin: Lip-ice is a must on cold days to prevent your lips from chapping. You can use Vaseline for this and also apply it to your nose and cheeks to prevent windburn, or look for protective creams at your pharmacy or local stores.

Let’s start with the basics. There are two kinds of sweat, eccrine and apocrine, and neither one smells like anything. It’s when bacteria on your body react with the apocrine sweat that you and your smell can become the proverbial elephant in the room.

We have about three million eccrine glands spread across the surface of our bodies that secrete sweat to cool us. This sweat is odourless and consists mostly of water and salt. It’s the apocrine sweat that contributes to unpleasant odours and this comes from about 2 000 apocrine glands that are primarily found in our hair follicles. They are concentrated in the areas under our arms, on our head and in our groin, and they only produce sweat when we are stressed (physically or emotionally). This sweat is rich with proteins and fatty acids, and although it is also odourless, the nutrients in it make a five star meal for the bacteria that stay on our bodies. It is when these bacteria feed on the nutrients in our apocrine sweat that the metabolic processes give off the smell we know as body odour, or BO.

BAN THE BO
Even though sweat is not directly to blame for body odour, it still shares responsibility and the fact of the matter is that with less sweat, there is less food for the bacteria, and therefore less smelliness. This means the first step in combating body odour is to reduce the amount of sweat on your body, and the vast majority of people do this by employing good personal hygiene. These are some of the important steps to follow to ensure you always smell fresh:
• One shower or bath a day is sufficient for most people, but make sure you have a shower after you’ve trained and you wash the smelly places under your arms, feet and all the other nooks and crannies thoroughly.
• If you still smell a faint whiff following you around, you can try using anti-bacterial soap to gets rid of all the unwanted bacteria that actually cause the unpleasant odour.
• Don’t wear clothes that are too tight and try wearing clothes specifically designed to wick sweat away from your body and help your body to breathe when you train. Also, wash your clothes after every exercise session to prevent the harbouring of bacteria in your clothes. You can try using detergent specifically designed to remove odours from sport performance clothing, such as Sport-Wash, available at Sportsmans Warehouse.
• Make sure you use an antiperspirant and not simply deodorant every day to control sweating and odours. Where deodorant simply masks the smell that come from bacteria by another fragrance, antiperspirant contains an element, usually aluminium, which plugs the openings of your sweat glands to make you sweat less, giving those smelly bacteria nothing to work with.
• Watch what you eat. There are some foods like curry, garlic and onion that can cause your sweat to smell different, while smoking, certain medications and even stress can lead to a different smell.

Johannesburg-based skincare therapist Joelette Theron’s advice is to try and minimise sweating instead of washing more, to avoid body odour before it even happens. She suggests drinking sage tea, avoiding spicy food, watching your weight and avoiding smoking, caffeine and alcohol to reduce sweating.

OUT OF CONTROL
In general, sweating is pretty normal, but if you think your sweating is abnormally high and becoming an embarrassment, you can visit your doctor and between the two of you, you can decide whether more drastic measures need to be taken. Though there isn’t any medication available to control sweating, procedures such as botox injections have been shown to reduce sweating in certain problem areas. However, doctors will usually advise you to start with the easiest, non-invasive option, such as using a stronger antiperspirant. If this doesn’t help, you may upgrade until you reach drastic measures such as surgery.

Although rare, persistent body odour can be a sign of something more serious. An extreme example is the genetic disorder trimethylaminuria, also know as fish malodour syndrome, which makes you smell like rotting fish. This condition is not curable, but with medication, a strict diet and counselling you can lead a normal and healthy life.

Keep in mind that every person has his or her own unique smell and there are a myriad of factors that influence this, including things such as gender, age, hormones, eating habits and genetics, so you will not smell the same as the person on the spinning bike next to you. The amount you sweat is also unique to your own body and there is no need to feel embarrassed if there is a puddle of sweat underneath your bike by the end of a hard spinning session.

Additional Sources: www.health.howstuffworks.com

SMELLY FACT
In a study done in 2008 it was found that women have almost ten times more sulphur in their sweat than men, which means that women should have a stronger body odour than men, yet neither of us smell like rotten eggs. The study found that women’s smells are similar to onions or grapefruit, while men smell more like stinky cheese!

What is your background and how did you get involved in the IT industry?
I have always been involved with Information Technology of some sorts. I think it can be traced right back to primary school days when I owned a Commodore 64, which was a big deal in those days! I have just made an effort to keep up with technology as it progressed.

Why are you so passionate about your career?
I enjoy the challenges; I need them to keep me sane.

How did you get into running?
My dad started running in February 1982 and I followed in his footsteps.

You are not only a road runner, but also an accomplished cross-country athlete and a paddler. Tell us more.
I have completed three Comrades Marathons, earning a Bronze, a Bill Rowan and a Silver. I’ve also finished three Duzi’s and three Midmar Miles, and represented KwaZulu-Natal and Transvaal (now Central Gauteng) in cross-country.

Describe a typical day in your life.
I get woken up at 5am by my three-year-old son (if I’m not doing a morning run). I drop him off and then it’s about an hour’s drive to the office for me. I’m in the office round about 7:30. My day to day duties involve administrating SQL and OLAP servers, developing, testing and implementing Large Business Intelligence systems and dealing with user queries on existing systems. Some days are very stressful and I often have to meet very tight deadlines. I tend to do a bit of work at home each night and this is really productive time as I have no interruptions. Most work gets done under big pressure, but that tends to make me more productive, too. I leave work at 4:30, fetch my son and we are home by about 6pm. I usually help my wife with entertaining, feeding, bathing and putting our son to bed by 7:30, before I go for a run of 60 to 90 minutes. After a shower, we have dinner at about 9pm, after which I spend another hour or two dialled into the office. I’m usually in bed between 11 and 12pm.

How do you fit running into your busy life?
I run when it is dark and most people are either getting ready for bed, or are still fast asleep.

What do you see as the biggest obstacle to your running?
My ageing body is losing speed fast.

What is your greatest moment in running/sport?
I ran a sub-50 minute 15km at altitude in 1993 and a 2:40 marathon this year at the Maritzburg Marathon in February. I am very proud of both achievements.

Has running/sport influenced your career and work ethic?
Yes. I believe one can achieve good results from hard work, both in your career as well as in your hobby; after achieving a target result in athletics you are reminded of this.

Why do you enjoy running so much?
It keeps me healthy and out of trouble! I have made very good friends through athletics.

What is the best and worst advice you have been given with regards to running?
I have been given lots of both. Some good advice that is still fresh in my mind would have to be using Yasso 800s for marathon training. With this training method you can predict your marathon time based on how long it takes you to run a bunch of 800 metres. It worked perfectly in my recent build up to the Maritzburg Marathon. The worst advice would be to take painkillers on long races; I have seen it cause big problems for some friends.

What is the first thing you do after a morning run?
If I’m at the beachfront, I take a dip in the Indian Ocean.

What could you not go running without?
Shorts and shoes (if I’m not on the beach or track). I don’t really need anything else.

What are your future running/sporting goals?
I would love to earn my Green number at Comrades. Also, I turn 40 next year and would like to become fairly competitive as a veteran.

What would you say to someone who says that they don’t have time to exercise?
There are many ways to make time; I have tried a few and they all work – it just takes dedication. Here are a few tricks you can try:
• If you are not a morning person, have a late lunch at work and then get your run in around 7 or 8pm.
• Run very early in the morning. Join or start a group of similar running ability and similar time constraints as yourself. When you are committed to a morning run, you won’t want to drop your friends and will therefore show up on time. Before you know it, it will become an easy thing to do.
• Run to work, or back home, or both. This means no traffic stress and it’s good for the environment.
• Sneak in a run at lunch.

At the end of 1988 Jean Verster headed back to South Africa after five highly successful years at the University of Nebraska. He had loved studying and running in the USA, where he says each meet was like a mini World Champs due to all the top international athletes competing in collegiate meets at that time, and he only came back because his NCAA eligibility had expired. That meant he was no longer allowed to compete anywhere in the country, due to South Africa still being banned from international sport.

“The NCAA only allows athlete to compete for a maximum of five years, and the day after my college eligibility expired, I literally went from being the university’s star runner to not being allowed to step onto the track, not even to train! South Africa looked about to get back into international sport, but I came home because there was no sure indicator of when this would happen.”

Returning to local action, Jean decided to go after the national cross-country title, even though 12km was a bit long for a 1500m/3000m specialist. “There were so many great runners in South Africa back then, from middle distance right up to the marathon, and cross-country was where they all came together, so doing well in cross-country was a big achievement.” He had a really good run in the 1989 SA Cross-country Champs in George, finishing second behind Lawrence Peu and earning Springbok colours, and then he went to Germany for a year to try break into the international scene, but he was still not allowed to compete and came home again. That saw him running the 1991 SA Cross-country Champs in Cape Town, this time taking the national title. “Everybody was there! Mathews Temane, Xolile Yawa and all the other big names of that era, and winning the title was so great, especially for a track specialist like me.”

IN FROM THE COLD
The following year saw South Africa back from the sporting wilderness, starting with the African Unity Games and then the African Champs in Mauritius. “Now that the international door was open to us, many of us wanted to get to Europe as soon as possible, so we flew straight there from the Mauritius champs. I went to Frankfurt in Germany with Philip Spies, Corinne van Niekerk and Francois van Rensburg, to get ready for a meet two weeks later, but our first night there, the German athletes we were staying with asked if we wanted to join them in another meet the very next day. As far as I know, we were the first South Africans to officially compete in Europe post-isolation. It was an amazing time, because we were the flavour of the month. We received fantastic treatment and were paid better as well, because all the meets wanted South African athletes.”

Even though he felt his best years were behind him (1988-90), Jean won a number of races in Europe over the next five years, including several high profile cross-country races. He was selected for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but had to withdraw because of injury. However, he did make it to the World Cross-country Championships in 1993 and 1995. “I was very fortunate to at least have some international career, despite my injury problems. Many of our greatest South African athletes never had that opportunity.”

In 1994 he married Alta Lohan, herself a multiple middle distance SA title holder with national colours in cross-country. “Our honeymoon started with a week of training in the Drakensberg, and then we went to Europe to run cross-country. With South Africa back in world sport, we put off having a family until later. That’s why our first daughter was only born in 2003, with the second following in 2006. It still feels a bit funny to have toddlers in the house at this late stage of our lives!”

ONE ROAD ENDS, ANOTHER BEGINS
In 1998 Jean decided to try his hand at the marathon, and went to the USA to train with Josiah Thugwane and Zithulele Sinqe. Showing great form, he was invited to run as a pacesetter in the New York Marathon, and sponsored by a well known brand to run in their kit. Unfortunately, that proved Jean’s downfall. “I took them through halfway in 64 minutes, but pulled off at 23km with a sore Achilles, because I wasn’t used to the new shoes. Then a week later I was running a cross-country race in France and the Achilles tore. That was the beginning of the end of my career… I had planned to run the 1999 London Marathon, and people reckoned I could run at least a 2:12, but I never got the opportunity to try, and have still never completed a marathon.”

Jean returned to South Africa for treatment, but admits that he is terrified of doctors and hospitals, so put the recommended surgery off and just rested the Achilles. “I was out for 14 months and it actually healed by itself, but I kept picking up other niggly injuries. I tried a comeback in 2001, but now I was finishing 15th or 20th in European races I had been winning just a few years before. So I called it quits and focused on coaching instead, which I had begun doing while injured, with 800m Olympic silver medallist Hezekiel Sepeng my first star athlete.”

SUNNY SOUTH AFRICA
Now 46, Jean is currently the manager of the FNB High Performance Institute for Sport at North-West University in Potchefstroom, where he also coaches a highly talented squad of middle distance athletes. The university regularly hosts many top international sportsmen and women, and Jean played a leading role in developing what he now describes as a mini industry for the town.

“After my year training in Germany in 1990, I invited my European friends back to South Africa to come train with me in Sasolsburg during their cold winter months. Word of mouth spread and more athletes starting coming here because of the great weather and training facilities, and many followed me to Potch when I moved there. Then in 2008 I was approached by the university to run the High Performance Centre. Now we regularly have more than 1000 foreign athletes using our facilities, from up to 36 countries and from all sporting codes, and we also hosted the World Cup-winning Spanish soccer team last year.”

GIVING BACK
Jean is currently playing a leading role in South African athletics administration, serving on the USSA (student) and North West North provincial Execs, as well as being Vice-chair of the ASA Cross-country Commission. “There is so much work to do to get the sport to where it should be. I think the old ASA did some things well, but others were neglected, notably coaching structures. I think once we look at that, a lot of other areas will also see improvement.”

“I also think we need to address why we are not delivering the same depth of talent we used to have in the 70s and 80s, so we’re looking at ways to incentivise athletes to stick to track and cross-country, with a cross-country circuit being suggested as well as a top level 10km road series. That way our top athletes won’t just run long road races each weekend for small prize purses, or move up to ultras when they are still young.”

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Jean still jogs three times per week, averaging 8km each run, and says one of his remaining running goals, besides keeping his fitness up and weight down, is to run a big city marathon with good friends like Arnold Geerdts. “We want to run New York or one of the other big ones together, just a nice social jog – but not too slow; we still want to run around three hours.”

But his focus is now on building the sport from beside the track. “I feel at home in the coaching and administrative role, although it is incredibly hard work. I’ve seen things from both sides, as an athlete and coach, plus I’ve been a race organiser and meet director, managed athletes, and also done TV commentary, and I think running is much easer, despite the hard training – and it’s much more fun!”

JEAN’S PERSONAL BESTS
Jean began running in 1977 and set many youth age group records, some of which he still holds, including a 4:04 mile when he tried to become the first 16-year-old in the world to run a sub-4:00 dream mile. He did go on to run a number of dream miles, and he still holds the senior SA record for the seldom run 2 mile distance.

400m     47.77
800m     1:47.80
1500m   3:38.28
Mile       3:55.76
2000m   5:04.67
3000m   7:46.60
2 Miles   8:30.2
5000m   13:31.94
10km     28:48
Half Marathon 1:03:42