Author: Modern Athlete

If you don’t know who Noel Stamper is, chances are you’ve never run the Two Oceans before, because Noel has become as synonymous with the event as Table Mountain is with Cape Town. Having run the very first Two Oceans and with 40 finisher’s medals to his name, he has seen the race develop from a pre-Comrades training run with an entry fee of just 50 cents, to the mammoth carnival weekend that it is today. But don’t think Noel has become blas? about the race; he says taking part still causes a few butterflies in his tummy.

EARLY DAYS
Having converted from rugby to running almost 50 years ago, Noel remembers those early running days fondly. “Those were the days when you ran in Bata tekkies or a pair of blue ‘Tiger’ road running shoes which cost R6.50 for the upmarket nylon model. I think the white canvass model cost R4.75. Big money then!”

In those days, Noel was a member of Celtic Harriers and working in sales and marketing at BP. When Dave Venter joined BP from Durban and became a member of Celtics, the two buddies decided to enter the Comrades Marathon. “I think we were the only two Celtics members who ran the Comrades in 1970. Dave was soon pushing for an ultra-marathon in the Cape, to train for the Comrades, and his efforts saw BP Southern Africa sponsor the first 35-miler.” Being associated with both the organising club and the main sponsor, Noel didn’t have much of a choice but to enter that first race. There was no turning back from there.

HUMBLE OCEANS BEGINNINGS
Noel remembers that first race in 1970 clearly and says there were 26 starters and 15 finishers, with only five clubs being represented. “My intention was to finish the race and simply use it as a training run for Comrades. I ran down to Fish Hoek when I was told that my brother Robin, the only up-country runner, was leading the race and was already on Chapman’s Peak. With only one seconding car between us, I had no alternative but to jump in, in order to help second Robin. There were no water tables, and seconds followed their runners in cars and on motorbikes. Those who did not organise seconding wore red ribbons to indicate they would welcome assistance during the race. We also didn’t have any commercial energy drinks and we used to mix glucose with flat coke or orange juice, giving them names such as ‘snake juice’ and ‘rocket fuel.’”

Robin eventually finished in fourth position in 4:11:10, with Stellenbosch student Dirkie Steyn running barefoot and winning in a time of 3:55:50. Unfortunately for Noel, who subsequently went on to complete every Two Oceans since, not finishing in 1970 means this is the only Two Oceans medal that does not feature in his collection, and he says he has been unsuccessful in his attempts to arrange being awarded half a medal for having got to Fish Hoek!

During one of these early runs Noel was going for silver but the distance between a “red ribbon” runner who was being assisted by his wife and sister-in-law and himself became too stretched and he had to run through a very dry patch until his seconds were able to get to him. Having lost the silver because of this there was considerable consternation in the camp but he says this resulted in one of the family’s best decisions. “Come what may we would have fun. And so in every run we apply this motto and always have ‘fun on the run’!”

The next year saw 41 runners line up for the start of the race, with 31 finishing within the six-hour cut-off. Noel says it was a lonely affair out on the road as the runners were spread out more than two hours apart on the 56km course. In 1972 the Cape Argus became the new sponsor of the race and accepted Noel’s proposal to name it the Two Oceans Marathon. The rest, as they say, is history.

A SPECIAL RACE
Being known as the most beautiful marathon in the world, Noel says the views along the Two Oceans route has a considerable impact on runners’ energy levels. “The view from the top of Chappies over Hout Bay is breathtaking and it is always a relief to have got there. Cresting the top of Constantia Nek will, for me, always be a highlight of the voyage. The crowd support up there is tremendous and it helps you to change up a gear when you realise you’ll be running down to the finish in the shade of those lovely tree-lined avenues.” But he says one of the highlights of the voyage will always be running onto the field and the reality of the achievement hits home as announcer Harold Berman encourages you over the final 200 metres.

It’s not all easy-going, though, and Noel says one section that has always gotten to him is coming up from Hout Bay to the marathon mark. “I call it the graveyard patch, because it’s always hot, humid, cambered and slightly uphill – and it does pass the Hout Bay cemetery!”

Since the addition of the half marathon in 1998, the Two Oceans has grown rapidly and this year sees the biggest field yet line up in the ultra and half marathons combined. According to Noel, this growth will continue in the foreseeable future. “The race will continue to grow in stature as an ultra-marathon because it is seen by many as very achievable. Of course, being the most beautiful marathon route in the world also helps to lure runners! The half marathon is also regarded as an attainable stepping stone to the ultra, giving other members of the family a medium-term goal and the chance to be involved. For the same reason, the 56-metre Nappy Dash, Fun Runs and Trail Runs also attract enthusiastic new faces and families to the Cape over Easter.”

In addition to his 40 Two Oceans medals, Noel also has 20 Comrades Marathons under his belt and was the first person ever to be awarded permanent numbers in both events. With the vast experience he has in these races, he is hesitant to compare them to each other and says each one is its own race, with harder and easier sections. He says that what really makes a difference is the amount of preparation you put in for either one, while the same degree of fitness in a given year doesn’t mean you’ll perform equally in both races. “The race remains the boss!”

FORTY NOT OUT
After 40 years, no-one knows the Two Oceans route better than Noel, but even though he has run it so many times, he says he still gets nervous before the start of the race and gets both butterflies in his tummy and a lump in his throat when the fish-horn sounds at the pre-dawn start. “It never gets boring! Every year is its own race and the questions keep playing through your mind when you start: Have I trained enough? What pace should I run? Can I do a sub-3:00 marathon and try to pick up a silver? How will I handle Chappies and The Nek? And then the thrill of approaching the field and the finish line is still huge. It is such a wonderful feeling of achievement, all your aches and pains just disappear!”

Of course, over the years Noel has collected quite a few special moments along the route, but the runs that really stand out are those that he completed with a family member. He has done 15 with his brother Robin and 16 with his nephew John Dawes, while other family members who have joined him on the journey include his daughters Renee, Debbie and Caron, son-in-laws Richard and Alick, and nieces and nephews Mike Church, Andrew Stamper, Shanni Thomas and Vicky and Sean Lavery.

A few firm Two Oceans traditions include meeting the family at the junction of Southern Cross Drive for an egg and bacon roll with some orange juice and champagne, the swim on the beach at Hout Bay, and taking a slug or two of the Villagers Football guys’ beer where they’re picnicking on the way down Chappies. Add to that all the faces of old friends along the route and Noel says the decision to keep coming back each year is never a hard one. “What a lovely way to spend Easter, and what an incentive to keep training!”

The question has to arise as to how Noel achieves such incredible longevity in his running career, because not many people can run 56km races for 40 years running! His approach is pretty simple, though. “I have never adopted a prescribed training schedule, but have done what I felt best for my own circumstances at a given time. I’ve always stuck to a slow build-up on distance and tried not to do too much, too soon. I’ve listened to my body when it comes to selecting long training runs, setting my own pace and not letting myself be dictated to by the clock.”

“In the 70’s and 80’s my annual must-runs included the Comrades Marathon, two 100-Milers, three Ironman competitions and the Two Oceans. I have stopped all the other ‘biggies,’ but keep the Two Oceans for special reasons, and God-willing I will be able to enjoy many more 56km voyages. I am very fortunate to have been blessed with good health, which has enabled me to start and finish 40 consecutive runs. If all goes well I’ll be lining up again on 23 April this year and renewing acquaintances with so many wonderful people.”

Thank you to Catharina Robbertze for writing an interesting and informative article about walkers (Step it up, March 2011). As a keen walking member of Run/Walk for Life’s Constantia branch (better make that Fun Walk for Life, because despite enthusiastic encouragement from our branch manager, Deon Lerm, I don’t compete in races), I enjoy your magazine but do feel that walkers are very much overlooked. Remember, walkers are athletes too – please don’t forget about us!

I also loved Catharina’s well-balanced article Listen to your Body. It has an important take-home message for all female athletes who are only too happy to lose weight while they train too hard, and turn a blind eye to what their bodies are trying to tell them. Osteoporosis is a painful and debilitating disease, and prevention is far better than cure. – LINDA CURLING, CAPE TOWN

Never Give Up!
In my spare time I raise funds for disabled and underprivileged athletes, including amputees Ntsikilela Mdladla and Wilhelm Du Plessis, who have been running races with crutches. I am pleased to tell you that Medi-Clinic has agreed to sponsor Ntsi with a prosthetic and a blade. This came as a huge surprise, as in late February I was going to tell my two amputees that I could not assist them any more. For two years, the time and effort that I had put in trying to raise funds for them was just not enough. I was going to tell them that they needed to find someone else, as I was just not good enough for them.

However, after running at the Nelson Mandela 10km race near Paarl on 12 February, Die Beeld did an article on us and it was published the same day that we ran the Gino’s 10km race in Stellenbosch on 23 February. I ran the whole way with Ntsi, and there was a chap running with us most of the way (for which I will be eternally grateful), and little did I know that this chap was the CEO of Medi-Clinic. The next day I got a call to say that they were interested in helping me with Ntsi. I was left speechless and still am as I am writing to you. In fact, I still have to pinch myself to believe it, because within a day of our first meeting, Ntsi was fitted with a temporary prosthesis.

Just when I was ready to give up, there were miracles happening in the background. In short, never give up, because you don’t know what is just around the corner! So Ntsi has a sponsor, and Dr Anton Crous, a prosthetist from the Strand, will be sponsoring Wilhelm, but we still need to raise funds towards Wilhelm’s prosthesis as well as to support other disabled athletes. Readers can support this great cause by visiting http://guts2glory.co.za. (All funds are handled by the University of Stellenbosch.)

PS: Love this magazine. The most awesome articles, the most awesome tips, and most of all, it is all about athletes who have the same interests and goals. Well done guys. You are doing a superb job! – Lee Mc Queen, Stellenbosch

It all started in January 2008 when Farouk Meyer, a well known Cape runner and event organiser attended a braai. As a health-conscious person who also serves as chairperson of the Heart Foundation of South Africa, he didn’t like what he saw, because there was just so much food laid out. He said to one his non-running friends, Waleed Isaacs, that he was worried that people in their community were eating themselves to death, but that he could do something about it.

“I told Waleed I could teach him to run, get fit and lose weight, so the following week he joined me at the Rondebosch Common for a 1km walk-run-walk. Another friend, Ebrahim Mohedeen, actually drove past to see if Waleed was going through with it, and that Thursday he also joined us. Then early in February, the three of us ran a 10km race together and they both finished within the cut-off, with their families watching. The following week all those family members – more than 50 of them – also pitched up at the Common to start training!”

CLUBBING TOGETHER
Nine months down the line the regular training sessions at the Common had grown to more than 100 people, and some of the original beginners were now leading training groups themselves. With many ‘members’ now participating regularly in road runs and walks, they decided it was time to form a running club, so they applied to Western Province Athletics and in March 2009 were formally accepted as the Itheko Sport Athletic Club. (Itheko means ‘the big occasion’ in Xhosa.) Shortly after that, Lion of Africa Insurance came on board as the club sponsor.

Hardworking club secretary Shiehaam Darries, who was one of the earliest members, says, “I remember that we had 80 registered runners and walkers by the end of 2009. By the end of 2010 we were 280 registered athletes, and currently we’re at 350, with another 200 beginners training with us who will probably do their first 10km soon. Most will register with the province then, which will make us probably the biggest club in the province.”

YOU TOO CAN DO IT
Shiehaam believes that it is the way the club caters for people that were never active and never dreamed of running that sets Itheko apart from other clubs. “We simply tell them that they can do it, despite the typical response being ‘Who, me? Run? You must be crazy!’ Give them a week or two and they’re usually hooked.” Like Aunty Miedie, who says she started showing up at the Common to see what the fuss was all about after continually hearing about running training and ‘Coach’ Farouk at various family gatherings.

“It didn’t feel good that something was abuzz, which sounded like a lot of fun, but I was missing out. So there I stood watching these ‘runners’ going round the Common, still not feeling that I could do it, but the friendliness of the group and the chit-chats before training kept me coming back, and finally I gave it a go. I was all for walking, but then Coach said, ‘Now from the corner we gonna start a slow run.’ I turned around to see who he was talking to, as I was sure he didn’t say that to me. I was so wrong! I am now a registered athlete and so proud of being a member of a club which has so many friendly and wonderful people.”

TRAINING TIME
The Itheko training sessions take place on week nights between 6pm and 8pm, and on Sunday mornings they meet for a long slow run. On Tuesdays and Thursday the members meet at the Common, where they split into their various groups, each led by a group leader, who is assisted by group assistants to keep the large groups together and make sure everybody is okay. There are six groups, ranging from beginners under four weeks and beginners over four weeks, to advanced beginners, intermediate, fast and elite groups. The top four groups meet for the LSD runs on Sundays, and on Wednesday nights the top three also meet at Vygieskraal Stadium to do speedwork on the track.

Besides getting so many people running, another success story at Itheko is the group leaders, nearly all of whom were beginners themselves not too long ago, and most of whom now serve on the club committee with Farouk, like acting chairman Fuad Adams, club secretary Shiehaam and club captain Ebrahim. It is their commitment and ability to inspire that keeps the Itheko members coming back, according to club member Faldie Ryklief. “These key role players have an unselfish attitude towards helping their communities begin a new, healthy, uplifting and happier life. They have the amazing ability to motivate people, young or old, and manage any lack of confidence or worries about ability that newcomers often have. The sacrifice made by all the exec members and group leaders, the time and effort they put in, and the interest they show in our members, is unprecedented. That is why we come back, and why we love this club so much.”

WORD OF MOUTH
The club’s terrific growth in numbers is largely due to word of mouth, and through being visible. Farouk loves telling the story how Tevin Reddy ‘found’ the club. “Tevin wanted to get fit and healthy, so he looked online for a running club in his area. He went to join one club’s weekly run, but within 500 metres he had been totally left behind, so he turned around and jogged back to his car. Then while driving home, he saw our massive beginner group stopped for a water break at an Engen garage, so he stopped to ask who they were. The next week he joined our training group and is still with the club.”

Shiehaam says they now regularly have over 400 people at their training sessions. “The other night there were 138 people in the beginners under four weeks group, including 30 newcomers who had joined that week alone. And that was after we’d split the group and sent another 60 off with another group leader! As a result the club exec met recently to discuss bringing in more group assistants, and we’re very proud that the men are now being joined by more women in this role, with Fatiema van de Rheede and Faadiela Jardine joining Nazlie Mohedeen as assistants. They were all beginners not so long ago.”

Farouk is naturally proud of what the club has achieved thus far. “I think we’ve done more than any other club in the province to bring new people to running. Almost every one of our members had never done any sport before, let alone distance running, and if every other club did even 10% of what we’ve achieved with beginners, then Western Province would be the biggest running province in South Africa.”

NEW DEVELOPMENTS
The club is currently setting up a new 2.5km time trial course, and busy with final planning for the inaugural running of its Slave Route Challenge Half Marathon, 10km & 5km in June, which will also feature a separate 10km walk event. Meanwhile, the club is sponsoring 10 road athletes and 10 track athletes in its elite development squad, including newly crowned Western Province Half Marathon champion Ellroy Gallant, who recently moved to Cape Town from George. He was closely followed by several clubmates in the provincial champs race, helping Itheko to also claim the team prize.

“Ellroy is our only so-called ‘pro’, with our other top runners all young development athletes we’ve brought through, so we were incredibly proud to see them do so well,” says Farouk. “They’re given free membership and club kit, including running shoes, plus we have linked up with the University of Stellenbosch Body in Motion programme, where our top runners get free physio and body analysis when they need it. We’re also seeing success on the track, with two of our juniors recently selected for the Western Province team for the SA Junior Champs.”

However, Farouk is quick to point out that the focus remains on the beginners in the club. “We try to make everybody feel welcome, and always make a fuss over people running their first 10km race, or taking time off their personal best.” Shiehaam adds that “Many runners finish a race and immediately hop in their cars and go home, but we all stay until the last Itheko member has finished, so that everybody gets support. We also make sure that nobody doing their first 10, 15 or 21 runs alone.”

EATING OUT, ITHEKO STYLE
Another reason the Itheko members stay so long after finishing races is for the club’s legendary post-race spreads, hence their ‘in-club’ joke about being an ‘eating club with a running problem.’ Ebrahim even stood up at the club’s recent awards evening in February and joked that “Itheko is the club for fat people who like to eat!” However, that was said with his tongue firmly in his cheek, as evidenced by the massive pile of certificates handed out to members that same evening for their first 10km, 15km or half marathon. That is what makes Itheko one of the most inspirational clubs in South Africa today.

Muscle cramps are involuntary and forceful muscle contractions which can be very painful and have a serious effect on your running performance. Keep in mind there are many different types of muscle cramps; the type that athletes often experience can be classified as ‘true’ or ‘exertional’ cramps, and are usually associated with vigorous activity and muscle fatigue.

WHY DO WE CRAMP?
The exact cause of cramping is still being debated and it is not clear why some athletes are more prone to cramping than others. For years we have believed that dehydration and electrolyte (potassium, sodium and magnesium) depletion is to be blamed for muscle cramps during and after strenuous exercise. Yes, sufficient hydration is important to maintain blood volume and to prevent increase in body temperature, and electrolyte levels need to be maintained in order to carry the electrical impulses that make our muscles (including the heart) contract. So dehydration and electrolyte depletion will definitely affect performance, and can even be life-threatening in extreme circumstances, but it has never been proven to be the direct cause of muscle cramps.

Another theory is that the depletion of glycogen (energy stored in the muscle) can lead to muscle cramps. A muscle needs energy to contract as well as to relax. After 60 to 90 minutes of exercise, glycogen stores will be depleted and the muscle will lose its ability to relax, which may contribute to cramping. Although carbohydrate intake during exercise will not prevent cramping, it is important for performance.

So why do muscles cramp? The main cause of muscle cramps seems to be altered neuromuscular control. The body has its own little ‘tension meters’ built into the tendons (that connect muscle to bone) called the Golgi-tendon organs (GTO). When a muscle contracts, the tension in the tendon increases and is registered by the GTO. When the tension increases too much, the GTO sends a message to the brain for the muscle to relax. This reflex protects the tendon from injury and the muscle from cramping.

Muscle fatigue caused by too high intensity, too high volume, or doing activities that your body is not used to, can cause the Golgi-tendon reflex to fail and the muscle will cramp. Continuous activity with the muscle in a shortened position will also lead to failure of the reflex.

HOW DO I PREVENT CRAMPING?
Since there is no single cause of cramping, there is no single prevention or cure. Different athletes may also cramp because of different reasons, so your best chance of preventing cramps will be to address every possible cause.
• Drink sufficient fluid before, during and after a training session or race.
• Make sure that your drinks/snacks contain enough electrolytes. Include salty snacks during your run.
• Maintain glycogen stores by consuming enough carbohydrates before, during and after a training session or race.
• Follow a good stretching routine. Include PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretches, to stretch the tendon and facilitate the Golgi-tendon reflex. A biokineticist can design the correct stretching programme and teach you the correct technique.
• Make sure that you are prepared for your event. Your training programme should prepare you for the intensity and length of the race.
• Faulty posture and biomechanics (the way you move and run) may lead to muscles being in a shortened position for a prolonged period of time, which may lead to cramping. A biokineticist can identify this and prescribe exercises to correct posture and biomechanics.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CRAMP
To stop a cramp, you have to decrease intensity so that the Golgi-tendon reflex can function efficiently. Once the cramp has relieved, you can slowly increase intensity again.

Gentle stretching, including proprioneuromuscular (PNF) techniques of the cramping muscle might help to release it. Take note that fast and vigorous stretching can lead to injury. HEre’s how to do PNF stretches:
• Gently stretch the muscle for about 10 seconds. Now contract that same muscle for 8 seconds, followed by another 10 seconds of stretch. Repeat three times.
• As an example, stretch your hamstring by placing your foot up on a bench, keep your knee straight and stretch forward. Contract the hamstring by pushing down on the bench.

A STITICH IS A CRAMP TOO!
A stitch is a cramp of the diaphragm, the muscle under your lungs responsible for breathing. To relieve the cramp, the muscle needs to be stretched. Breathing all the air out of your lungs will stretch the diaphragm and the stitch will go away.

If all else fails, remember some athletes believe that biting your upper lip will make the cramp go away. I’m not so sure if there is any scientific evidence to back this theory up, but you are welcome to try it!

Modern Athlete Expert
Patricia Gouws is a sports scientist and biokineticist in private practice in Bedfordview, Johannesburg. She focuses on wellness, rehabilitation of injuries, injury prevention and sport performance. Patricia is a competitive runner, cyclist and triathlete.

What is your background and how did you get involved in the cell phone industry?
I’m an accountant by trade and started out working as an accountant for Cell C when they launched in 2001. I later became financial director of Cell C before my career shifted a little bit and I became Chief Customer Operational Officer. In 1998 I got an opportunity to work for Virgin Mobile, which at that stage was partly owned by Cell C. Since November 2008 I’ve been working as the CEO of Virgin Mobile in Fourways.

Why are you so passionate about your career?
If you are going to get up and go to work you might as well be passionate about what you are doing. Wherever I’ve worked in the past, I have applied that passion, but I have come to love working in the cell phone industry. It’s a high profile industry and things changes often. When you get to work in the morning, you don’t always know what you are going to find, which makes it an exciting career. At the same time it is also stressful – it’s not so much long working hours that are stressful, but rather the intensity and complexity of the environment.

What has been the highlight of your career?
I am proud of what we have been able to achieve since I have been here. We have grown the business quickly and doubled our size each year in the last two years.

What does a day in your life look like?
I’m not a morning person! I’m an Englishman who has lived in SA for some time. I’m lucky that I live close to work, so I don’t have a long commute. I get up at about 7am and have breakfast with my youngest daughter. My wife takes our two older girls to school. I start my workday with a cup of coffee, then follows a day of meetings, catching up on what’s happening in business, working out what our strategy should be, deciding where we need to move business going forward, and how we should operate business as it stands. Sometimes you need to make decisions quickly, without all the information you might want. There is a lot of competition in the industry and you need to keep fresh, concentrate and put the work in. Normally I leave work at about 6pm, get home and go for a run.

How did you get into running?
In April last year, I decided I am getting older (42) and need to start looking after myself better. I wanted to get fit and needed to lose weight. I wanted to find something that was pretty easy to do, so running was perfect. My first run was 800m long and I had to walk often. I thought I was going to lose a lung, and I could not walk for two day afterwards. It was terrible, but I was amazed how quickly I adapted. The second time around I ran twice around the block (1.6km) and then I was off to 3 and 4km! I managed to shed 12kg and realised running was a good stress release. Virgin sponsors the London Marathon and the opportunity came up to enter the race. At Virgin Mobile we are always trying to give back to the community, so part of entering the marathon was committing to fundraising. I have raised R150 000 up till now and that money will go to the SOS Children’s Villages around South Africa. Having the marathon as a goal has obviously helped me train better, otherwise I think I would have probably just kept on jogging 5-10km. After the marathon, I want to join a local running club, get a decent training schedule and run a couple of half marathons.

How do you fit running into your life?
Because I am not a morning person, I run at night. By the time I get back home the kids are usually ready to go to bed, so it is quite a sacrifice from that point of view. The long runs over weekends can be time-consuming, which means it takes away from family time.

What is the biggest obstacle to your running?
Definitely time! Sometimes I have meetings or dinners after work, which means I have to sacrifice a run. I know if I had more time, I would definitely run more often.

Where is your favourite place to run?
I love running on the promenade next to the beach in Umhlanga. The view is great and one feels so strong because you are running at sea level.

How has running influenced your work ethic?
Running has offered me an outlet through which I can relax and think about something else besides work. It takes away some work stress, so from that perspective it makes what I do at work more sustainable. I find I am less likely to become irritable or stressed.

Why do you enjoy running?
I enjoy the freedom of it and because it is so easy to do. You get those days where in the middle of a run you find yourself running without any effort, feeling wonderful, fit and healthy. I suppose that’s what they call a runner’s high!

What advice have you been given with regards to running?
The best advice is to constantly drink water to keep hydrated. One of the mistakes I have made in training is to only train long and slow. I am only now realising one needs to do quicker and shorter runs to improve.

What is the first thing you like to do after a run?
Drink ice cold water and then have a rest!

What is your greatest ambition in running?
I don’t have an ambition to run the Comrades; that would be too far for me. I feel I’m starting with the pinnacle – the Virgin London Marathon! I have never even contemplated running a marathon; now my first marathon is going to be in London, what a fantastic opportunity!

What piece of running equipment could you not do without?
My Iphone. While I run I listen to music, or overseas radio stations, and I often take work calls and read my e-mails. Also, it has a GPS which records my route, time, pace and calories burned, amongst other things.

Does your family play an important role in your sporting life?
I know my wife would like me to spend more time at home, but she is very supportive of my running because she knows how good it is for me.

What would you say to someone who says they don’t have time to exercise?
You might find if you don’t exercise, you will have less time in your life eventually!

From time to time I get painful calf muscles, especially in the left leg. When I pinpoint the spot and massage it, it’s incredibly painful. My physio has diagnosed them as trigger points. I’ve done some reading up on them and tried a compression approach on the trigger points myself. It helps, but the next day the pain and tightness are back in the muscle. My most recent trigger point episode lasted for about two weeks, and then just as quickly disappeared! I did not go for physio then, I treated it with massage, compression and an anti-inflammatory gel. I am wondering why I am so prone to trigger points in my calves. Does it perhaps also have something to do with some sort of nutritional deficiency, like magnesium or potassium?

I am mainly a runner, but my mileage hasn’t been that high. I trained for Half Ironman and it was the day after the race that the latest trigger point incident occurred. The bike leg was particularly tough this year with the wind and rain, and I didn’t make the bike cut-off, so the running could not have caused it! – NINA BODISCH

ANSWER
There are several things to consider when dealing with recurrent calf problems. Firstly, inflexibility of the calf muscles needs to be addressed by regular stretching of both calf muscles. Secondly, there may be a deficiency in the calf muscle strength and it would be worthwhile to adhere to a calf strengthening programme over at least six weeks. This could be achieved by simple calf raises off a step, starting with one set of 20 repetitions daily, with a straight knee, and repeated with a bent knee. These should be gradually increased to three sets of 20 of both exercises.

These are the more common causes of calf injuries and if these measures don’t eliminate the problem, I would then recommend that you have your back assessed by a physiotherapist for possible spinal or dural problems. This would possibly explain why you had a problem at 70.3 after getting off the bike, as your posture on the bike could have aggravated either a back or a dural problem, resulting in calf pain and trigger points. Finally, it has also been suggested that a vitamin B deficiency could play some part in the occurrence of trigger points.

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


BOX 2
(Heading) Oceans ‘Padkos’
I will be driving to Cape Town on 21 April to run the Two Oceans Ultra-marathon on 23 April. Can you help with some suggestions as to what I should pack for ‘padkos’? – CINDI POLZI, HILLCREST

ANSWER
There are a number of things to keep in mind when travelling to a big race. Firstly keep your glycogen stores topped up in your muscles and liver, and keep your fluid levels topped up, especially on a hot day. Then, to avoid any gastrointestinal upset while travelling and to avoid picking up any infections prior to the big day, I suggest you always carry bottled water and avoid drinking tap water from stops along the way. Also, pre-pack meals and snacks to avoid relying on take-aways and long gaps with nothing to eat or drink.

Suitable snacks include:
•    Fresh fruit, 30g dried fruit packs, 30g nut packs
•    Home-made popcorn made with minimal oil
•    Low-fat muesli and cereal bars, breakfast bars and low-fat energy bars
•    Cereal sachets
•    Low-fat cheese sticks
•    Low-fat yoghurt, low-fat drinking yoghurt and smoothies
•    Sandwiches, mini rolls, mini stuffed pita’s, fruit bread, low-fat muffins, low-GI rusks
•    Frozen fruit juice
•    Sports drinks
•    Boiled eggs
•    Tuna sachets
•    Baby carrots, tomatoes, etc

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