Category: Columns

As the 2014 Comrades Marathon gets closer and closer and as a Comrades runner you get fitter and stronger, thoughts always shift to race day. What race strategy should I employ? Is my nutrition plan right? How fast should I go through halfway?

Most Comrades runners ask themselves those questions in the months leading up to race day. One of the big questions we get asked however is how can I predict my Comrades Marathon finish time? Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry explains how you can do it on this episode of the Ask Coach Parry Podcast

 

Running shoe tech has improved vastly over the years and in the past you would have been told NEVER to run a marathon or ultra-marathon in a brand new pair of running shoes. Is that still the case today? Are you brave enough to take on Two Oceans or the Comrades Marathon in a new pair of kicks?

It’s probably not the wisest thing to do as Lindsey Parry explains on today’s Ask Coach Parry Podcast but it may not be because of the reasons you are thinking.

This weekend the 8th Spar Grand Prix Series kicks off in Cape Town at Green Point Stadium. The series consist out of 5 races, to be held in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.

The Spar 10km series are by far the most popular and competitive races for the elite ladies athletes in South Africa. Runners accumulate points throughout the series, the winner of each race earns 20 points and an extra 10 points are up for grabs when runners beat the target time. At the end of the series the runner that accumulated the most points drives away in a brand new Nissan Micra. The Runner up walk away with R30 000 and third placed lady with R17 500. Cash prizes are up for grabs for the top 15 ladies in the Grand Prix series.

This series definitely lifted the overall quality of women's distance running in South Africa and we have seen more and more ladies dipping under 33min for the 10km.
Former Cape Town runner, Nolene Conrad is currently leading the South African 2014 10km list with a time of 33:37 which she set at the SA 10km Championships in Bloemfontein. Nolene is busy with her final preparations for her marathon debut later this month in Hanover, Germany. The time to beat on Sunday is 33:10min, which is Rutendo Nyahora (Zimbabwe) winning time of last year.

Spar is definitely good for women's running in SA!

The 2014 Spar Grand Prix Series Dates are:

6 April Cape Town
3 May Port Elizabeth
24 August Durban (date change)
30 August Pretoria
12 October Johannesburg

Despite a demanding schedule, finding time to run is a daily priority for Ralph Mupita, CEO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, and he also makes a point of regularly turning out in his company’s flagship sponsorship event, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon

Modern Athlete: You’ve run three Two Oceans ultras in the last three years, to go with three earlier runs in the half marathon. Tell me about your running background.

Ralph Mupita: I was a sprinter at school and ran the 100m in 10.8 seconds, so long distance in those days was 400m. I was also an avid rugby player and cricketer, and played national schools cricket for Zimbabwe as a left arm fast bowler, where I enjoyed giving opening batsmen a hard time. I only got to distance running pretty late, when I ran my first Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon in 2002. I haven’t looked back since!

MA: What does running and being fit mean to you?

RM: A healthy mind benefits much from a healthy, strong body, and vice versa, so running helps me be a better person and better executive in my company. Executive roles come with a lot of inherent stress, and running helps a lot to manage and reduce that stress. When I can’t solve a problem or have a difficult issue to sort out, I mentally park it until I get a chance to run. Often, during or after a run, the issue is solved.

MA: How do you fit exercise into your busy schedule?

RM: My work takes me to many great places in the world, and I always pack my running shoes when I travel. My favourite places to run – outside of South Africa – are New York, Barcelona, Paris and Boston. Most cities I travel to have good running routes, but in Mumbai, Beijing and Bogota I only run in the gym. Mumbai’s streets aren’t safe for running, in Beijing the pollution is an issue, and in Bogota the altitude gets to you!

MA: Briefly describe your role and responsibility as CEO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets.

RM: I have the tremendous privilege of leading the Old Mutual business in South Africa and in other emerging markets. We now have operations in eight African countries and three Latin American countries, as well as joint ventures in India and China. The business involves looking after people’s long-term savings and giving them peace of mind about the future, and we look after eight million customers, managing more than R850 billion of assets on their behalf. It’s a massive responsibility and privilege to be the custodians of national savings and enablers of individual dreams and aspirations.

MA: So where do you see global economics heading? In other words, will the price of running shoes keep climbing?

RM: Anyone who tells you they know how global macro-economic forces will play out is brave! That said, what is clear is that in the short term we are likely to see faster growth in the developed countries than we have seen over the last five years, particularly in the US, while emerging markets will continue to grow faster than developed countries, but at a slower rate than before. There will be a bit more volatility in the currencies, equity and bond markets of emerging markets in the short term – but the long-term growth prospects of emerging markets are still solid. So yes, running shoe prices will go up, unfortunately! Labour prices and rubber prices, to name only two input factors, are only going up. But running will continue to be a great investment – in both your physical health and mental wellbeing!

MA: Old Mutual is a long-standing sponsor of the Two Oceans. How does it feel to run the event while also being part of the title sponsor?

RM: Long-distance running has many parallels with the Old Mutual business, and also with saving and investing. It’s about the long term, pacing yourself, being patient and keeping to your plan, not being distracted. It’s also about people and connectedness. Personally, I love running the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon – it has to be the most scenic and beautiful run in the world, and the support from the Cape locals is amazing.

Running is an important part of Old Mutual’s sponsorship portfolio because it remains a popular and growing sport in South Africa. It is open to people from all walks of life and hence it provides us with opportunities to connect with a diverse array of participants, supporters, customers and stakeholders. We are also proud to support something that creates a virtuous circle: Running helps people to be fit and healthy, it helps people to realise their goals, it creates a community of people who strive to do great things – and our brand is strongly aligned to this purpose.

Running 100 marathons is a lifetime goal for many runners, but few set themselves a goal of 100 in a decade, let alone 100 after they turn 70… but that is exactly what Derry Devine recently achieved – and he isn’t finished yet!

In mid-November, the ever jovial 78-year-old Derry Devine of the K-Way Varsity Old Boys Club in Cape Town lined up at the Winelands Marathon in Stellenbosch to run his 99th marathon since turning 70. A week later he completed the Die Vlakte Marathon from Heidelberg to White Sands to complete his ton. “I run just to keep fit mostly, but I thought I could pass the figure of marathons I did before my 70s, which was two in my 50s, when I started running at age 58, and 88 in my 60s,” says Derry. “It’s a really skewed result, isn’t it – and there’s no way that will be repeated in my 80s, I can assure you! If I manage five or six in my 80s I will be very happy.”

Incredibly, within weeks of achieving his goal, Derry also ran his 500th half marathon and 400th 10km since taking up running, and his meticulously kept logbook also lists 20 ultras, including two Comrades, five Two Oceans and eight Cape Town 100 milers. However, a week after Die Vlakte, his intended 191st marathon didn’t quite go to plan. “I wanted to run the new Prison to Prison Marathon in Worcester, but my calf gave in at 13km. I could barely walk, let alone run, so I had my first marathon bail in 19 years!”

The topic of bailing actually gets Derry chuckling. “I have bailed twice in the Two Oceans and once in the Comrades, and once in the Tygerberg 30km, and it’s always a muscle that gets me, but in the 2012 Paarlberg Half Marathon, the skies opened and we were absolutely soaked before we even got to the start. Rob Lanning and I had just started running, then looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s go back and have a nice breakfast at the Wimpy.’ So we turned around and that was that, but the club got to know about it and I was awarded the bailer’s award for 2012, for bailing after 100m in a 21km.”

IRISH EYESARE SMILING

Derry was born in Ireland and has been married to Maura for 53 years. They have three daughters, living in Belgium, Luxemburg and Canada. The Devines came to South Africa for the first time in 1963, then settled here permanently in 1984, with Derry working as a lawyer. Now retired from practice, he continues to work as professor emeritus lecturing part-time in legal subjects at the University of Cape Town. Even now, Derry still runs three to four times a week, including a weekly club time trial, and shows no signs of bowing out of running just yet.

“I do about 70 to 80 races a year, including some weekends with two races, and I like the companionship of running, and meeting up with the same people each week – the back-packers of course, not the elites. I turn 79 in April, and reckon I can do another four of five marathons this year and another four or five next year. But that’s being optimistic, and I have to pick ones that give at least five and a half hours – no more sub-five marathons for me. My times are getting slower and slower, but I am always learning new things about myself, like sometimes I can walk up a hill faster than I can run it!”

There are several remedies you can try to quicken your recovery after a long run or race, so that you can focus on your next goal sooner – especially if you’re not used to high-impact mileage. We look at some tried-and-tested tips, and debunk some others. – BY SSISA’S ANDREW BOSCH & LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

1 STRETCHING
There is little evidence that stretching helps speed up recovery. Stretching before an event can actually reduce muscle power, and long-term stretching reduces running economy, as the muscle-tendon loses springiness. A low running economy, in turn, means that more oxygen is needed to run at a given speed. Nevertheless, there is a point when a runner becomes so inflexible that some stretching is needed.

2 MASSAGE
Many runners use it because there is a perception of reduced soreness, but this does not translate to improved strength, power or endurance. Light massage will loosen the muscles, but don’t book that deep tissue massage just yet!

3 COMPRESSION
There have been many studies on whether compression garments aid performance and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, but there’s little effect. However, there is some improvement on enhancing lactate removal (reducing stiffness) and reducing muscle oscillation (the slight vibration you feel in your legs after high-impact running).

4 HOT AND COLD
Research focuses on water temperature, length of immersion, depth of immersion, etc. While it may have some benefit in contact sports, evidence of a positive effect in running is minimal. The theory behind the ‘hot/cold’ baths for recovery is that warm water causes vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels), which lowers blood pressure, while the cold causes vasoconstriction, which is the narrowing of blood vessels, increasing local blood flow. The contraction and relaxation of the lymph vessels improves inflammation, too.

5 EATING RIGHT
One’s glycogen stores are depleted after a long run and should be restored quickly. There is potential improvement when athletes use whey protein or protein hydrolysate ingested together with carbohydrate post-training, and the amount of protein ingested should be around 20g.

6 RUNNING AGAIN
The stiffness felt after a long race is due to muscle damage, and it is best to wait until post-race stiffness has disappeared before training again. The first run should be an easy 20 to 30-minute run, gradually rebuilding to normal training. Don’t go in too quickly! If you’ve been building up mileage for a while, three to four rest days are important.

We hope you’re getting ready for the 1st of June, because the world’s ultimate ultra-marathon is almost here. The gruelling 89km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban is always a test of the human spirit, but that journey is one of the most memorable in any runner’s life, and here at the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), we’re looking forward to once again presenting this historic race. – BY DELAINE COOLS

THE ULTRA WEATHERMAN
A word from Derek Van Dam, Chief Meteorologist for eTV & eNCA
“My expectation for this year’s Comrades is to come home and proudly hang my Back-to-Back medal on my living room wall. It is a particularly special race for me because it will be the second time I run the race with the love of my life.”

BACK TO FINISH IT
Radio personality Koula Budler on why she’s taking on Comrades 2014
“Making it to the top of Pollys last year and being cut off there due to time was a very humbling experience. It was my seventh Comrades and I thought I knew the race well. I’d never had a DNF prior to Comrades 2013, but it was the first time I had flown in from the US to run it, though, and I hope that I’m better prepared in terms of handling the jetlag this year. I am a little nervous attempting it this year, but Comrades truly is the greatest ultra in the world and I can’t wait to be part of this incredible race again!”

The human side of a race – where strangers are friends.
The Humanity Race – by Alice da Silva
I think the first time I became aware of him was after the 21.1km. I remember as I ran past a group of about 4 people, hearing a joking voice saying, ‘That girl is running too fast’. I thought he was talking about me loud enough so I’d hear, I looked back and that was the beginning of the rest of our in-race mutual support.
From then on, we kept on overtaking each other. Me alone, and him with his group. Each time we would overtake each other, we’d exchange some joke or supportive comment. At first it was something like ‘We meet again’. I remember after a number of encounters, saying to him ‘We will finish together’ and he replied ‘It seems so’.
At one point when I overtook, he said ‘Now you look angry!’ I replied ‘I need Coke, I’m in a hurry to get to the next Coke table’. He said that they should just have Coke at the end of the race, in that case. Sometime after the Coke table, he overtook me and said, ‘I have good news for you, there’s more Coke up ahead’.
I think it was sometime after that Coke table or another one when he passed me and for a long time after that I didn’t see him or his group. I was a little disappointed, thinking that I must have fallen too far behind. I took it as a reflection of me starting to lose pace as I got more fatigued.
Then I think when there were less than 10km to go as I struggled along, I thought I saw him. He was alone this time, and I wasn’t sure if it was him. I had recognised him earlier because of the group he was with. But now it was just him, and I remember noticing he had something around the bottom of his right knee, it looked like a thin blue sweatband. Now I was really tired, and starting to doubt that I’d make the finish in the cut-off qualifying time. Maybe he felt the same. As I ran past, I said something about us still being able to make it. He was more tired than before and didn’t seem as convinced.
I don’t remember much of the last 5kms, except that I was really tired and beginning to face the possibility of not making the cut-off.
I remember passing him again in the last stretch, just before the straight downhill to the finish. I said something like ‘We can still make it, let’s push’. He was walking.
I was at that stage trying to run faster every now and then, but then needing to walk a little. Then we were in the downhill straight, not far from the finish but the clock was speeding on, faster than my legs, it seemed. From my previous comments, he knew I was trying to make it and he knew how little time there was left. While I was walking, I heard his steps come up behind me. He had gone from walking to catch up to me. He put his hand on my back, urging me to run on. I pushed on and ran, he fell back again. I ran awhile, then the tiredness made me want to walk. Again he came from behind me and this time I started running again. We ran together, time was running out. The streets were lined with people who had finished the race. Some were getting back to their cars parked on the sidewalks, with their supporters. Many people were now shouting ‘ You can make it, run!’ ‘You’re almost there, go faster’. Some were just looking. I remember passing a group of elite- looking athletes at the side of the road looking on. They shouted ‘You’ll make it, run faster, just push harder’. I pushed harder, ran faster, and felt a little light headed. We were so close, we were running. Then I heard the gun. We had missed the cut-off. I started walking. He was walking too. He was ahead of me. Then I ran up to him and said ‘Let’s finish strong!’ and we ran a few more steps, till we handed in our tabs.
I ran another marathon two weeks later. And when the doubt and fatigue crept in, I thought about what a difference it makes to have someone push you. My leg muscles cramped and my knee hurt. I did a lot of walking at a great cost time wise.
My next marathon was a month later. It was going well and my time was looking comfortable enough for a sub-5 finish. About 10km from the finish I was taking a walk break. I heard a loud voice from behind shout in military style ‘20713’. It was my licence number pinned to my back. I looked back and saw a group of about 6 runners. The loud voice shouted ‘Playtime is over. It’s time to run!’ I started running. One of the group ran up next to me and asked ‘Do you know who that is?’ I looked back at the group, thinking he was referring to the loud voice. He asked again if I knew who that was, that number? I realised he meant the 20713. I smiled and said ‘Yes, it’s me’. I ran on, grateful for some support. I have come to realise that when my legs and spirit are tired and I take a walk break, I possibly get slightly lost in that space and don’t resume running as soon as I could. Yes, I am fatigued, but perhaps I am able to do more than just walk and think.
The man with the loud voice was pacing his group. It seemed they were running nine lamp posts and walking one. I could hear the counting up and the countdowns. I kept running, telling myself I would try not to fall behind. Now and then I would take a walk break, and it wouldn’t be long before they came up behind me, with the loud voice shouting my number. He shouted that I should stay ahead, and I agreed, knowing that would help me. And so most of the last 10km went that way. Along the way, I often heard his loud voice shout at other runners struggling and walking along – some had their name on their back, and he’d use their name in encouragement, as he urged them on.
I was really fatigued now and the walk breaks seemed more and more necessary. But whenever I walked, it seemed like I had barely started when his group started approaching from behind. The loud voice would say something like ‘I am here, I am coming’ meaning I needed to run again to stay ahead. I ran on again, wishing I could walk longer, but knowing that I needed to keep running. At one point there was a busy road to cross and as I crossed while the traffic officer held up traffic, I hoped the traffic would be allowed after me so that the group would be delayed a little more so I’d have more time to walk. I looked back, and saw that they had crossed too. They were behind me, I carried on running.
During another walk break the loud voice shouted that I had to keep running ‘We have an agreement – you have to stay ahead’. I was grateful, and carried on running. When there were less than 4 kms to go, I was really tired. I wanted to walk more, but the loud voice with the group kept me going. Two kilometres from the finish I heard him say ‘We have 20 minutes’. One of his group said ‘We can walk’. ‘No!’ he said ‘We will not walk, we will run!’ We all ran, I was still ahead. But not for long. The fatigue was growing, I was tired and wanted to walk. I was still walking when they came up behind me. He shouted at me, reminding me of our agreement. This time, I could not respond by running. I said that I would catch up later. I watched them run ahead, for the first time.
Then there were less than 2kms to go. I suddenly thought, ‘I’ll make it. I can. I will catch up’. I pushed and ran. Then I saw the group up ahead. I saw them from behind, and recognised the thin blue sweatband around the bottom of the knee of the man with the loud voice! I realised for the first time it was probably the same man that ran finished with me in the previous marathon! As I ran past, I shouted ‘20713’. I ran on, now faster and motivated to reach the finish sub-5. I knew I was almost there. I knew I could. With the wind in my sails, I ran. I was now on the field, just running to the finish line. In a turn we ended up facing the runners coming from behind, and I saw him and his group. I was happy for them. They saw me too and I lifted my hands in prayer position to show my thanks. In the tent I got the medal and was very grateful for the bottle of Bavaria. The man handing them out said ‘Twist to open’. I asked him to open mine, as my hands were sweaty and I was too tired.
Outside the tent after the finish, I saw the man with the loud voice and said ‘I would still be walking if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for pushing me’. Then we both asked something like ‘Wasn’t it you at the other race?’
For more of my running goals, highlights and disappointments , follow me on twitter @run_alice_run