Category: Racing

The London
Olympics will always be a special memory for Matt, who alongside teammates
James Thompson, Sizwe Ndlovu and John Smith landed gold ahead of hosts Britain and Denmark. “It’s amazing to hear
stories of people back in SA telling me exactly where they were when we won the
gold,” says the Jo’burg-born rower. “And when we saw ourselves on the front
pages, it was so bizarre!”

Matt was introduced
to rowing as a boy because his father was an international rower and had a
passion for the sport. After competing at school, Matt moved to Pretoria to study economics and join the rowing academy at
Tuks, and in 2011 he was part of the SA team that qualified for London. “The top 11 crews
qualify and we came 11^th!” says Matt. “But I knew I didn’t want to
just go to London
to be a tourist – I wanted to work hard and do well.”

On the day
of the Olympic final, the anthem was running through Matt’s head and he
couldn’t help but thinking about a medal. “At 250m to go, the buoys turned red
and we knew it was time to sprint early. I make the calls, so I told the guys to
go for gold. They all shouted ‘Gold!’ I remember seeing ‘1 RSA’ on the board
and I just started screaming! I doubt that moment can be recreated.”

LOOKING AHEAD

While London will always be career
highlight, Matt says he is determined to achieve more in rowing. “You can’t
compare your future to the Olympics – you have to look for something new and rewarding,
and how you can attack your next race.” Unfortunately, he has had to put rowing
on the backburner in 2013 due to injury: “Back in 2010, I had an op on a
prolapsed back disc, and now I’ve hurt another,” he explains, “but I haven’t
stopped training, even though I’m taking a year off from rowing.”

Instead, Matt
is now focusing on cycling to maintain his fitness, and he’s doing pretty well
at it, too: He completed this year’s ABSA Cape Epic alongside fellow Olympic
gold medallist James Thompson, finishing 33^rd overall, and also took
sixth position in the recent Joburg2c mountain bike tour with Rob Dormehl. Not
too shabby for a rower – although he says he is still getting used to training
by himself instead of a team.

In the
lead-up to London,
the team would do two rowing sessions a day, plus a midday gym workout, and they
would run three 10km sessions a week. “We use running to push our weight down
to 70kg before a competition, but also, when we’re overseas and our hotel isn’t
close to water, it’s nice to be able to go out and run.” In spite of the injury
and shift of focus this year, Matt is nevertheless still putting in the hard
yards on the water. “Now I’m training twice a day and take Sundays off, whereas
before we were training three times a day with every fifth Sunday off! I
sometimes think other pro athletes are crazy, but then I look at my own training
and figure I’m pretty crazy too!”

Follow Matt on Twitter:
@brittainmatthew

Run short, run fast… This is definitely
not the motto of most runners who are looking to compete at marathons, ultras
and the Comrades, which are all races that require you to run slowly, but for a
long time. I honestly believe that most runners, however, would love to run
fast! Think about it: Why is the Olympic 100m event always the most watched
event at the games? Because we love
speed, in all its forms!

Now remember, speed is relative, which
means we can all run fast relative to
our age, gender and ability. However, many runners say they don’t do speed work
because they are not fast enough. This is actually nonsense. Fast for you may
not be fast for your running partner, and certainly not for Usain Bolt, but it
is still fast. And the first rule of
running fast is simple: Run short.

Now this
may seem logical to you, but many runners still worry about the distance they
run during a training session rather than the intensity. Short means shorter
distance and fewer repetitions. There is only one way to get to run faster, and
that is to teach your legs what it feels like to run faster. To do that you
have to do training workouts that accomplish exactly that: Get your legs used
to running fast. And make it fun! So here are some of the training sessions
that you can do to learn the technique of running fast.

1.
STRIDING THE STRAIGHTS

This session is usually done around an
athletic track, but it can also be done on a rugby/soccer field. After a easy
warm up of 3 to 5km with some faster striding, do the following:

?        
Run the strait of the track fast – not quite
a sprint, but at a pace that you could only maintain for a short while. This
means about 100m at close to full speed, before slowing down to a jog around
the bend of the track, then running the back straight fast again. Cover
anything from 8 to 12 laps of the track this way (about 2.5 to 3.5km).

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The good part about this training is
that the rest period is not structured in terms of the recovery period – you
can jog or even walk the bends until you feel fully recovered to run another
100m fast. As you get fitter this recovery jog will get faster but always focus
on the fast 100m runs.

2. FARTLEK

Fartlek was invented in 1937 by Swedish
coach Gosta Holmer and the name roughly translates as ‘speed play.’ True
fartlek is about mixing up faster-than-race pace efforts with easier recovery
running, and it is an effective and satisfying training session that should always
be fun!

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Run with a partner and each of you will be
responsible for 20 minutes during which you decide how fast and how far you
run. Try to do this in a large park/cross-country area, but you can also do it
on the road.

?        
Start with an easy-paced warm-up of
around 4km, with a few faster surges.

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The first ‘leader’ will then say, “Let’s
sprint to that tree,” or “Let’s run hard for two minutes.” The same applies to
the rest periods. After 20 minutes you swap around.

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After finishing 40 minutes of running
freely like this, you will be left feeling strong and invigorated, and can jog
another 3km as a cool-down.

This is running in its purest form – no kay
markers, GPS, or heart rate monitors, just fast running at its best!

GETTING
HOT IN HERE

With summer approaching it is an ideal
time to run fast, and here are some pointers for planning your fast training
runs:

?        
Shorten your long runs – 15km to 20km
maximum.

?        
Cut weekly mileage – run less days
during the week, and shorter distances overall.

?        
Race at shorter distances – find a 5km
race or time trial and give it a full go.

?        
Get back onto the track or field – still
the best place to run fast!

?        
Remember that rest and recovery are just
as important after faster running as when doing long runs.

Now, what are you waiting for? Get out
there and discover the joys of faster running!

By the time
my accommodation was confirmed in Knysna, entries for the half marathon had
already closed, so I was unable to enter the Big 5 officially, but I contacted
the organisers and they suggested I enter all the other events individually,
and thus I still got to be part of the Big 5 vibe.

Day 1: 80km MTB Race

What a magnificent day in the forest. My first official mountain
bike race was pure bliss! Technically treacherous downhills, long climbs, mud,
drifts, bridge crossings, mini rock-gardens and the occasional drop-off – I was
amazed to stay upright through it all, and my legs had never really felt
anything like this before.

Day 2: 100km Road Bike Race

Terrain-wise, the route from Knysna to Sedgefield and back
was just up my alley: Big, long, rolling hills for basically the entire
distance made for an ultra-challenging ride. The previous day’s mountain bike
race provided extra muscular ‘lactate’ burn, making this my most intense bike
race this year.

Day 3: 14km Trail Run

The Featherbed Trail Run started on the Western Head of the
lagoon and wound steeply up along the headland, then came down just as steeply. Beautiful scenery en-route, with some short zippy climbs, meant the
14km passed super quickly and an enjoyable time out in
Mother Nature was had by all.

Day 4: 5km Fun Run

With a scheduled rest day in the Big 5 programme, I thought it a good
opportunity to run the Knysna Marathon Club’s 5km Development Run. I ran a
solid target time, and next was XTERRA. I couldn’t wait!

Day 5: XTERRA

I knew my first full XTERRA (3km run, 23km MTB, 7km run)
would be tough, but nothing could have prepared me for that sloshy bike leg. Once inside the forest, it was one messy hippo slide, and the
general consensus was, “Never seen so much mud in my
life!” Hands down the toughest event of the Big 5, but spectacularly scenic
throughout.

Day 6: 22km Paddle

With Friday being another Big 5 rest day, I decided to turn this Knysna
experience into a ‘Big 6.’ The previous Sunday I had
chosen the 100km road bike over the 22km paddle, even though paddling is my
favourite, so with my GPS-enabled surfski, I
circled the Waterfront area, then headed upstream into an amazingly tranquil
estuary, flanked by steep cliffs and the hazy green Phantom Forest.
Eventually the river meandered to a point too shallow for my surfski, so I
returned to my launch point, clocking exactly 22.5km.

Knysna Day 7: 25km Forest Run

Not being able to run the half marathon, at 8am I strapped on my GPS and set
out for the Phantom Pass for my own 21km run. I’ve seldom experienced so many
different shades of cooling greens as the road meandered upwards, and the views
at the top (8km) were sensational. At the scheduled turn-point at 10.5km, I
still felt good, so I decided it would be a 25km run.

The week in Knysna was tough, yet memorable, because I
thrive on outdoor physical challenges, just me and the natural elements. So until
we meet again, Knysna!

Contego Wines2Whales MTB
Adventure powered by Maserati, 2-4 November, Somerset West to Hermanus, Western
Cape

 Respect to the Capetonians: They are pretty tough people
– and they use this race as a perfect reminder of that! The 8km climb from the
start line of day one instantly spread the field out and reminded the out-of-towners
that Capetonians have real mountain biking country, and that the out-of-towners
were in for a treat… and lots of sweating!

NEVER-ENDING FUN

I had the privilege of taking part in the Adventure,
the first fo the two race weekends, with one of my three brothers. It was my fifth
mountain bike stage race, Ian’s first, and our first together, but this was by
no means our first bicycle ride together! Our biking history extends back many
years with four boys who grew up ‘wild’ on a farm in Natal. Biking was an
integral part of the never-ending adventures provided by our parents to keep us
busy and to stop us breaking farming implements that had a greater value.
Farming in the thorn veld and not having the modern tubeless tyres and swift
puncture repair kits meant we repaired endless punctures and had the tubes looking
like patch work in no time.

Soon our dad replaced the bicycle tyres with hose pipe
wired onto the rim. In the process, he achieved a double whammy, as he now had
us out of his hair and in bed a lot earlier, too, as we had to work a lot
harder in pedalling our bikes! All too soon life moved on to motorbikes, then our
first VW Beetles, and on to where we are in our lives today. So getting to the
start line of the Wines2Whales Adventure, kitted out on our modern mountain
bikes with real tyres and gears, was a special time for my brother and I. It
was time to escape our modern lives and have a few days together to remind us
of our childhood of seemingly never-ending fun. We could not have chosen a
better mountain bike stage race to share together.

3, 2, 1, LET’S GO!

We headed off from the lovely Lourensford Wine Estate
in Somerset West and up the 8km climb that saw me stop a few times to confirm
that someone hadn’t sneaked those hose pipe tyres back onto my bike. While I
was sucking in great breaths and sweating it all out in the mid-morning heat,
my brother, now a local farmer boy, was watching me with great amusement from
his bike and reminding me this was his regular training terrain.

While suffering up the climb with a few Capetonians
looking like they were out on a Sunday cruise, I had to concede, these
Capetonians are tough people. Like so many things in life, as long as you keep
moving forward, you will get to your destination, so after what felt like half
the day, we finally got to the top of one of the toughest climbs of the event.
From there on, the ride for the rest of the three days is truly a mountain
biker’s dream.

THREE INCREDIBLE DAYS

Day one took us approximately 75km to Oak Valley in
Grabouw and included roughly 1900m of climbing. As part of the course, the
Wines2Whales team had arranged with Cape Nature for the riders to be allowed to
cross over Sir Lowry’s Pass. The compulsory portage was hard work, but worth
every effort when we got to see the wagon tracks cut into the rock by the early
Cape settlers and the Voortrekkers. With midday temperatures of up to 42 degrees,
the frequent, well-manned and well-stocked watering tables were a welcome
relief!

The second day was a round trip that started and ended
at Oak Valley. The 65km and 1100m of climbing for this stage can be compared to
riding through a purpose-built mountain biking park with awesome obstacles,
stunning views, and technical single track that could have come right out of a
mountain bike text book. The only way I can describe it is fantastic!

Day three and our adventure was about to come to an
end as we headed off to Hermanus on a 76km journey. The day included 1300m of
climbing and was a mixture of the more difficult day one and the mountain biker’s
dream route of day two. We crossed the final finish line in Hermanus with
massive smiles on our faces, but sad to get to the end of the fun and
adventure.

THANK YOU!

The Wines2Whales is a fantastic event and we hope we
will be allowed to line up at the foot of the humbling Capetonian mountains
again next year. For my brother and I, our reason for taking part in the event
was to share a much-needed adventure together while doing something we both
love. Thank you to the Wines2Whales team, you gave us so much more than we
expected. Just as the handbook says, the Wines2Whales offers “three perfect
days with a stunning amount of diversity and fun with many magic moments.”

SUPERBLY ORGANISED

Start to finish, we found the event organised with
outstanding professionalism by a team that made it all work like Swiss clockwork
and allowed for a relaxing and enjoyable adventure. Clearly it is an event
organised by passionate mountain bikers who understand what mountain bikers
need and want on a stage race, and then excel at providing it.

The route finders and
builders need special mention. They have achieved a remarkable result that I
believe will draw many mountain bikers to the event and the area. The Wines2Whales
has allowed a team from Cape Trails to be offered much-needed fulltime
employment and they work tirelessly to provide a route with fun and challenging
obstacles. It was heart-warming to see how the sponsors of the event contribute
to this Cape Trails team, who shone with pride in their new cycling gear, along
with accessories they had only dreamt of before.

This is just one way that the Wines2Whales provides
many less advantaged people with a means to improve their lives, as the event continually
provides community upliftment by supporting a number of charities that benefit directly
from the two Contego Wine2Whales events, including Songo.Info, Hermanus Rotary
Club, Helderberg Sunrise Club, Elgin Round Table, De Rust Futura School,
Botriver School, Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Trails and the Botriver Educational
Foundation.

Otter Africa ‘RETTO’ Trail Run, Southern Cape, 13 October

In just four years, The Otter Africa Trail Run has become a revered ‘bucket list’ must-do
for SA trail runners, and is now even called the Grail of Trail, as the
stupendously scenic five-day Otter Hiking Trail in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route
National Park is normally only open to
a small number of hikers – and totally off-limits to runners! This
marathon-length trail run has traditionally been run ‘down’ the coast from
Storms River Mouth to Nature’s Valley, but this year saw the first ‘up’ run,
unsurprisingly dubbed the RETTO.

The Otter has two separate
events, catering for the competitive runners (The Run, 8-hour cut-off) and
social runners (The Challenge, 11-hour cut-off). Each event has a 5km prologue
the day before to determine the start order. The ‘up’ route’s key spots include
the challenging Bloukrans River crossing, as well as a series of steep ascents
from the halfway mark, especially between Scott Hut and Ngubu Hut, some of
which climb over 100m in vertical gain in a very short distance.

TRAIL DEMONS

The frontrunners reached the Bloukrans River just over
an hour after the start, catching the water at a relatively easy level for
crossing, but still requiring a 30-metre swim. At this point the leading bunch
included previous winner Ian-Don Wauchope as well as top trail runners Andre
Calitz, Greg Goodall and Michael Bailey. At the Lottering River crossing,
halfway into the race, Andre had opened a small gap, despite this being his
first Otter, relying on his mountain running skills and strength to negotiate
all the climbing and fast descents.

However, with just 5km to go the trail has less steep
ascents and becomes very rocky and technical, and this is where Iain-Don Wauchope’s knowledge of the route kicked in,
and he managed to sprint away from Andre and win in 4:23:24 to Andre’s 4:29:19.
Both comfortably broke Ryan Sandes’ one-year-old course record of 4:40:15.
Legendary US trail runner Krissy Moehl was first home in the women’s race.

MEN

1. Iain-Don
Wauchope 4:23:24

2. Andre
Calitz 4:29:19

3. Greg
Goodall 4:42:18

WOMEN

1. Krissy
Moehl (USA) 5:24:59

2. Jacoline
Haasbroek 5:27:14

3. Landie
Visser Greyling 5:32:31

Jo-Ann van Aswegen

Massage Therapist, Wife and New Mom

Avid
triathlete Jo-Ann lives in Colorado in the USA with her husband Steve, and
recently gave birth to daughter Leah. “Having my daughter has definitely slowed
things down. I still have the desire to compete, but I have to mentally prepare
myself, because it is not about winning anymore, but about setting a goal and
finishing. I usually fit in my training between 5pm and 7pm. when my husband is
on baby-sitting duty. On a nice day out I run with Leah in her jogging pram,”
says Jo-Ann, who tries to run between 5km and 10km a day.

Things
get trickier when Steve is away from home because of his demanding job in the
US military. “So between 7pm and 10pm I run on a treadmill after I put Leah
down. I control my working hours, training time and quality hours with the
family,” says Jo-Ann.

Jo-Ann’s Top Time Tips:

?        
Try to schedule your workout first thing in the
morning.

?        
You only really need 30 minutes a day.

?        
If you want a happy, healthy baby, you have to have a
healthy, happy mommy.

Amalia Uys

Actress

Best known
for her role as San-Mari in 7de Laan,
Amalia lives a busy lifestyle with a fulltime acting job, including a lead role
in the popular soapie, different roles in movies, as well as theatre
productions. “My working hours vary, so I don’t finish at the same time
everyday. Depending on how many scenes I have a day, I often go for castings or
publicity shoots in between. I tend to be a night owl, so I try and fit my
exercise in then. My favourite exercise is dancing and recently I really
started enjoying the super circuit. When I am pressed for time, I will fit a
20-minute run into my schedule.”

Amalia’s Top Time Tips:

?        
Exercise as early as possible in the day so
you can relax about it.

?        
Train with a friend or your partner – time
passes quicker and you can motivate one another.

?        
If your time is limited, go for a 20-minute
jog.

Sarah-jane Horscroft

Engineer and Mom

Sarah-jane
entered the Modern Athlete Dare to
Tri Challenge last year as a complete novice and just a year later she jetted
off to the World Triathlon Champs in New Zealand! She has an extremely
demanding lifestyle catering to her family’s needs, her job as well as fitting
in training. “I usually wake up at 4:35am for a spin or swim session, and I
have to be home by 6:10 so I can get ready for work and get my girls to two
different schools.”

“I
have a half-day flexible job and afternoons are spent picking up the girls and
taking them to their extra-murals or home. I usually manage two to three
afternoon runs of an hour each whilst the girls are doing their extra-murals.”

Sarah-jane’s Top Time
Tips:

?        
Pick a race four to six months away and make
it your focus for getting fit.

?        
Have a clear programme. This takes away the
thinking and the space for excuses.

?        
Use the time you have when your kids have
extra-mural activities. Don’t shop or read a magazine!

When Anthony
was nine years old, some family friends invited him to ride their bike and he
was hooked. After begging his dad for his own bike, Anthony started to compete
at age 11 and eventually got signed to a professional team at age 16. Today he
is experienced in both MX1 and MX2 class racing, with MX1 using a 450cc
motorbike, while MX2 is raced on a smaller 250cc bike.

In 2009, he
was chosen to represent South Africa
at the African Motorcycle Union Champs in Namibia, where he finished second
overall in the MX2 class, and later that year he earned his SA colours. “Then
in 2011, I competed for South Africa in the Coupe de L’Avenir in Belgium. It’s
pretty much the Olympics of the sport, and I was team captain, so it was an
honour, and I grew into myself,” says Anthony. He grabbed a ninth place finish
in Belgium,
and that spurred him on take first place in the MX2 SA national champs in 2012.

TRAINING FOR THE TRACK

On the
global stage, Anthony mostly rides in the MX2 class, where the race tracks are
normally longer than local tracks, but he says either class requires great
physical fitness. “People don’t think motocross athletes need to be that fit,
but we need to! We spend about 25 minutes at a time on the track during a race
and it never stays the same! People don’t realise we handle a heavy bike in
sand, soil and clay. When you’re lifting a 110kg bike and jumping 30m in the
air, you need fitness and strength. Nobody really thinks about that!”

Therefore,
between track sessions three to four times a week, Anthony prioritises trail
runs around the Blouberg area where he stays in Cape Town. “I usually run 12km a day, but cut
it to 6km before a big race. I also cycle around 80km, or three hours, to mix
it up,” says Anthony, who also swims at gym to get an overall base fitness, and
uses several cross-fit exercises to work on his strength.

Anthony has
studied personal training and sports science, so knows that a balance of
exercise and good nutrition can only help him on the bike. “I eat healthy and
train hard, and I know what to put into my body to see results,” he says. “I
have no doubt that motocross athletes are the fittest out there!” He also
believes that his best results on the bike came after he focused on his cardio
work.

LOOKING FORWARD

He is
eyeing another national title this year and wants to compete at the British
Champs, where he hopes he can grab a top 10 finish. While his family and
friends worry about the risks that come with the sport, they support his career
and often come to support him at races. “I’ve hurt my collarbone and broken my
index finger, but nothing serious over the years. There have been some
concussions along the way, but that comes with the sport.” he says. “You have
to practise to perfect it. Quitters never win, and winners never quit!”

You
can follow Anthony on Twitter: @AnthonyRaynard.

Regardless
which group you find yourself in, running 87km put a strain on your body. Not
to mention the hours spent belting it out on the road in preparation for race
day. The biggest mistake you can make now is to get back on the road too soon.
Remember, during the tough journey from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, the
following happened to your body:

?        
You put tremendous strain on your immune system, your
heart and other internal organs, and of course, your legs.

?        
Muscle damage begins to take place once we go beyond
25km, so your muscles would have developed many small micro-tears during the
race, causing them to bleed and to become inflamed.

REST, REST AND MORE REST

You
don’t get a medal for being the first Comrades runner in your club to get back
on the road. Coming back too quickly will result in injury, illness or both.
The last thing you want now is a stress fracture! So the million dollar
question then is, “When can I start training again?” The bottom line is that it
varies from person to person. For example, in my first few Comrades, I found
that I had an ache in my legs for a number of weeks and that I could only
return to running after about four to six weeks. In my last two Comrades,
however, I found that within a week or two I was good to go. It really depends
on your body.

So,
if you’re a novice and this was your first Comrades, then I would advise at
least a four- to six-week recovery period with no running. For someone who has
done a number of Comrades, two to three weeks is generally enough. The reason
for this is that which each passing year, we put more mileage into our legs,
and our legs thus become stronger from one year to the next. And the best way
to gauge recovery is via your waking heart rate. For example, if you were
taking your waking heart rate regularly in the build-up to Comrades and it was always
around 45, a waking heart rate now of 50 to 55 would indicate that your body is
still recovering.

CROSS-TRAINING

Of
course, recovering from Comrades does not mean that you can’t do anything at
all. After a week or two of solid rest, start introducing one or two sessions
of core strength work, a swimming session, some light biking, etc. The key is
to listen to your body: If you’re tired and need the sleep, then sleep. As you
begin to recover fully, you’ll begin to get your passion and drive back for
running. When you do start running again, start with a
short run every second day on grass, and then gradually build back up to the
road from there. Before you know it, you’ll be back up to speed and smashing
those PB’s!

Salomon XR Mission Trail Shoes

Whether you are a serial trail
runner or just want to look the part, this shoe is for you. Despite its somewhat
chunky look, the XR Mission is lightweight. Initially it felt like quite a hard,
rigid shoe, and I was worried it might be uncomfortable, but after lacing up
for an hour-long run on sandy bushveld terrain, I found that the shoe was
extremely comfortable, and especially supportive. It helped to keep my feet
stable, and I believe you will rarely twist your ankle with this shoe, as it
keeps your foot firmly in the right position. Also, the hard sole ensures that
you don’t feel any sharp stones or other objects while running.

Very importantly for me, I am prone
to sore toenails after longer runs, but I found the roomy toe space this shoe
offers left my toes in perfect condition. I also liked the shoe’s quick-lace
feature, which ensure that you don’t have laces coming undone mid-run, and it
also means you can now pop the shoes on and off much quicker. In short, I loved
running in these shoes. The rougher the trail, the better!

Recommended Price: R1299.00 – Available
at Cape Union Mart, Due South, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Salomon Concept Stores
and selected independent retailers.

Falke Approach Trail Sock (Moh-Rino Adventure socks)

These
Falke socks coupled with the Salomon XR Mission Trail Shoes are a match made in
‘foot heaven!’ Made from merino mohair, which makes them extra snug, they are tailor-made
to fit the foot perfectly. In fact, I have never seen socks with so much design
detail, and they are slightly thicker than your normal summer socks, but only
in certain sections where more support is needed. The sock is woven tighter at
the arch of your foot to create more support, and the heel is also a little
thicker and deeper to ensure that your sock won’t slip into your shoe. The top
has a thinner texture, which makes the sock more breathable overall, despite
the thicker sections. Best of all, I found that the socks never got sweaty on
longer runs.

Recommended
Price: R65.00 – Available exclusively at selected Cape Union Mart stores.

Falke Ladies’ Paisley Hiking Sock ((Moh-Rino Adventure socks)

If you are more into hiking than
running this is the sock for you! It covers more of the ankle to work well in
tandem with a hiking boot, and is woven thick to keep your feet warm and protected
on those cold winter hikes.

Recommended Price: R85.00 – Available exclusively at selected
Cape Union Mart stores.

Asics Fuji Long Running Tights

These tights fit all the way down to
the ankle and I found they fit perfectly over each section of the leg. A
different fabric is used behind the knee, which helps your leg bend freely.
Millions of glass beads have been used to make up the fabric of the tights,
which give it a reflective component, and makes the tights perfect for dark
morning or evening runs. I found the material very light and breathable; yet it
kept me warm enough in chilly weather. Rest assured you can take on any terrain
with these tights. They are a comfortable fit for any shape and size.

Recommended Price: R599.00 – Available at Due South & Totalsports.

adidas Supernova
Long Sleeve Tee

When running
in winter, you need to pick clothing that will protect you from the freeze
while doubling up by keeping you dry and cool. This adidas tee not only kept
the sweat out on a run, keeping me dry and cool, it also kept me warm at the
same time. It’s important for me to feel ‘free’ on a run, and this tee doesn’t
restrict your natural movement. The fabric is silky and light, the design is well-fitted
and comfy, and the tee doesn’t feel like it ‘sticks’ to the skin. Also it’s
funky – adidas always seems to impress with attractive, bright colours! This is
your easy go-to training top.

Recommended price: R449.00 –
Available at Sportsmans Warehouse stores.

adidas Trail Hybrid Long Sleeve Top

The mornings in the great outdoors usually feel even
chillier than in the city, so when taking on the trails, you want something
warm to wear, but as trails are more challenging than the flat road, you tend
to warm up a lot quicker. The adidas Trail Hybrid top is ideal for these
conditions, as it has a soft fuzz inside the inner of the top which comforts
you in cold conditions, but the lightness of the top prevents it from making
you too hot when your body has warmed up. There are little holes at the ends of
the sleeves for your thumbs to fit through, which also protects your hands in
cold weather. Another great thing is that the material used has a
‘wind-breaker’ element to it, which is exactly what you want for harsher winter
conditions. It also has a flattering fit with funky striking colours.

Recommended price: R799.00 – Available at Sportsmans
Warehouse stores.