Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 103, February 2018 | Page 6

Have Your SAY LETTERS Got something on your mind that you want to share, a burning question you want answered, or a good story to tell? Then send it to [email protected] and add a pic if you can. (Note that these letters may have been shortened due to space limitations.) MOAN, MOAN, MOAN… Oh my goodness, is anybody in this world happy anymore? You wouldn’t think so, judging by social media, because everybody just seems to moan about everything all the time, or attack other people with personal, even insulting comments, just because they have a different opinion or outlook! It’s one of the downright unpleasant sides of this modern life we lead. That’s why I have enjoyed running so much since I took up the sport about 20 years ago, because in general the running community has always been so positive, and welcoming. Doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, somebody will run with you, and chat with you, and be friendly and nice… But now even the running community seems to be succumbing to this modern trend of everybody being angry, impatient, demanding and aggressive. It seems every time I go on to the various running pages on Facebook, somebody is having a right old throw-your-toys rant about online entries, entry fees, entry deadlines, substitutions, race T-shirts, registration, marshalling, route markings and distance, the pacesetters, littering, the medals, and more. It sometimes leaves the impression that all of our races are really badly organised, and that all organisers are just taking the running community for a ride. That really is not the case, and I still believe we have some of the best races in the world here in SA. Sure, sometimes race organisers get something a bit wrong, but whatever happened to polite, constructive feedback? No, people just climb on social media and rant, as if they have been personally slighted! I firmly believe that race organisers are providing a service and participating runners are paying customers who therefore have the right to complain if something is not up to standard, but there is still a limit to what I think is constructive criticism, versus outright moaning about everything. I know some people will disagree with me on this, but let’s debate it calmly and try to understand each other, not just shout and insult each other. – Bobby D, Bloemfontein I’ve read several articles about social media and the tendency for people to ‘flame’ each other online, because it is so easy to lash out at somebody from the safety of your keyboard. I always try to apply the question, would I say this to that person’s face? If not, I shouldn’t be posting it online. As for the running community, I see many of these complaints you write about, and while I think a lot are justified, I often find myself disliking the way the complaint is delivered, and I have to agree with you that polite, constructive feedback should always be the first option. – Ed. 6 ISSUE 103 FEBRUARY 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za RUNNING THE WEIGHT OFF Firstly, I love reading the stories of people like me featuring in this magazine, because ordinary people doing extraordinary things are really inspiring. Secondly, I have always been active, be it playing action cricket or some other sport, but I have always gravitated to running and walking. I have two kids, aged 13 and 8, and I gained quite a bit of weight during both pregnancies, but especially in my first pregnancy, due to having Pre-eclampsia, when I gained about 22kg. With my second, I gained 16kg, but also never lost all the pregnancy weight of my first, and ever since then my weight has been a struggle for me. Fast Forward to about 2013, and it started as a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, but that resolution actually stuck. I joined a weight-loss group and started walking, and in about a year I lost 15kg thanks to healthy eating and walking. In the same year, I started going to Bootcamp, which I still attend weekly, and I finished a few races, including the 702 Walk The talk 30km, as well as 21k, 15km, 10km and 5km races. In 2017 I started running more, and would like to now call myself a runner, even though it is just myself against the clock. I have the full support of my husband, who joins me on runs and is the one who motivates me when I have the urge to stop running, while my kids will be cycling with us, and our pooch will be tugging on the leach for us to go faster. If there is one “lesson” I could teach, is that after every uphill is a downhill, so just keep running! – Pamela Woest, Johannesburg I always love to read letters from readers who clearly enjoy their running, and the benefits it brings them. – Ed. WINNING LET DU