Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 103, February 2018 | страница 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.
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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