Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 127, February 2020 | Page 4

EDITOR’S LETTER Blown Away PUBLISHERS Richard Laskey Roxanne Martin Sean Falconer ADVERTISING SALES Richard Laskey 083 342 8200 / [email protected] DIGITAL SALES & CAMPAIGNS Roxanne Martin 072 368 7390 / [email protected] EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR Sean Falconer [email protected] DESIGNER Caroline Collings [email protected] DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Roxanne Martin roxanne@modernathlete. co.za Hi, my name is Sean Falconer, and I don’t like running in the wind. I can handle bucketing rain during a run. I don’t mind getting wet, I have nice running jackets, I know my shoes will get dry again, and since I haven’t needed to wear spectacles since laser surgery at age 21, I can see just fine in the rain. I can also handle the cold. I dress in layers, wear gloves and a beanie, and I know I will warm up soon enough once I get going. Hell, I have handled minus-120 degrees Celsius in a cryotherapy chamber, so a wee bit of colder weather isn’t going to put me off running. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I can take heat and humidity in my stride as well. I run slowly, I wet my cap to keep my head cool, I rest in the shade every now and again to let my heart rate come back down, and I drink a bit more water than normal. It’s doable... long as I remember the sunscreen, because I have this weird knack of getting burnt behind my knees. But a howling south-easter makes me want to take up tiddlywinks as my new sport of choice! I hate having to lean forward at 45 degrees just to move forwards, and that feeling of going nowhere slowly in spite of giving it everything you’ve got. Also, I hate being sandblasted, which often happens on or near a beach, or a construction site, and I really hate that crunchy, gritty feeling of sand between the teeth when my mouth is already dry from running. So when I wake up early for a run, and I hear that whistling noise coming from outside, I groan and start thinking about going back to sleep. Even worse is sitting at my desk during the work day, thinking about an evening run, but watching the trees and bushes outside my window being thrashed by the wind. It’s most off-putting! But if we let ourselves be put off running by things that we can’t control, like the weather, then we may end up never heading out the front door. No, sometimes we just need to suck it up and get out there, and overcome that challenge. You, too, may be facing a challenge that is preventing you from reaching your true running potential. Whatever it is, I hope that you will find a way around the problem, just as I am trying to ‘grit my teeth’ and take on the south-easter. After all, it is just moving air... Sean Falconer 4 Follow on Twitter: @sean_falconer | Follow the mag as well: @modern_athlete ISSUE 127 me FEBRUARY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Regulars: Anel Oosthuizen, Carla Lea Farina, Coach Parry, Leanne Hall, Manfred Seidler, Norrie Williamson, PJ Moses, René Kalmer, Roxanne Martin, Sean Falconer, Stuart Mann, Tom Cottrell Guest Writers: Catherine van Staden, Christine Peters, Ernest Cooper, Pamela Woest, Ray Orchison, Teresa Coetzee, Willie Richards COVER IMAGE Courtesy Antarctic Ice Marathon IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers: Chris Hitchcock, DCJ Art Studio, Fotolia, Jetline Action Photo, Karin Schermbrucker, Kevin Sawyer/Gameplan Media, Reg Caldecott, Roger Sedres/ImageSA, Tobias Ginsberg Non-professional photographers: Ashraf Orrie, Lezane Du Plooy, Moegsien Ebrahim, Mogamat Shahmieg Allie, Sean Falconer, Stuart Mann, Zola Budd, Zunaid Ismael Courtesy: Anel Oosthuizen, aQuellé Midmar Mile, Antarctic Ice Marathon, Atlantic Triathlon Club, Brent Lindeque, Canada Running Series, Carla Lea Farina, Catherine van Staden, Discovery, Enie Manzini, FullStop Communications, Murray & Roberts Running Club, Pamela Woest, PJ Moses, René Kalmer, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Team Massmart, Teresa Coetzee, Willie Richards FIND US GENERAL E-MAIL [email protected] EDITORIAL E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.modernathlete.co.za FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ modernathletemag TWITTER @modern_athlete INSTAGRAM @modernathletemag Modern Athlete is accredited by the ABC with an average monthly circulation of 79,344 (Apr - Jun 2018) T hey say that when the south-easter is howling in Cape Town, it means rain is coming to Joburg. Well, Joburg must be pretty damn wet at the moment, because it seems the south-easter has been blowing non-stop for months in the Cape. Where I live, just a few kays from the Strand beachfront, we’ve been pummelled by the wind for weeks... and I’m not a happy runner!