Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 130, May 2020 | Page 43

Images: Courtesy Anel Oosthuizen
WALK
THIS WAY
By Anel Oosthuizen
GETTING
GOING AGAIN
We had been waiting for it for over a month of lockdown, and
then we got it at last: Freedom for three full hours! For a lot of
us that meant going to bed earlier, so that we could be up at
dawn to get in some fresh air… even if it is through a buff/mask!
Post-lockdown training has made me realise once again that race walking is
such a unique discipline. I have been race walking for almost 15 years, and it
blows my mind that I still get stiff muscles from training! And this happened
after doing just 13km in my first session back on the road!
As I wrote in my previous column, I took on the Mzansi Lockdown Challenge during
the hard lockdown, but I could only run around my yard, which meant no proper
race walking for over a month. This was definitely a contributing factor to the stiff
muscles when I did eventually get walking again. Keep in mind that I hardly ever
run in my ‘normal’ training programme – the occasional forest run or easy treadmill
run occur very rarely, and mostly only when I have some sort of ‘niggle’ or injury.
Running Challenge
That being said, I have found that race walking and running are almost two worlds
apart for me. When I started running back in varsity, I could not do more than 3km
without having to stop, because my quads were killing me and I had really bad
Achilles pain. Thankfully, developing those muscles more thoroughly over the last
few years has helped me to be able to run faster and longer. On the
other hand, my lungs have never given up before my legs in
running, which is normally the other way round in race
walking for me!
However, because I so seldom ran, I
usually still felt slight discomfort the
next day if I ran further than 10km.
So being ‘forced’ to run for a
month, along with doing some
really good strength work in
between, meant I was able
to gain more confidence
in my running, even
though it was just in my
yard and the furthest
was just 13km. I was very rarely stiff, and it really helped me gain extra strength in
my weaker areas.
So overall, I enjoyed the month of running more than I thought I would, and I also
learnt that it was much easier to tie my hair back in a ponytail while running than
it is doing whilst race walking. Seriously, guys, you may think this is not important,
but believe me, it is!
Early Morning Alarms
Getting back to our three hours of exploring the great outdoors again, I have had
to adapt my training quite a lot. Before the lockdown, I would normally do two
sessions a day, whereas now I can only have one outdoor session, which means
my speed sessions have to be done in the morning. Anyone who knows me well,
knows that I have never been a fan of early morning speed sessions. My body has
simply never reacted as well to a
speed session in the early hours
of the morning as it does to a
later afternoon session!
So for now my second session of
the day is not allowed, except for
my strength sessions, which I try
and keep up with every second
day. These strength sessions at
home will be my go-to probably
for the rest of the year, as gyms
and other fitness facilities will
take some time to open up again.
But regardless of some minor
‘hiccups’ in my training schedule,
I am just happy to be training on
the road again… and not having
to face the same four walls of my
house for at least three hours of
the day!
Anel’s Running vs Race Walking Q&A
1. Which is more strenuous on your body? Race Walking
2. Which one can you do longer now after no proper training for a month?
Running
3. Which one gets your heart rate up faster? Race Walking
4. Which one can you do the fastest? Running – I have gone sub-4min/km a
few times in race walking, but in running you can break contact with the road
or track surface, so you can go faster.
5. Which one requires a longer warm-up before a session? Race Walking
6. Which one is more mentally challenging? Running – I tend to get easily
bored while running, as I feel there is nothing to focus on regarding technique,
in comparison to race walking, which is a very technical sport. Technique is
crucial and has to be focused on much more. Something that a lot of people
also don’t realise is that a race walker’s feet come really close to the ground
so we have to be extra careful with the surface that we walk on, as it is much
easier to trip over something in comparison with running.
7. Which one is your favourite? Race Walking
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Race Walker Anel Oosthuizen is a multiple SA
Champion and Record Holder, and represented SA in the women’s 20km at the
2016 Rio Olympics.
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