Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 130, May 2020 | Page 8

KALMER’S
CORNER
Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador’s Blog
By Rene Kalmer
SMILING UNDER MY BUFF
The 1 st of May 2020 is a date that most South African runners will remember for a while… Not because it was a public
holiday, but because it was the first day that we were allowed to train outdoors again, between 6am and 9am. After five
weeks at level 5 lockdown, it was a massive relief!
again. All my runs back then ended up in tears, with
me walking back home. This time around it was my
lungs that were ‘hurting’ though, and after huffing and
puffing for 5km, I stopped and walked back home…
A fellow walker commented that the first day back
is very tough, but he couldn’t see the grin on my
face under the buff. I saw the walk back home as my
victory lap, grateful to be running pain-free again. (But
the following day I decided to wear my Two Oceans
shirt, just to show that I am a ‘real runner.’)
I did stop, because the cutest little girl handed me a
chocolate rose and said, “Gelukkige Mammadag!”
Well, I stopped my run there and then, and joined my
family for a walk to our local primary school to feed
the school’s chickens and Corona chicks.
On that note, I want to give a huge shout out to all the
super-moms, juggling so many responsibilities in this
uncertain time. Be kind to yourself and remember it
is okay not to be okay all the time, we are all on this
rollercoaster ride of emotions. If training makes you
feel happy in the moment, great, but if running adds
extra stress, while you already have your hands full
with home-schooling and more, it is also okay to take
a break.
I
was actually already lying awake at 4am that
morning. This time around it was not pre-race
butterflies that woke me up, but the excitement
of my first run in months. Meanwhile, some of my
fellow clubmates were so excited that they actually
unpacked all their running gear the night before, in
order to plan their outfit for the next day! I’m more a
last-minute person.
It is quite normal for runners to find that their motivation
takes a huge plunge with no races to look forward to
in the foreseeable future. Don’t worry, when the time
comes to step up to the line again, your motivation will
bounce right back. As runners, we set goals because
we love to see progress, and the progress is what
keeps us motivated, but now is the time to be flexible
with our goals, and to keep things fun!
Even my hubby, who is not a morning person at all,
was up early. At 5:55am he played Chariots of Fire on
his phone, which took us back to the goose-bump
moments at the START of the Comrades Marathon,
where I have been lucky to support all the brave
runners several times in Durban or Pietermaritzburg.
At 6am we jumped out of bed and stood on our
balcony, expecting to see thousands of people
streaming out of their houses. This was not exactly
the case, but it was nevertheless a special occasion,
so I dusted off my special Olympic coffee mugs for
our pre-run coffees. But what to wear, what to wear?
After making a choice, I texted my sister Christine,
and it seems that I was dressed perfectly – threequarter
tights with a long sleeve shirt. And a buff for a
mask, of course.
It was lovely to see both familiar and new faces on
my run, and everyone was very friendly, with an extra
spring in their step. This was my first proper run since
January, when I started to battle with an old hip injury
Keeping it Going
Since that first day of level 4 lockdown, I have been
training every day, conservatively building up my
fitness, run for run. I have logged a couple of pram
miles, too, pushing Karli in our Thule stroller. I have
ignored the little front seat driver telling me to run
faster, mom. We did, however, literally stop to ‘smell
the flowers’ on our stroll, and Karli was very chuffed
with her small bouquet of wild flowers after our run.
These days I also classify any double digit run as a
“long run,” and a great achievement. On Sunday,
when I attempted my first long run in a while, I spotted
this handsome guy pushing a stroller just blocks away
from my home. Normally I wouldn’t stop while running
at ‘speed,’ or so close to home, but luckily this time
About the Author:
René Kalmer is a two-time Olympian, having represented SA in the 1500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and
in the marathon at the 2012 London Games. She has also won more than 40 SA titles in track, road and
cross country at youth, junior and senior level, in distances from 800m to the half marathon.
Images: Courtesy René Kalmer
8
ISSUE 130 MAY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za