Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 131, June 2020 June 2020 | Page 23

KALMER’S
CORNER
Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador’s Blog
By Rene Kalmer
MY LOCKDOWN SECRET!
By now we have all had plans, big or small, that have been disrupted, changed or completely cancelled by the COVID
pandemic. Local or international races, concerts, holiday trips, family visits, weddings and even trips to the hairdresser,
just to name a few. I was planning a trip to Turkey in November to celebrate my 40 th birthday, but now I will probably be
having my baby shower instead… Yes, you read correctly, I’m pregnant again!
at the moment, as there is no goal or pressure to hit
target times. I can simply run for the pure joy that
running is giving me. Another bonus is the fact that I
am not missing any races for the rest of the year, as
even the Olympics has been postponed till 2021. I
guess that’s what you call perfect pacing!
Virtually Speaking
In the meantime, I am loving all the virtual challenges
during the COVID time. The first virtual challenge I
signed up for was the Ultimate Modern Athlete 5km
Challenge, and I’m super-chuffed with my sub-20min
5km effort, while 13 weeks pregnant. Two weeks later
I did a 42min 10km for the Run as One team marathon
relay. My longest run has been a 20km run, but shhhh,
don’t tell Andre!
Images: Courtesy René Kalmer
On the 26th of March, I was casually driving
home from our last visit to the grandparents
before lockdown. Back then we all thought
it was just going to be three weeks before everything
would be back to normal, and Andre called me on his
way home and told me he was taking a detour to buy
a few bottles of wine for the lockdown. I decided to
stop for milkshakes instead, as I had a suspicion that I
was not going to drink any wine for a while…
A few hours later a ‘little test’ confirmed my suspicion
and we are excited to announce that we will now be
a family of four in November. Of course, the reality
of being pregnant in these uncertain and challenging
times hit us quite soon, when Andre was not allowed
to accompany me for the first doctor’s visit and baby
scan, as we were still in level 5 of lockdown. He and
Karli had to wait in the car, and Karli was pretty upset
when I returned to the car and told them there is only
one baby on the way. She cried all the way home,
“But I want a brother and a sister!” Andre, on the
other hand, was crying tears of joy that we were just
expecting a boy or a girl.
Perks of the Pregnancy
I always like to look at the bright side of life and I’m
enjoying the surprising benefits of this pandemic
pregnancy. There was no need to squeeze into
‘Bridget Jones underwear’ to hide my growing belly in
the first trimester. (You have to watch Bridget Jones’
Diary to understand.) Unlike with my first pregnancy, I
can wear my comfy Adidas sweatpants and tracksuits
all day and every day. I also didn’t have to worry about
awkward stares, wondering if I was expecting or just
had too many ‘COVID-cupcakes’ during lockdown.
Nobody was second-guessing my behaviour, and I
didn’t have to constantly come up with excuses why I
was avoiding a drink at a braai. I mean, you can only
be “on antibiotics” for so long.
One of the ultimate perks is not having to get up
at 5am in the cold winter mornings to go for a run,
before rushing to get myself ready for work and
Karli ready for school. I must confess that I had a
few 5am peanut butter sandwiches this time. That
said, I absolutely loved the 6am to 9am ‘happy hour’
training slot in level 4 lockdown. After I returned from
my morning run, we would take a family trip to the
local primary school to feed the chickens, ducks and
peacocks. It was lovely to get to know the people in
the neighbourhood better, and we even made some
new friends in this time.
I’m truly grateful that I’m still able to run at 17 weeks
pregnant. I’m enjoying my running more than ever
Normally I’m the one who ‘spoils’ Andre with raceentries,
like a Two Oceans entry for his birthday, or a
Knysna Marathon entry as an excuse to travel to the
Garden Route for a mid-year break. This time around I
was the one that got a race notification via e-mail that
Hubby entered us for the Race the Comrades Legends
10km, but his ‘t’s & c’s’ stated clearly that it had to
be a family effort. We therefore completed the 10km
together in just under 60minutes, with Andre pushing
Karli in the running stroller. Now I am looking forward to
the rest of the year and the next part of our journey.
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.
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