WALK THIS WAY walk this way by ANEL OOSTHUIZEN
Nature is Always Calling
There is just something about being surrounded by trees , listening to a river flowing nearby and birds singing all around me that makes me absolutely love being outside , especially in the forest . And it is part of the motivation for my change of focus in training .
Good times by the river with good friends
Most of my adventures with friends and
family since the lockdown started have been more secluded , away from people , and usually far away in nature somewhere . As part of that , we recently decided to do some ‘ kloofing ,’ and I absolutely loved the experience ! Getting in and out of the rivers , running along the river banks , catching a few rays of sun while having a quick snack on the rocks , and being surrounded with huge rock banks ... The beauty was surreal ! What more could you ask for ?
After a few experiences such as this in recent months , I have realised just how much these nature expeditions do to keep me sane . With everything going on in the world , they have been my escape , where I ’ ve been able to forget about any problems , or that COVID-19 even exists … even if it is just for a few hours . change my perspective on all that , to the way I am experiencing training right now .
It is fun before anything else , and I ’ m listening to my body more , so if my body does not feel up to it , I change my workout to what feels more manageable . Also , I am enjoying every bit of nature I get to see while doing something like ‘ kloofing ’ – which is great for cross-training , by the way – and in the end , I truly believe that the more you make it enjoyable for yourself the more you ’ d want to do it again . Then focusing on the three goals mentioned above really comes naturally , and it ’ s a lot easier to tick those training goal boxes .
Indoor Versus Outdoor
While we ’ re chatting , I ’ ve spoken a bit in the past few columns about training indoors versus training out in the open . While I did find some great training activities to do while stuck indoors during the early lockdown period , like strength training , I cannot deny that there is nothing more freeing than just heading outside for a walk or run .
As much as I love the convenience of simply stepping on the treadmill for a quick 30-minute walk or run on a rainy day , or when I just have an hour open in the middle of the day , I find that going outside and actually walking to a turn-point and coming all the way back again just gives me a much bigger feeling of accomplishment . Also , there ’ s a reason people talk about “ That moment when you ’ ve been on the treadmill for 20 minutes , and you look down and it ’ s only been two minutes !” That explains it perfectly for
me … and it is truly a love-hate relationship .
So , I am just going to be honest and say that training on the treadmill is not my favourite thing to do , especially not if I have to compare it to being in the places I ’ ve been the last couple of months . I also think that having had my fair share of treadmill training over the last couple of years , I prefer to opt for training in the rain these days !
Also , I have been asked about walking on dirt roads . Although I ’ ve done it numerous times – including in a few local races – I wouldn ’ t recommend it , because race walking is quite difficult to do on a rougher surface . In race walking , one foot is always on the ground , so there is no jumping a puddle or sidestepping a stone , which makes it 10 times harder to comfortably train on a surface like that .
Personally , I find it uncomfortable , as my stride is always changing according to the surface , and where I will be planting my foot next . On top of that , most of the dirt roads seem to come with endless hills in our area , which just makes them a complete no-no for me to train on . For that reason , I always opt for flat , tar surfaces if I can .
Images : Courtesy Anel Oosthuizen
That ’ s no surprise , since it has been scientifically proven that just viewing scenes of nature reduces stress , fear and anger , amongst other things . It makes you feel better emotionally because it reduces the production of stress hormones . That alone should be enough to convince you to put on those walking shoes and get out there !
Finding a New Focus
Until about a year ago , I ’ d always seen training as a way to get fit , to maintain a certain weight , and to beat my opponents . Those were the three main goals . Looking back , however , I wish I could go back and
Another Kodak moment on the river
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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