ROAD RUNNING
Annalie and hubby Andrew having some fun on the trails
Struggling to finish the 2019 PPC Riebeekberg Marathon
Happier after finding a solution to the vertigo
“ I managed to do my fourth Two Oceans Ultra in sub-6 hours in April 2019 , but I really battled for the last 10km . I am normally good at running a consistent pace over long distances , but I checked back and saw I went really slowly in the final section . Thankfully I met a young guy along the route , James De Villiers , and we got chatting , so that took my focus off the problem . I was suffering , but chatting to somebody helped pass the kays ,” she recalls .
“ I finally stopped running marathons after I did my fourth PPC Riebeekberg Marathon in July 2019 . Even though it is a hard race , I really love it , but that was definitely the worst day of my running career , as I battled to get to the finish line . I knew I was in trouble when I already felt dizzy at 9km , and seriously thought about bailing , but somehow I kept going . My running friend Anne Poole caught up to me at 28km , and advised me just to walk it out . I never cry , except at the finish of Comrades , but that day I was in floods of tears at the finish .”
In the next few months , Annalie says her runs gradually became shorter and slower , and when her Durbanville AC ( Durbac ) clubmates suggested she take a break from running , she decided it was perhaps sound advice . “ I stopped running completely at the beginning of 2020 , as I had no willpower left to run with the dizziness . Instead I started to exercise at our local gym again , and when level 5 lockdown started , I continued to exercise on my spin bike at home , together with skipping and other core exercises . Luckily I had bought the spinning bike in December , so when lockdown began I was already set up .”
“ I can ’ t explain why I managed to skip in spite of the dizziness , but I could do up to an hour of skipping in a session , with breaks . It was an amazing workout , and I actually lost weight . I was really enjoying the cross-training , and finally managed to get my mental health back . Also , even though I am a social person , I loved working from home , as I could spend more time with my sons , and it allowed me to do other activities as well .
Hitting the Rest Button
As the initial lockdown restrictions eased in May last year , Annalie decided to try running again , and she says initially she didn ’ t experience any dizziness , and it was simply great to be out running again . “ It was amazing seeing all the runners on the road , and I did not mind running with a mask of buff one bit . I therefore committed myself to several virtual events , including the Discovery Health 21km .
However , the dizziness returned when Annalie suffered another bout of sinusitis , and that led to a fortuitous chat with husband Andrew . “ We were talking about it one evening when he said perhaps the dizziness had gone away because I had mostly stayed indoors during lockdown , and therefore had not been exposed to as much pollen … and suddenly it all made sense to me ! So , I started buying antihistamine medication and it really helped . I had also read that drinking more liquids can help with dizziness , so I made sure to take Rehydrate during my runs , and while I had some bad runs , it gradually got better and better . Now I don ’ t have any bad runs due to dizziness and nausea , but I did suffer initially from being so unfit !”
22 ISSUE 140 APRIL 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za
Annalie says that she has fallen in love with running all over again , but she is quick to add that her approach to running has definitely changed . “ I am not so competitive with myself anymore . Now I am simply enjoying short distances on the tar , and I absolutely love running and hiking on the trails . I ’ ve done quite a few of the short trail races put on by Dirtopia and Run the Vines , and I bought a permit for Zevenwacht Wine Estate to go run or hike there two or three times a week . I have to hike the tougher sections that I used to be able to run , but I still love it . And in the races , I now just enjoy myself , taking photos along the way . I ’ m way too slow on trails to be competitive , anyway . That said , while I always found it stressful to run competitively , it is hard to overcome that urge to compete .”
Fresh Outlook on Life
Now that she has seemingly solved the vertigo problem , Annalie is understandably excited again about entering a few races , even if she is not able to tackle the ultras anymore . “ I have no plans to go back to the Comrades . There is nothing like it , but I got my Back-to-Back and that ’ s fine for me . I ’ m 50 now , so not that committed to long distances anymore , and I ’ m finding a different balance in live , like spending more time with my family ,” she says .
“ When I ran my first Comrades , my eldest son was in matric , and he was in his first year of varsity for my second Comrades , and I struggled with balance in life . My family said I was always tired , and I struggled to remember things , so Comrades is done for me , now , but I do still have some bucket list events I ’ d like to run , notably the AfricanX Trailrun – I just need to find the right partner .”
Looking back on her two-year vertigo ordeal , Annelie says it has taught her some very valuable life lessons . “ I learned it is not the end of the world if you can ’ t run for a long period , especially if you are fortunate enough to enjoy other sports activities . I also started doing other hobbies , which I never had time for before , since I used to run 80km a week and then do races on weekends , so I had little time for other things . I returned to gardening , which I had previously loved , and I took up arts and crafts , including fixing up and repainting wooden furniture , which I really love doing ,” she says .
“ I also found the support of the running community was amazing throughout my health battles . You meet a lot of people over the years , especially doing the longer distances , and I love that part of running , but I really want to mention my clubmates at Durbac . They kept in touch with me , checking that I am fine , encouraging me to join club runs when I could , and they still check up on it me .”
Overall , Annalie says the biggest change she has undergone is that she has learnt to appreciate things more . “ I am trying to keep a balanced outlook on all things , and treasuring time with my family . I have been able to get to know my sons even better thanks to slowing down and making time for other things outside of running . I have also learnt that one should never forget to grow from experiences , even bad ones , and I hope that telling my story inspires others to never give up on finding the things that make them happy .”
Images : Ashraf Orrie , Jeanne Adonis and courtesy Andrew Rich