ROAD RUNNING
Zero to 21
IN A WEEK
GO !
Tackling your first ever half marathon with no running training or experience , relying just on your cycling fitness , is not exactly the right way to do things , but as Abbas Harris writes , it can be done . You just need to celebrate the small things , like toasting a kay marker with a GU ! – BY ABBAS HARRIS
Abbas cracks a smile in the 2016 Two Oceans Half Marathon
Once I had become an above average cyclist , the one activity that still scared me was running . The last time I ran a race was at school , and it was for ‘ spec en boontjies ,’ but with me chasing a sub-three-hour finish in the Cape Town Cycle Tour – a . k . a . the Argus – every year , I always thought , maybe , just maybe I will try running . After all , there are all shapes and sizes calling themselves runners these days , as they just have to buy a pair of takkies and then they on their way . Cyclists need to have a bike , a helmet , cycling shoes , cycling shorts , cycling top , gloves , sunglasses to protect your eyes , etc , etc … only to be dropped by the group on the first climb !
The joy of collecting another Two Oceans medal in 2018
Entries for the Two Oceans are very hard to come by , but several years ago , I received a call from a colleague who asked me , “ Are you keen on running ? They added my name on the charity list , but did not advise me , so I have an entry ...” I replied , “ For what ?” He said , “ For the Two Oceans 21-kilometre .” My response was , “ Are you bedonnert ? I cannot run , not even to save my life !”
She also let me run on a treadmill and a computer recorded my running style , which turned out to be neutral . She then handed me over to an elderly gentleman who looked like he run 100 Comrades , and he took me to the most expensive shoe in the store , the Asics Nimbus . I fitted the shoes and wow , were they comfortable and light . It felt like I was walking on air – I had never experienced anything like it before .
Next thing I know I am helping someone out , and the race was the following week . ( As I have been told many times since then , this is not how to start running , but I am ‘ mos iewerwys .’ I know better …) He just needed me to run for the Woodside Charity , as they were in need of support , so I reluctantly agreed , and before I knew it , I was at Sportsmans Warehouse looking for shoes . The place was buzzing with people , all crazy about the upcoming Two Oceans , and I could feel the vibe .
RETURN OF BIG FOOT
After waiting quite long for assistance , a young lady measured my feet and told me that I needed to take a size US 13 . I looked at her and said , “ Are you off your rocker ? I am generally a size 10 , so how can I take such a big size ?” She explained that your foot expands when you are running , and you need some more space . I was just thinking , after all these years feeling embarrassed about having big feet at school and squeezing my feet into smaller shoes , like the Japanese women of centuries ago ...
The Monday evening I jogged around the block about 10 times , and that was my training , finish en klaar .
These shoes were over R2000 , but I told him that this was cheap , as the cheapest carbon cycling shoes were R3000 , so this was definitely a bargain . After buying the shoes , I went to the New Balance store in Access Park , where everything was 50 % - I absolutely love sales – and I bought my shorts , T-shirt , cap and socks . Now I was ready , and looked like a runner … but that was about it . The Monday evening I jogged around the block about 10 times , and that was my training , finish en klaar . I never ran a 5km or 10km race , nor did I even know the Two Oceans route , so I was oblivious to the time I would take , as well as the pain I will endure .
Images : Courtesy Ismael Isaacs
28 ISSUE 144 AUGUST 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za