THE RUNNING
MANN the running mann by STUART MANN
The Unexpected Joys of Driveway Running
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown , I have not been able to get my usual marathoning and travel fix in for a while , but I have been able to find novel ways to keep my legs ticking over until we can race again . As they say , when life gives you lemons , you make lemonade – and when life gives you lockdowns , you run marathons in your driveway .
me on their security camera , enquiring after my mental health .)
And then at the beginning of July 2021 , my wife and daughters all got COVID and were Mann-down with the virus . Fortunately , I was asymptomatic – Mann-flu is bad enough , so I didn ’ t want to experience COVID-Mann-flu – but I did the responsible thing and joined the rest of the family in quarantine . As to why I remained fit and healthy while the rest of the family battled the bug , my only conjecture is beer … I am the only member of my household that drinks beer , so that must have had something to do with it . ( This might seem far-fetched , but it ’ s more credible than some of the conspiracy theories I ’ ve seen on the internet !)
A 120m-long driveway meant that running ‘ lockdown loops ’ was not so bad after all
On 26 March 2020 , the whole of South Africa was placed under house arrest , and it wasn ’ t long before runners with itchy legs were doing all sorts of crazy things to get their running fix . I decided to join in the lunacy , but instead of just running around the house , I decided to take the plunge with a ‘ Home IronMann ,’ to raise money for Just The One Foundation . Swimming 3.8km in my pool and cycling 180km on the stationary bike were tough enough , but I would have to say that running a marathon in my driveway was my least favourite ( and by far the toughest ) leg of the triathlon .
With no other options available at that time due to the hard lockdown , a daily dose of driveway drudgery kept the beer belly away , and as the initial lockdown extended to five weeks , I grew to enjoy the daily break from the monotony of Zoom calls by pounding up and down my driveway . I should point out that we were fortunate enough to buy a house that ’ s up a panhandle and therefore we have a very long driveway of roughly 120 metres one way ... but every silver lining has a cloud , and in this case it ’ s that the bottom of my driveway is a lot closer to sea-level than the top . The entire driveway route is essentially one long hill !
Thankfully , I was helped along the way by temporarily becoming a ‘ professional runner ,’ as Discovery Vitality would award the equivalent of R30 in Discovery Miles for 30 minutes or more of exercise . That got me out of the front door every day . I often started out with the intention to stop the moment I hit 30 minutes – and to be honest , the first 15 to 20 minutes would be a real drag – but I would normally end up closer to the hour mark as I got into meditation mode and the laps flew by .
The Call of the Driveway
There is a simplistic beauty in driveway running , and I have to admit that I still managed to work in the odd driveway trot after we were paroled from level 5 lockdown restrictions . I made sure that there was always a valid reason – which was usually that Kathy ( my wife ) was out and I had to “ be in the general vicinity ” to look after the kids . ( However , this did result in our neighbours , who watched
Sidenote : On the topic of beer , I did have one major scare . I was drinking beer one evening and I couldn ’ t taste anything – but then I realised it was all okay , as I was drinking Castle Lite .
I was burning plenty of calories , as all the housework ( cooking meals within my culinary limitations , and rudimentary cleaning ) now fell upon my shoulders . However , my legs and stomach still needed some exercise , and I relished a prolonged return to the driveway whilst we were in quarantine .
The Thinking Mann
One of the benefits of driveway running is that it gives you plenty of time to think ( and very little to distract you from your deep thoughts ). Lest you doubt the authenticity of my affinity for driveway running , here are the results of all my deep thoughts around the allure of driveway running :
• The Loo is close at hand … If you are a ‘ regular guy ,’ or a runner with a sensitive disposition , you are always close to a ‘ safe space ’ with a soft landing ( assuming you buy double-ply ). No more missed training runs the night after having a dodgy seafood curry .
The demoralising sight of daughters sprinting off into the distance … again
Images : Martin Mulder , Kathy Mann & Courtesy Stuart Mann
22 ISSUE 144 AUGUST 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za