WALK THIS WAY walk this way by ZELDA BOTHA
In 2021 , my season started with a proverbial bang when I got to train alongside some top-level walkers from around the world for just over two months . There were two Irish walkers , two from Great Britain , a Polish walker , a South African Olympian , and two Irish runners as well . We were a full house of variety , to say the least , but we made one hell of a team .
Lessons on the Move
My first learning experience takes me back to the first 20km session with my teammates in January . I started out my session with Polish racewalker Damian Blocki , an experienced 50km racewalker who has been selected for many Polish athletics teams in his career thus far . He happens to also be dating and coaching Olympic racewalker , Alana Barber from New Zealand .
Whilst starting out at a reasonable pace of 5:40min / km , we were trying to work our way down to end this session with an average pace of 5:30 . I remember him asking me what I was drinking during the session , I told him I had only arrived with a bottle of water and an Energade drink . It was 33 degrees outside at 9am when we started the session , and I felt like drinking all my water after the fifth kilometre , and at 10km I started feeling very tired and dehydrated .
Damian then explained to me that nutrition is more than just what you take in on race day , or during the session . How much water did I drink the day before the long session ? How much did I have for breakfast ? Are there electrolytes in the water I was drinking , and what carbs did I add to my drinks ? On most of the above my answer was either no or nothing , and I soon realised why trying to up my pace was entirely impossible without the proper nutrition intake . This was session number one , and by session number three , I was cruising through my long ones at 5:25 pace and repeated these results throughout the entire year .
Expert Advice Part 1 : Fuelling Your Body
For years I have tried squeezing my way through to get the front row seat when the experts are handing out their tips and tricks . I leave feeling super confident … and end up doing it all wrong from the get-go anyway . Still , you learn from your mistakes , and by sharing some of my experiences with you , I hope to teach you all a few extra race-walking lessons I wish I had known when I started out .
Each to Their Own
Of course , I still had some off days , because everyone ’ s bodies are different , and we react to a drink or fuel intake differently . My favourite pre-training snack is an Ensure shake . This is used for people who have gone through serious operations or are underfed and need to gain weight to recover . I fill up my shake with full cream milk and it sustains me right through the session . My body is used to milk , and it reacts well to it . However , I can assure you that not many other people love it . So , find what works for you and train your body to use it as fuel .
During my training , I have grown really fond of the Science in Sport ( SIS ) brand to fuel my body . SIS has different drinks for different training types , so again , you need to find what works for you . For my body , I soon realised that it wasn ’ t the caffeine I was needing , but rather the carbs . This season was also the first that I never lost any weight during training or racing , mainly because I was feeding my body what it needed at the exact time it needed it .
Being a professional athlete and trying to compete with the best in the world really means that you have to change your mindset , and how you look at the food you take in . Athletes don ’ t diet and exercise , they eat and train ! This is something I live by . I have always been very skinny , and many people comment on my weight wherever I go , but this does not mean that I am underweight . I eat the exact amount my body needs , and most days also add a chocolate milkshake or an ice cream to the meal . Don ’ t be fooled – Eating is not cheating !
Breakfast of Champions
As a racewalker , whether you ’ re doing the 5km , 10km or 20km distance , you will at some point need more than just water during a race or training session … but all too often , we usually only realise this on race day ! Thanks to training with the ‘ experts ,’ I also found out that it does not matter the time of day that they went out training , as long as they had enough sleep , and had breakfast , they could get the session done well .
Images : Courtesy Zelda Schultz
Training mates from around the world
About the Author
Zelda Botha ( née Schultz ) won the 2019 SA 20km Road Race Walking title and the 2021 SA Track & Field Champs title , and she represented SA at the 2018 African Champs in Nigeria . She balances training and competing in racewalking with a full-time job as a surgical sales representative , and being married to top obstacle racer Armin Botha .
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