Have Your Say
Got something on your mind that you want to share , a burning question you want answered , or a good story to tell ? Then send it to letters @ modernathlete . co . za , and add a pic if you can . Letters should preferably be no more than 300 words long , and pics should be high-resolution . ( Note that letters may be shortened due to space limitations .)
EDITOR ’ S PICK
MISSION POSSIBLE
Your Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN mission … should you choose to accept it :
• Run the 12km from Woodbridge Island to Lower Long Street .
• Run together but keep your distance .
• Run it fast or let the road linger under your feet
• Take in the views and listen to the sounds of your beautiful city .
• Feel your heart beating in your chest , watch your feet moving one in front of the other , taste the sweat forming on your upper lip and sense the Cape Town air filling your lungs .
• Collect your medal and reflect on what it really represents – that you are here , alive , running your city with your people , together … despite what was … and for a moment not focused on what may still be .
This memory will self-destruct in … forever ! – Kathleen van der Westhuizen , Cape Town
Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible team would have trouble keeping up with you , Kathleen ! I missed the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN this year due to a prior commitment , but I can see that everybody had a terrific outing . – Ed .
Images : Action Photo SA & courtesy Dominique D ’ Oliveira & Panda Qamata
IRONMAN VS COMRADES ... NO CONTEST !…
After doing Comrades six times , the full Ironman PE in 2019 , and last month on the 21st of November , another Ironman in the Windy City of Gqeberha ( Port Elizabeth ), I declare that Comrades is tougher than full Ironman .
In a full Ironman , you swim 3.8km , cycle 180km and run 42.2km , and all those three things we do are easier compared to the Ultimate Human Race , Comrades . Actually , you may not believe me , but swimming is the easiest of the three .
My point : If you are a
Comrades runner , please consider doing that easier thing called Ironman , but note that entries are expensive ! – Pandulwazi Panda Qamata , Midrand
I remember this topic coming up way back in the early 2000s when the Ironman event first arrived in SA , and back then everybody already agreed that Comrades was harder , because it used the same muscles for 90km . Not that it makes Ironman easy , by any stretch of the imagination ! – Ed .
WOMEN ARE NOT SMALL MEN ... PERIOD !
This is directed at the ladies , as well as the men who would like to better understand and inform their ladies …
Gals , when it comes to training ( and many other things , but we ’ ll focus on training for now ), we are not small men ! Our bodies respond differently to various types of training , nutrition and recovery regimes . On top of that , within our own bodies , our response to training can differ at various times during our cycle due to hormonal fluctuations . Because of this , it ’ s really important ( and incredibly beneficial ) to get to know your body well , and determine what works best for you as an individual , rather than copy the men in your life .
I ’ ve recently started using @ wildaiapp ( https :// www . wild . ai ), which uses scientifically-based research , along with trends picked up by personal data tracking , to provide recommendations for optimising training and recovery during each phase of one ’ s cycle . How cool is that ? Plus , it can also sync with some popular wearables and fitness devices !
I haven ’ t been using the app for very long , so I ’ m still in the experimental phase myself , but besides nerding out on the interesting research information , I ’ ve found it quite handy in planning my workout intensity and supplementation / recovery protocols . Perhaps this is something that could help you , too , so check it out . – Dominique D ’ Oliveira , Cape Town
As a former elite-level gymnast and current elite-level OCR athlete , as well as a personal trainer , I know that Dom is well versed in understanding and keeping track of the way the body reacts to physical exertion , and that in itself is a solid endorsement of this app , so as she says , check it out . – Ed .
CLIMBING TO HEAVEN ?…
How was that elevation from 4km to 6.5km at the In Touch Trail Run on 5 December ? I may have caught a glimpse of Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates of heaven ! And
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