Kalmer’ s CORNER
Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador’ s Blog
BACK TO BASICS
The saying goes,“ Remember that a 12-minute mile is just as far as a six-minute mile.” Well, over the past couple of months I have developed new respect for this quote.
– BY RENÉ KALMER
Four months post my hip surgery, my orthopaedic surgeon finally gave me the green light to start training again. This time, I actually cried happy tears in the corridors of Fourways Life Hospital. The circle was finally complete after a very frustrating 18 months of battling with a mystery hip injury. I was overwhelmed with joy, but at the same time terrified to take the first step of my comeback! What if my hip was still sore? Where do you begin after a five-month layoff?
It took me four days to call my coach to share the good news, and I made peace with the fact that I was once again a beginner runner, starting off with 1min jog / 1min walk intervals. Then I was upgraded to 4min jog / 1min walk intervals. I was over the moon when I started to hit 4:30min / km pace in my intervals. I haven’ t seen Mr 4min( forget about the seconds...) for a really long time on my Garmin watch!
Taking Baby Steps
After four weeks of slowly getting back into running, I was finally allowed to do a 20min non-stop run. Normally, 20 minutes is just part of my warm-up routine, so this was quite an adjustment. Added to that, the first 20min run was scheduled on my birthday and I was all pumped, but my excitement only lasted a few steps. I was 20 weeks pregnant at that time and baby just would not allow mommy to have a comfortable run. I barely dipped under a frustrating 7min / km! A few days later I met hubby, Andre, after work for another shuffle, but after 2km I was begging
him to rather walk the rest of the way. Andre could not believe that he would ever hear those words come from my mouth. I now have new respect for beginner runners and finally understand why they sometimes don’ t enjoy running as much as I always have: It is hard to run when you are a bit overweight, your joints are hurting, and you find it difficult to breathe.
Thankfully, some runs are definitely more pleasant than others. I enjoyed my first parkrun at Delta Park five months after my surgery. I look back to where I was five months ago, stuck to a Game Ready Ice Machine for two weeks and being on crutches for five weeks. Still, as a former Delta parkrun record holder, it was quite tough to be one of the backmarkers huffing and puffing up the hill – I didn’ t even count how many dogs were in front of me, and Andre is enjoying every moment of this pregnancy-joint-comeback attempt, as he says he can finally keep up with me on a run now – but I have learnt to celebrate the small victories on my road to recovery, and to be grateful for mobility again.
Facing a New Reality
Most importantly, I have made peace with the fact that I won’ t be able to be one of those mommy’ s to be that runs right until they are about to give birth. That’ s why I’ m really grateful to Uday Raniga for helping me out with an Elliptigo. Basically it is a cross between a bicycle and an elliptical gym machine, designed to simulate the movement of running without the impact on your knees and hips. I truly believe in the benefits of staying active throughout my pregnancy, even if it is just to keep a positive state of mind. The Elliptigo allows me to get my heart rate up without impact on my joints, and the opportunity to train outside instead of stuck inside a gym.
I have also figured out that morning runs are more comfortable. Maybe it is just my imagination – or wishful thinking about the future – but I think my baby enjoys sleeping in as much as her daddy. And even though the‘ Watermelon Lady’ is attracting a lot of attention when training, I’ m planning to keep going as long as my body allows it.
Images: Courtesy René Kalmer
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