your athletes . At 70 he was still running up and down massive sand dunes with Herb Elliot , the latter never beaten over the mile . They trained barefoot , and stop watches came into it only when doing a bit of track work . More like a monitor of progress .
Sebastian Coe trained on hills rather than on the track , avoiding a repetition of the same route every time , and he broke the World Record for the 880 yards , as it was then , simply by running the other athletes off their feet , start to finish . Also way back when , the trainers of harness racing horses in Sweden wised up early . Endless circuits of the track were as boring for the horses as they were for the drivers . Instead , a gentle trot through the forests fairly regularly paid far more dividends . Similarly , race horses towing logs of wood through sand as part of their training ... Mavis Hutchinson still does just that with a rope around her waist , towing a tyre on the beach at Fish Hoek in Cape Town . Who has done more mileage than she has ? And she ’ s still going !
Running shoes … way back in the 60 ’ s when I ran the Comrades twice , we ran with flat-soled tackies , the toes cut open , and no side-effects . So it ’ s no surprise that Orthopaedics are once more recommending the almost flat shoes . And I ’ m pretty sure those Ethiopian , Kenyan and other athletes from Africa run up and down mountains instead of on the road . They also eat plenty of mealie meal , by contrast to a banting diet ! The secret of that mealie meal has yet to be fully analysed … – Frank Meaker , Johannesburg
The expression tried and trusted springs to mind here , and I hope I am also still running up sand dunes when I am 70 . That ’ s why I run now ! – Ed .
RUNNING SHOES SAVED MY LIFE
The 17 th November 2014 was the day that changed my life . I collapsed at work with major chest pain and was taken to a nearby hospital in Benoni . I was hospitalised for seven days and the cause of the pain was unknown . After a few weeks I was happy to be back at work , but two days later the demons within were awakened and yet again I was taken to a hospital in Pretoria . After multiple times in theatre trying to figure out what was wrong , luck was still not on my side , and now it was worse . From December to February I had many consultations with different doctors , until I had an operation on the 6th February 2015 .
After my operation I couldn ’ t feel my legs and was bedridden for three days . Once home , the stress kicked in , as I could only return to work mid-March . When I returned , I couldn ’ t continue , as I was emotionally , physically and financially drained , and I could no longer lift the heavy equipment . I was declared medically unfit and that led to heavy drinking as I awaited the sickness to come back .
Some time in June 2015 , it was time to take the usual bunch of medication when I saw my trainers sitting there , as though they had been watching me . I decided to go for a 5km run , as I hadn ’ t taken a run in two years and wanted to clear my mind . I put on my running shoes and off I went … kilometre after kilometre , with my thoughts keeping me on the road , and I came back after two and a half hours . I did about 20km !
Since that day I just can ’ t stop running , and alcohol lost a dear friend in me . Now I run nearly every day , and I haven ’ t been to see a doctor since I put those running shoes on . I run every day like it ’ s my last run , and running has brought nothing but peace in my life . I have never been healthier and happier , so to everyone , if life is throwing you hardship , put on your running shoes and get even . – Gontse William Mfete , Pretoria
I love letters like this , when readers tell how running helped them overcome great obstacles . Always motivating for the rest of us as well . – Ed .
Write and WIN
Each month the writer of our winning letter wins a pair of adidas Supernova Glide BOOST running shoes . BOOST foam cushioning provides the highest energy return in the industry , using thousands of durable energy capsules that maintain their soft cushioning , season after season , so every run with BOOST feels like the first . It ’ s the perfect shoe to # BoostYourRun !
DON ’ T JUST RUN , GLIDE WITH THE NEW ADIDAS SUPERNOVA GLIDE BOOST™
7