Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 94, May 2017 | Page 9

myself what I had thought in the
first few races: “Why did I pay
just to tire myself out like this?”
These days I can even have an
easy conversation with the runner
next to me. And if that runner
pulls away, I am quite able to
stay with him or her. I even have
the energy to pick up somebody
else’s water sachet, which they
dumped along the road.
I have come to realise that I do
in fact feel better after a good
running workout, whether it is
just in my neighbourhood, or some or other scenic route I chose for the day. I can
now enjoy a coffee or a milkshake after running, or the odd burger, as I know I will
be running again the next day and not much harm would be done by overindulging
a bit. We need to be fit and healthy, and what better way than to run beside the
beach and have strangers encouraging you along the way. I’m sure they feel
encouraged to start exercising themselves when they see us runners working out.
So guys and girls, fellow runners and athletes, and even those of you not exercising
but still taking the time to read this letter, put on your tekkies, go for a run, even
after a long day at work, and you will be thankful afterwards. Tension will be gone,
find advertisements for supplements, often with a picture of the winners of big races
promoting some or other supplement that is being promoted as “the” thing to use. For
example, in the last two years, the Comrades men’s winner proudly promoted Biogen
recovery drink, and last year’s women’s winner Charne Bosman even shared her
supplement success (nutty butter) with us as well.
M eanwhile, the internet is flooded with articles of what products to use, including
when and why, but nowhere can I find in any magazine or internet site a well-informed,
unbiased article with regard to supplement use before, during or after race. In all the
articles you are told to “consume to thirst,” or take in a carbohydrate intake of between
22 and 40 kilojoules per hour. How much 32GI drink or USN or Biogen or whatever is
22 to 40 kilojoules carbo? How do you measure it? And on the side you also hear about
banting, and then there are the Herbalife supporters and the Chai believers. There are
also nausea side-effects and stomach upsets to take into account…
Man, it is one hell of a confusing subject, and by the time you have sorted out by
yourself what doesn’t work, you’ve got an arsenal of supplement bottles stacked away
in your cupboard! So, what about a genuinely independent article on supplement use,
telling us how, when and why, to clarify a bit of the confusion in this regard? – Colonel
Andries Bezuidenhout, Pretoria
You make a good point that there is a need for simple, concise, reader-friendly
info on nutritional supplements, and we will give this some thought for a future
edition. It’s no small project, that much I already know. – Ed.
endorphins released, and you will have a good night’s sleep. That’s a given. – Rayno Lourens, Cape Town RUNNING BACK TO HEALTH
Nice letter, Rayno, most inspiring words. – Ed. In 2011 I lost the job I loved, and as the years passed I couldn’t keep temporary jobs.
Nothing was going well in my life, resulting in me getting so depressed that I locked
myself away from the world, lost a tremendous amount of weight, my nails and skin
were breaking, and when I went to the doctors, I was told I was underweight, and that
my bones were fragile.
Then in August 2015 I started gymming and jogging every morning, and I found it
so liberating that I sobbed every day. My brother and mother were my best support
system during these trying times, and my mom bought me a pair of running shoes for
my first race that I entered,
SUPPLEMENT CONUNDRUM
I am a keen reader of your magazine, and can’t wait for each month’s edition to hit the
web or shelves. Now, just as with every other magazine, you need advertisers to keep
the cost down of giving out such a well-informed magazine.
As I am a road runner, I have a keen interest in articles in that regard, and because we
spend a lot of time on the road, we need to sustain energy levels by taking in some
sort of supplement, whether it is in liquid, gel or food form. In your magazine you will
the Johnson Cranes 5km.
I enjoyed myself so much
that the marathon bug bit
me hard, and now I try
enter almost every race.
– Boitumelo Mogapi,
Johannesburg
Amazing how running not
only helps us feel better,
but can help us get back
on our feet when times
are tough. – Ed.
Write and WIN
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