Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 99, October 2017 | Page 9

DRINKING THE RIGHT AMOUNT sports, what am I paying for? • I pay for those moments when my kids are so tired they want to quit, or skip I recently discovered that drinking too much fluid before training and my road races affected my performance. Since I have reduced my fluid intake, I have significantly improved my times and quality of training. I always thought that I was eating too much when I felt full, for both my training and road races, but too much fluid was my problem. I hope your readers can relate and learn from this. I am enjoying my running a lot more now that I do not feel full at the start of my running! – Michael Taylor, via e-mail We all have different needs and ‘ideal settings’ when it comes to running. Glad you have found what works for you, Michael. – Ed. MEDALS FOR THE KIDS, PART 4 training, but don’t. • I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined, focused and dedicated. • I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body and equipment. • I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates, gracious in defeat and humble in success. • I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals. • I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don’t get that result they hoped for, but still go back week after week, giving it their best shot. • I pay for my kids to respect not only themselves, but other athletes, officials and coaches. • I pay for my kids to learn that it takes years of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight. • I pay for my kids to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long- term goals. • I pay for the opportunity my kids have to make life-long friendships, create memories, and to be as proud of their achievements as I am. • I pay so that my kids can be out on the track instead of in front of a screen... I could go on but, to be short, I don’t pay for sports; I pay for the opportunities that sports provides my kids to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives, and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far, I think it is a great investment! – Trevlyn Mayo Palframan, Eshowe Trevlyn, I found this by chance on your Facebook page, and decided it was too good not to publish here. Having interviewed your daughter, Olympic sprinter Justine, I would like to offer my humble opinion that you have done an excellent job! – Ed. I’ve just read a letter in your September edition from teachers Bennie and Elsje Du Plessis in the Karoo, about giving medals to kids at schools. Being far away is no reason for them not to receive extra medals, when they have such a huge impact on the kids, so I’d love to courier my old medals to them, and also to collect more from friends, too. Happy to cover the courier costs if you can facilitate this, Ed. – Thapi Themba, via e-mail Awesome gesture, Thapi. I will put you in touch with Bennie and Elsje and you guys can sort out the details. – Ed. A BRILLIANT INVESTMENT One of my friends asked me, “Why do you pay so much money for your kids to do all their sports?” Well I have a confession to make; I don’t pay for my kids to do sports. Personally, I couldn’t care less what sport they do. So, if I am not paying for Write and WIN Each month the writer of our winning letter wins a pair of new running shoes, with various brands supporting this initiative and subject to availability. The Editor will select his favourite letter each month, contact the winner to get sizing and delivery details, and then the sho es or a voucher will be dispatched to the winner. So, get writing that letter today – add a high resolution photo or two if you can – and mail it to [email protected]. 9