When did you start running, and why?

I started running in November 2007. The unhealthy lifestyle I led through my 20s had started to catch up to me at 31. Running was never anything I envisioned myself doing. Thinking about going out for a run for fun gave me the shivers. I was going to the gym, doing the elliptical, and it was just starting to get boring. Then, one day, I thought, Maybe I’ll try a run. I’ll try to run two miles. Then I tried two and a half, then three. Then, it was, Let’s see if I can run four. At that point, I started to run outside. Becoming a runner coincided with me shedding some unhealthy habits. I used to be a heavy drinker, and I quit at the same time I picked up running. I felt it was best to trade an unhealthy habit for a healthy one.

How did those first runs feel?

My body hated me. It was as if my body was saying, “I thought we had a deal here. You don’t do this kind of stuff.” I had to wage a war of attrition with my own body. One day, my knee would hurt. The next day, my ankles would hurt, then my shins would hurt. That went on for months. Every day, some kind of ailment came up, some new ache or pain in my body. The only reason I kept going was because I was so stubborn. I had made a decision that I was going to be a runner, and I was going to be a runner. I wasn’t running through injury, just pain. It took six months for the first mile not to be the worst feeling in the world. Getting past that first mile every day was a trying experience. Now, I’ve been running for long enough that my body’s, like, excited to go out for a run. It’s like taking a dog for a walk–I put my running shoes on and my body says, “Oh, good, we’re going to do this!”

Do you remember the first run when things started to click for you?

I think it was three or four months after I started to run. I had just stretched past four miles for the first time. I was running outside, and I ran on this path around my apartment in Seattle, and I just had a burst of endorphins, that runner’s high everyone talks about. Once I felt that, I thought, This is what people are talking about! I had to earn it. It wasn’t just going to come out on those early runs. It was that euphoric point everyone talks about. And like so many drugs, your next high is never as high as your first time, so you’re left chasing that initial high.

At what point did you decide to run a marathon, and why?

I had spent three years running mostly low mileages, maybe 20 to 25 miles per week. Then I was running six days a week, four or five miles a day, and then I stretched that out a little more. I needed motivation. I needed a structure for my training. I couldn’t arbitrarily decide, “Friday, I’m going to run 10 miles for no good reason.” The L.A. Marathon is in March. The hardest thing for me is, we’re usually traveling and touring so much, I can’t fit long runs in. But we were just finishing up Codes and Keys, and there’s a period after we finish recording, while the record is being mixed, before the record comes out. We’re not really writing songs then, so I had some time on my hands. I discovered that this is something I can do. I was home in L.A. the vast majority of the time. So I bought a book on marathoning and followed the training regimen. I did it by myself. I didn’t have a partner. I followed the training plan rather rigorously. I really enjoyed it. The anticipation leading up to the actual marathon was really exciting. I would do my long runs on Fridays. I really relished getting up at 5 a.m., having a big breakfast, then taking off by myself, running through Griffith Park, Burbank, The Valley. It was nice to be out doing something, getting up so early to take on this challenge that not a lot of people take on.

Tell me about the marathon itself–what was it like? What surprised you about it? What was your time, and were you happy with it?

The day of the L.A. Marathon, the weather was the worst on record. I was basically running in a monsoon the whole day. My shoes and socks and all my clothes–everything was soaked to the bone. Attached to this very difficult thing–running a marathon–we were all doing it after basically jumping in a pool. Plus, my shoes were totally soaked. At points along the path, there were three or four inches of standing water.

On the positive side, it was really an amazing experience to be running through my adopted hometown. The L.A. Marathon runs through all these neighborhoods, and to travel through them on foot is really a rare thing in L.A. I loved seeing all the people from every neighborhood out cheering, even in the rain, handing out orange slices and water.

Now, I’ll drive through a part of L.A. that was on the course, and I’ll get a wave of nostalgia. I’ll think, I remember running down Robertson. There’s where I met that English guy. It’s a great way to see the city. On Wilshire, around mile 19 or 20, I hit this wall where I had to kind of swallow my pride and walk a little to get my strength back. That happened between 19 and 20, and 21 and 22. I felt kind of weak. But even through all of that, I kept a strong enough pace that I came in under four hours [3:56:34]. In all my training, my pacing made me think–I was hoping to kind of end up around 3:30. But I didn’t take environmental factors into consideration. I also didn’t consider the reality of the fact that this was my first marathon. I did what a lot of rookies do, and I got caught up in the adrenaline early on. When I got to the point that extended past my longest long run, there were all these climbs. That’s exactly at the moment where I started to lose my mojo. That took me down a bit.

All in all, it was an incredible experience. By the time I finished, it was a really powerful experience. I don’t mean to sound hyperbolic, but it really did change my life. I’m not the kind of person who ever, five years ago, would’ve dreamed of doing something like this. The sense of accomplishment was just overwhelming. It made me realize anything is possible. We often end up on these long tours, when we’re away from home, playing shows, doing press, getting sick, missing people back home–wives, or kids for some of us. I started to look at what I do for a living through the lens of doing a marathon. The marathon was the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life. To get through that, it made me realize I can get through anything. It really did shift something in my brain, flipped a switch I didn’t even realize was there. Whenever someone I know says, “I could never do that.” I think: That’s exactly what I thought! It proves anyone can do it.

Are you tempted to do another?

I got kind of cocky during my training, and I’d say, “I think I’ll do two marathons a year. This will be my new thing.” This, before I’d done one. By the time I got to the finish line, I reconsidered that. The finish line at a marathon is like a triage center. People are falling all over the place. I tried to sit down. There are people whose job it is to get people like me cleared away from the finish line, and they came up to me, like, “Do you want a cookie? Do you want a blanket?” I was like a little kid, I was so exhausted. For the next three or four days, I could barely walk. My legs were on fire. I lost a couple toenails.

I may make it kind of a thing that after finishing a record, I run a marathon to set the stage for what the next block of promotions and touring is going to mean. But it’s nothing I feel I need to do again anytime in the next six to eight months.

The band actually carries a treadmill on tour now. We have a semi truck full of gear, and we have a treadmill. Nick Harmer, our bass guitarist, is also a runner, and we’ll get up in the morning and both be jockeying to run on it. We realized that if we took the amount of money we used to spend on one tour in booze alone, we could easily buy a treadmill we could use on tour. We used to spend $300, $400 per night in booze.

Do you ever skip the treadmill and run to explore the cities you’re on tour in on foot?

If I’m in a place I know, sure. In Chicago, I run along the lake. In New York, I’ll run along the West Side Highway. But in certain cities, when we’re playing at venues in some weird part of town, I don’t just run out in one direction. And if you plan a route for multiple miles, you have to take time to plan it and map it beforehand. When I wake up, the first thing I want is coffee. Then, once I get jacked up on caffeine, I want to go for a run. The treadmill helps me stay on the safe side. I have a treadmill at home, too. But for the most part, I run outside. I like feeling the landscape pass by.

Do you have a favorite route?

In Seattle, I love running at Lake Washington. If you start at Capitol Hill, it’s a trek, but you can run up and down hills to get to the lake. Once you get to the lake, it’s a nice, long, flat run. You can run down there, run around Seward Park, then run back. Or you can drive the three or four miles down there. I also like running around Discovery Park in Seattle.

I like running in Griffith Park in L.A. You can do a street run by staying along the path and following the road, but you can also duck up into the hills if you’re feeling adventurous. There are miles and miles of trails through the hills. You definitely need enough water and a running buddy with you. I like Griffith Park because you get the best of both worlds. You can stick to the roads, or you can go off the beaten path and get some really great views of the city.

Do you run with music? If so, what’s on your playlist?

I usually end up listening to a long, extended running playlist that I keep adding to. There are at least a thousand songs on it. Or, I’ll listen to baseball podcasts. Those are the two things I toggle through: ESPN Baseball Today, or my own random playlist. Sometimes, I preview records I just bought. Today, I went for a run, and I listened to the newest Seasons record, my friend’s band.

Is there a song you listen to when you really need to pump yourself up?

Somebody on the Internet did a mashup of Ludacris and a song by She & Him, “Sentimental Mouths.” The vocals are She & Him, but they put it with Ludacris, and it’s a totally triumphant thing for me to run to. Whenever “Burning Inside” by Ministry comes on, I get kind of excited. The first song I listened to in the marathon was by a Seattle hip-hop group called LazerBeam. I listened to it 10 or 15 times. It was exactly the right tempo for the speed I was going.

Have you ever found inspiration for a song on a run? Do you think about your own music while you’re running?

A little bit. Sometimes when we’re working on a record, I’ll listen to mixes and think about how it’s sounding or how it felt. But for the most part, no. One of my favorite books is Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. To me, it so encapsulates what it means to be a runner and a creative person. He says writers have these bad habits, and that writing is, in and of itself, kind of a bad habit. You sit around alone for hours, dredging up your innards, and trying to make them into stories or songs. He says to balance out that bad habit, you need other, healthy habits. Running is that for me. So, to paraphrase him, What do I think about when I’m running? I think of nothing. My brain is always going, all the time when I’m not running. I need that time to just focus on the mechanics of my own body.

How is running like songwriting? How is it different?
Running and songwriting share a similar principle in that, if you’ve reached a hard part, you kind of have to work through it. When it doesn’t feel good, you have to work through it. Every time you pick up an instrument to write a song, you’re not going to feel incredible. How you transcend that difficult part–the part where a wall goes up–as a runner or a musician, defines who you are. If you walk away, you may be leaving a brilliant idea before it’s come to fruition. Maybe once you work through that wall, you could be onto something great. It could also not be that great. Some of the songs I’m most proud of, I wrote in 15 minutes. Others took two weeks, and came after I broke through the walls that were up in those songs for me.

Being a runner–especially in running a marathon–means you have to overcome that wall. You may walk a little, but at the same time, you have to get to the finish line. There’s no cab that’s going to take you home. That same principle is very present in being a songwriter. When you have those uninspired moments, you have to power through them. You have to see how they work out.

Is it true that you wanted to beat Flea [of the Red Hot Chili Peppers] in the L.A. Marathon?

My goal was to beat Flea. He got me by about four minutes. We have mutual friends in common. I saw him after the marathon, and Flea said, “Wow, that wasn’t easy.” I said, “Yeah. Wow, that wasn’t easy.” I don’t think we should underestimate what good shape Flea is in–clearly better shape than I am. Although, he had a friend running with him the last four miles, which may have given him the upper hand. All joking aside, he’s a great guy, and he was raising money for a great cause.

Pics by Nick Aldridge 

Last year she became the fourth-fastest South African female marathoner ever. Now she’s set to take on the world’s best at the Olympics and hold her head high.

René Kalmer has put the spark back into South African women’s marathoning and catapulted herself into fourth place on the all-time rankings with her 2:29:59 at the Yokohama Women’s Marathon late last year. It was the fastest time by a South African since 1999, and only Elana Meyer, Colleen de Reuck and Frith van der Merwe have run faster. Here, Kalmer talks about her plans to run 2:25, her passion for kids, and her desire to (one-day) start a family of her own.

It’s an Olympic year, you’ve qualified for the marathon. How do you feel?

Excited. The Olympic Games has always been my dream. That dream came true at Beijing 2008 (in the 1500m) and now I can’t wait to take on the marathon.

What’s your goal for the Olympic marathon?

It’s difficult to say. It’s going to be a championship race. I’m not sure if it’s going to be tactical. I think it’s going to be an awesome experience running with Paula Radcliffe, Mary Keitany and all my heroes. I don’t think I’ll be terrified this time as I was at last year’s World Championships.

Who are the runners you’re looking out for in the race?

Definitely the Kenyans. We need to watch out for them. They showed at world champs they mean business. It will help us to have a full team of three South Africans, to pack them as a team and not an individual. I think it’s going to be awesome. It will be very nice to have a full women’s team at the Olympics.

The Two Oceans Half Marathon is coming up, are you planning to run? Does it fit in with your Olympic preparations?

I’m definitely planning to run. It’s one of my favourite races on the SA calendar. My plan is to focus on getting my 10km and 21km times down in preparation for the Olympics.

When did you start running?

I actually started competing before I started running. I was 10 years old when the cross country teacher told the whole school to run. So I went home. Ek is baie voorbeeldig. The teacher said we should, so I went and ran the next day. I finished 32^nd so I wasn’t a natural, but I just absolutely loved it. And from there I improved every year. I improved and I just realised that training and dedication gets rewarded. I think that’s my advantage. I wasn’t a naturally good primary school runner. A worrying concern for me is all these primary school kids doing so well but we don’t see them coming through as senior athletes or even as high school athletes.

At what point did you realise you were good at it?

I made the under-13’s Transvaal B-team for the 1993 SA cross country championships and finished sixth. From there I improved every year. When I was 15, I came second at the SA’s under-17 1500m. From there, every year went better and better.

How did your parents feel about your running once you started showing promise?

I think that’s also one of my secrets. I’m blessed with an amazing support structure back home. There’s no pressure at all. My dad knows zero about running. They are supportive. They love to come and watch us and drive us to meetings. I think by now they wish they had grandchildren but they’re just very supportive. At the previous Olympics the whole family came to support.

Did your dad coach you at any stage?

No, luckily not. The only two training sessions he knows is 1000 metres and fartlek. In the beginning, I think it was quite tough for him. He’s not very sporty at all. I actually only bought him some running shoes this year for his birthday. When he drove us to all our meetings he would go to the korporasie. A lot of the meets he missed and my mom would just whisper in his ear how we did. Now he’s really interested in running.

What made you decide to focus on the marathon?

In 2010 I had a good European season and when I came back my immune system just broke down. It’s very stressful being overseas. It sounds glamorous being overseas for three months a year. But it gets stressful and lonely and you have to perform the whole time. I think my body just needed a break and at the start of last year I said it’s a good year to experiment with the marathon as I won’t have to go overseas for long periods of time. And it was a year before the Olympics. I could get everything right and see what it’s like. And if I decide to go back to the track I know I will have one massive base of training. Last year was a roller coaster. I had to drop out of two Spar Ladies races with ITB but I think running the 2:29 absolutely paid off. It’s nice reflecting back that everything turned out well.

Do you see yourself going back to the track?

That’s my coach Gerrie Coetzee’s principle. When your endurance is good you can race anything from 800m to marathon. I think I’ve pretty much proved that. Even with my track workouts now after 2011 World Champs marathon I was very strong and running the times I used to run as a 1500m athlete. I think I’ll be able to run a good 5000m and maybe even try the 10-K on the track overseas but it’s difficult to get the planning right with the marathon training.

Which new skills did you have to learn stepping up to the marathon?

Recovery is an essential point. You need to recover. Using your supplements, your protein shakes, ice baths, stretching, going for massages. Ja, my medical aid took quite a dip.

What’s the toughest workout you’ve done?

I like tough workouts. I’m a track runner at heart, so I like it when it’s really intense.

One of the sessions I did before the Yokohama Marathon was the 10-K at Soweto. I ran the 10km in the morning and in the afternoon I did 10 x 1000m running sub 3:10 with two minutes rest. After that I knew I was in good shape for a marathon.

Do you get more rest now?

Yes. Marathon training is very tough. You’re tired the whole time. When I was still a track athlete I managed to work and train but with marathon, it feels like you have a hang over from training. Not that I know what a hang over feels like (laughs).

Do you take days off during the week?

No, I’ve got some easy days. So our programme is one day hard, one day easy or just getting the mileage in. It’s only on Sundays that I train once a day.

At the Yokohama Marathon you pretty much ran even splits all the way. Do you see any benefit in going for a negative split (running the second half faster than the first)?

After my first two marathons last year (2:51:35 Jackie Gibson, Johannesburg March 2011 and 2:34:47 Prague May 2011) my coach and I decided we were going to run conservative. I would decide what time I want to run and stick to the race plan. I really had to use self-discipline. I started off in 18^th place and it was very tough seeing the leaders here in front of you or other girls coming past and wanting to go with them. After 10 kays I started chasing the girls down. My splits from 20 to 25 kays were the fastest of everybody. If I had someone after that to run with it would have been better. I’m glad to have the sub 2:30 under my belt and now I can chase times and get into good marathons where I have opportunities to run fast.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned as a full-time athlete?

I know how to listen to my body. I think I’ve learned the hard way. It’s tough being a full-time athlete when the running is not going well because then you don’t have something to occupy your mind and you can get depressed. As long as running is going good, it’s good but when it’s going tough, it’s tough.

Which athletes inspired you?

Definitely Zola and Elana. Ever since I was a kid I looked up to them. It was when Elana won silver in Barcelona that I first dreamt of going to the Olympic Games. Back then I wasn’t even the best in my school but I really wanted to go there. So, 16 years later (Beijing 2008) the dream became a reality. I’ve been to two world cross-country championships with Zola. They’re really two role models.

Who do you relate to the best?

Elana. We met a function recently and we chatted about marathon training. It’s good to know the different approaches to take. I really would like to achieve just half of what she achieved. I had a poster of Elana on my wall as a kid running in her Reebok kit. And Mizuno… Mizuno was also my first spike because Elana ran in Mizuno spikes.

I believe you have a blog, what do you enjoy about it?

There are different goals with the blogging). It’s therapeutic and I like to share my experiences because I get to travel all over the world, but I’m on my own. So it’s nice to put it on paper and share it with others. It’s good for the average runner to know the things I go through are the same as what they go through. Myself, Bruce Fordyce, Nick Bester and Patrick Baransky blog on the site (nedbankrunningclub.co.za).

You were in the lead for a while at last year’s world championships marathon. What was your approach going in to the race?

My plan was to go out with the leaders and then see what happens. It was quite slow so I managed to stay with them but it was a good experience running a championships marathon. There you are 50 girls together and you have to go get your water bottles at the same time so I really learned a lot. I managed to stay with the leaders for 25 kays. Hopefully at the Olympics I can stick with them all the way.

You were looking around at them like: ‘Hey, what’s going on. Why is the pace so slow?’

It was really frustrating. We were also clipping each other. That’s also why I went to run in front just to get out of the bunch. I was really scared to fall.

Did that experience help you at Yokohama?

After the world champs I was really disappointed. That was the reason for running Yokohama at the end of last year. I had to give it another shot and use all those good training sessions I logged because I knew it was in the bank.

Did it affect you that the marathon was on the first day of world champs?

No, that was very nice. I enjoyed that so I could get the marathon over and done with and I had an absolutely fabulous time. I didn’t have to watch what I ate. You really need some self-discipline because the dining halls are open 24 hours a day and it just becomes a nice kuier plek to socialise which becomes a problem if you compete at the end of the games. That was very nice. I could just relax, enjoy and do sightseeing. Being a track athlete, it was special to go the track every day and watch my friends compete.

How did you feel going in to the Yokohoma Marathon?

I felt so strong. For the first time I was really excited about the race. Inquisitive. My previous marathons were nerve-wracking experiences. I didn’t sleep properly thinking about the race for about a month before but with Yokohama I was excited. During the race I just stuck to my game plan running 3:33/km. Then I started catching the girls. With my previous marathons I was worried about the whole race but this time I was only worried about the last 10 kays. I didn’t hit the wall or anything. The only problem was at 35 kays I missed my bottle. It slipped out of my hands. I really felt I needed that energy drink the last 7 kays because I closed the gap on the front runners with seven kays to go. If I had that energy drink it would have given me a boost.

Grabbing energy drinks is often a problem at big marathons. What do you think the solution is?

It’s good to decorate your bottle (laughs). Which I did. But at my first marathon it was a real problem because we ran with guys and one of the Czech guys took mine. I only got my first drink at 25 kays. I’ve learnt to also run with some goo’s in my crop top for emergency cases. It’s important not to think: ‘Oh, if I miss my bottle it’s the end of the marathon’ but to go into the race open minded and be prepared to take a regular energy drinks or keep your own goo’s with you. It’s not the end of the world if you have to use something different.

You’ve travelled all over the world so many times. What was your best travelling experience?

When I went to visit Christine. She’s kicking me under the table so I have to say this. I went to surprise Christine while she was studying at Arkansas. I organised a running holiday. I went to run three races to pay for my trip. That was really awesome. It was for three weeks.

Other than Christine, who are you training partners?

Irvette (van Blerk). There are many Comrades guys training with us. That makes it easier for us. It helps to know someone else is suffering with you.

What’s it like training with Irvette?

It’s good. We’re very good friends. It helps to have someone push you. It’s to the benefit of both of us. At competitions we put friendship aside and race each other. But we’re good friends and have been on holiday together.

Would you say you’re addicted to running?

No. It’s not my life. I won’t be a miserable person when my running is done. I like running. I like the whole package: the travelling. I must say I’m very adventurous. I like to see as much as possible and meet people. I want a good innings with my running and then after that I want a normal life with family and holidays. I don’t want to run forever.

What are some of the things you enjoy about running?

I don’t think one really realises how nice it is to be fit and healthy, and just socialising with others. Running is definitely a drug. It makes you feel good.

What do you think about while you run?

Running a race I just concentrate and try to be positive. I’ll focus on getting the first 10 kays over, then reach the 15-K, half marathon and then count down. During training I just clear my head.

What’s your favourite track to compete at?

Port Elizabeth. I like Stellenbosch but it’s always windy there. I had my breakthrough race at PE when I was 17. I ran 4:09 in the 1500m and I just missed out on Zola Budd’s junior SA record by half a second. I had some good races there. Normally the weather is good and the people are passionate. I must say most of my fans are in Cape Town. Just the response I get. It’s phenomenal. I don’t get to experience that anywhere else in the country.

Which books are you reading at the moment?

Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi I read before going over to the marathon. There’s a story book I just finished The Shantaram. It’s a fictional novel. I really like reading autobiographies because then you realise everyone is going through difficult stages in training. You normally just see them winning but if you read about them you realise they suffered disappointments, injuries and illnesses. I also read Ryan Hall’s book Running with Joy. Kelly Holmes, Paula Radcliffe, Michael Johnson, I’ve read all their books too.

Do you have pets?

Two dogs. Ferdi and Dolla. They are mixed terriers.

What are your other passions?

I’m really passionate about kids. I also coach ten girls. Even teaching, I really love to interact with kids. I’m good with kids. One day I would like to have my own.

Which grade did you teach?

Teacher taught grade eight and nine. I taught accounting and business economics. The kids hated accounting. It’s funny. In school I should have concentrated on public speaking and creative writing. I was so bad at it and now that’s what I use. So life’s quite interesting the way it turns out.

Do you have a boyfriend?

No. I don’t. I go out and stuff but I believe in God’s timing. The right person will come at the right time. It’s difficult being in a serious relationship being overseas a lot. I know the right person will come at the right time. I’m not worried about that.

You were a child star in your teens but then disappeared for a while. What happened?

I was ranked No 1 in the world in 1998 for the 1500m. A week before the world junior champs I got a stress fracture. That really set me back for one or two years. I think there was an advantage in that. I got the opportunity to just be a student and then I realised I want to go and be a good runner. I just want to tell, especially the youngsters out there that if you have a setback your talent isn’t taken away from you. You just need to dig deep again to find the switch.

How do you find the difference between running and modelling?

Modelling is hard work. It takes a lot of time. I prefer running. That comes naturally to me. I’m a runner, not a model.

What do you watch on TV?

I watch Binnelanders and Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve got the whole box set of Friends.

Do you have a flat iron? A Ghd?

Yes, do you? I use it socially but not before a race. It’s fun to have. We’re athletes. She (Christine) burned herself on her forehead once. I must confess I used it this morning at 5am for the photo shoot. It was just easier than blow drying my hair.

How do you feel about women’s running in South Africa?

I really think we’ve got the talent. We just need to manage it better and invest in it. In SA we just do running as a hobby because we don’t really get the support from the governing bodies. It must be something you are passionate about and pursue on your own. But we’ve definitely got the talent. It just needs to be managed better. We need full time coaches. In SA everybody is just coaching on the side compared to abroad.

How important is it to start on the track? To start with speed?

Grass roots development is important to develop speed and also cross country. That’s how I started. We need to get back to the basics. Teaching kids to love the sport. I remember when our parents took us to athletics meets. I don’t think we watched any athletics but just played around there and that’s how the love of the sport grew in us. Athletics needs to be marketed properly and then it will be better.

What are some of the positives in South African running at the moment?

I’m very excited. There are four or five girls that want to try out for the Olympic Marathon. We haven’t had a full team in years. So I think that’s pretty exciting to see.

René FAST FACTS

Age: 31

Height: 1.68m

Weight: 54kg

Personal Bests

1500m: 4.06.71

10km: 32:28

Half Marathon: 1:10:37

Marathon: 2:59:29

Claim to fame

4^th Fastest SA female marathoner ever

2 SA indoor track records 3000m & 5000m

2011 SA Half Marathon Champion

2009 Soweto Marathon Champion

Cheers for

The Golden Lions Rugby Union.

“It was awesome to see them winning the Currie Cup. Christine and I were at the stadium. It was nice to see them win at last.”

Favourite athlete (non runner)

Roger Federer

Hails from

Roodepoort

FAN BASE

Parents Christo and Eloise, sister Christine

ADMIRES

Elana Meyer. “It was when Elana won silver in Barcelona that I first dreamt of going to the Olympic Games.”

René’s Daily Dish

Preworkout breakfast: I just have coffee. Christine wakes me up at 5am and then we go for our morning run.

Post-A.M. workout snack: When I come back I have egg on toast and fruit salad or some oats with fruit. Late morning I snack on peanuts or biltong.

Lunch: I have salad, or a sandwich or some leftovers from the evening before.

Dinner: Christine and I like to cook together so in the evening we create everything from a Jamie Oliver dish to something basic. Chilli Con Carne, it’s basically just a glorified bolognaise, with rice and salad. We really try to get in our five-a-day veggies.

Dessert: Wine gums or dark Lindt chocolate.

For an explanation of the training programme, please download this Two Oceans Half Marathon Experienced Training Programme PDF for March.

The PDF includes:

• The training programme
• RPE (rate of perceived exertion) guide
• Predict your 21km time from your best 10km time
• Pace chart

For an explanation of the training programme, please download this Two Oceans Half Marathon Beginner Training Programme PDF for March.

The PDF includes:

• The training programme
• RPE (rate of perceived exertion) guide
• Predict your 21km time from your best 10km time
• Pace chart

After disappointing performances in a couple of key tune-up races last year, a depleted Ryan Hall made the hard decision to withdraw from the Chicago Marathon. Too many grinding 25-kilometre tempo runs at 3:06 per kilometre pace at a 2 100-metre altitude with too little rest afterwards had finally caught up with him.

‘I love to push my body,’ he says. ‘Recovery is the hardest part of training for me.’

Problem is, if you don’t take time for proper R&R, your body won’t adapt to the stress of your training – you won’t get stronger or faster, explains Dr Stacy Sims from the Stanford Prevention-Research Centre, School of Medicine. Neglect recovery for too long and you will start to lose strength and speed. You’ll sink into the black hole known as overtraining.

First, your sleep patterns and energy levels will feel the effects. Eventually, your immune system crashes, and you lose your appetite. It’s like burning out your engine. And you don’t have to be logging 160km weeks to suffer. Recreational runners can overtrain, too. ‘With deadlines, chores, bills, kids, and lack of sleep, it’s more challenging to recover properly from your runs,’ says Sims.

So in preparation for the 2011 Boston Marathon, Hall used an online recovery-tracking programme called Restwise, which looks at simple biological markers input
by the athlete first thing each morning, calculates a daily recovery score from1 to 100, then trends it over time.

Pay attention to the following 10 markers. If three or more of these indicators raise a red flag, you should consider a few easy sessions or off days so you can return to running strong.

Says Hall, ‘Now I’m learning to love to rest.’

1) Body Mass: You lost weight from yesterday
A 2% drop in weight from one day to the next indicates a body-fluid fluctuation. It’s very likely you didn’t hydrate enough during or after your last workout. Dehydration negatively impacts both physical and mental performance, and could compromise the quality of your next workout.

2) Resting Heart Rate: Your resting heart rate is elevated
Take your pulse each morning before you get out of bed to find what’s normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is one sign of stress. It means your nervous system prepared for fight or flight by releasing hormones that sped up your heart to move more oxygen to the muscles and brain. Your body won’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress. A hard run and a hard day at work both require extra recovery.

3) Sleep: You didn’t sleep well or enough
A pattern of consistently good sleep will give you a boost of growth hormones, which are great for rebuilding muscle fibres. Several nights in a row of bad sleep will decrease reaction time along with immune, motor, and cognitive functions – not a good combination for a workout.

4) Hydration: Your pee is dark yellow
This can be an indicator of dehydration, barring the consumption of vitamins, supplements, or certain foods the evening before. The darker the colour, the more you’re struggling to retain fluids, because there’s not enough to go around. You need H2O to operate (and recover).

5) Energy Level: You’re run down
If your energy level is low, there’s something amiss. The key is honesty. Athletes can block out signs of fatigue to push through it, thinking it will make them stronger. It won’t always work that way.

6) Mood State: You’re cranky
When your body is overwhelmed by training (or other stressors), it produces hormones like cortisol that can cause irritability or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness probably means not enough recovery.

7) Wellness: You’re sick
Any illness, or even a woman’s menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This means
fewer resources available for recovering from training.

8) Pain: You’re sore or nursing an injury
Whether you’re sore from overworked muscles or an injury, your body needs more energy to put towards repair, lengthening total recovery time.

9) Performance: Your workout went poorly
This is a subjective measure of workout quality, not quantity or intensity. If you felt great on yesterday’s run, you’d evaluate that as good. If you felt sluggish
on that same run, you’d count it as poor. Trending workout quality – multiple poors in a row – is one of the easiest ways to identify the need for more recovery.

10) Oxygen Saturation: Your oxygen level has dipped
The amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin of the red blood cells can be measured by placing your fingertip in a portable pulse oximeter (a gadget that’s available online). The higher the percentage, the better: Above 95% is the norm at sea level or for an athlete who is fully acclimatised to a given altitude. This is a new area in recovery science, and requires more research, but there may be a link between low oxygen saturation and the need for more recovery.

COUNT YOUR FLAGS:

The Restwise Algorithm assigns more weight to some markers (e.g. performance) than others (e.g. mood), along with other factors to generate a precise recovery score. But you can get a sense for your ballpark recovery quality by tallying the red flags (left) that you average per day in a week.

0–1, Green light: You are clear to train hard.

2–4,  Caution: You can go ahead with a hard workout if your training plan calls for it, but cut it short if it feels too hard. Better yet, take an easy day – or a day off.

5–6, Warning: You’re entering the danger zone, which could be intentional according to your periodisation or peaking protocol. If not, back off.

7–10 , Danger: You require mandatory time off, ranging from a day to a week, depending on the severity of your fatigue and what you’ve seen over the previous few days and weeks. You may also need to visit your doctor.

According to Hugo, XTERRA Grabouw remains his favourite local XTERRA.  “Grabouw is 30 minutes from home, which means I get to wake up in my own bed the morning of the race.  My training buddies will be taking part, while my family will be out showing support on the day, making it extra special.  This will also be the first time that an XTERRA is hosted over a two day period, the XTERRA Lite on the Saturday and the XTERRA Full on the Sunday, making it the largest XTERRA in the world.  XTERRA Lite newcomers can relax as the event is catered just for them.  It is less demanding and less risky.  Participants taking on the XTERRA Full for the first time can expect a fun day.  If coming from a road background my advice is to shift your expectation, there are no tar roads and the route includes a lot of single track.  The XTERRA spirit is adventurous, being faced with challenges is all part of XTERRA.  Just allow the race to awe you.  The venue is ideal for family and friends to show support pre and post race.  I’ll be racing against the best on Sunday.  When Conrad Stoltz races he is always expected to win, that expectation has not yet shifted to me.  When in great form the race is his.  I however, won’t be the only one to mix it up on the day,” says Hugo.

For Wasle winning at XTERRA Grabouw was the highlight of her 2011 season.  “Last year I had quite a lot of ups and downs.  The highlight was of course my win at XTERRA Grabouw. It is always hard to say how my fitness will be in Grabouw as it is my first race of the year.  Austria had a very strong winter this year, it was freezing cold and as a result it was sometimes impossible for me to run outside with -20°C.  We had so much snow and such cold weather that I decided to go to Fuerteventura for ten days for training.  It is always a pleasure for me to fly down to South Africa.  The course features a bit of everything.  The Mountainbike starts off very fast, gradually getting harder and harder with lots of steep hills and technical trails.  The running course is perfect for me with lots of climbing.  XTERRA Grabouw is a fun race with a perfect course and amazing people,” says Wasle.

Other top contenders to look out for will include:  Conrad Stoltz, Nico Pfitzenmaier, Stuart Marais, Tyronne White, Daniel Carleton, Justin Porteous and Carla van Huyssteen.

Kahuna Dave visits XTERRA Grabouw:  It is with great excitement that the organisers of the Totalsports XTERRA presented by REHIDRAT® SPORT welcome Dave Nicholas a.k.a ‘Kahuna Dave’ Race Director XTERRA International to the 2012 XTERRA South African Championship.

Feedback on the 2012 XTERRA Grabouw Route:  German XTERRA Warrior, Nico Pfitzenmaier recently took a couple of athletes out on a mountain bike skills clinic in Grabouw, pre riding the XTERRA course.  Pfitzenmaier had the following to say about the 2012 course, “In my XTERRA career I have competed all over the world from Japan to Lake Tahoe, but what I saw today was the nicest XTERRA mountain bike course ever.  Besides the amazing views and landscapes, the course offers such a unique variety of terrain, from sand, rock, roots to gravel, sure to challenge all skill levels.  I think that the exploding number of entries for XTERRA races in South Africa are the result of a perfectly organized event, which allows the XTERRA spirit to step up to the next level!  I recon these events can be seen as a benchmark internationally”.

New Balance Trail Run:  Reigning ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun champion Dawid Visser will be aiming for gold when he takes part in the inaugural New Balance 10km Trail Run on Saturday, 25 February 2012.

EVENT INFORMATION:

Date:                       Saturday, 25 February 2012

Venue:                   Grabouw Country Club, Western Province

Event Format:     07h00:  New Balance 5km and 10km Trail Run

09h00:  TOTALSPORTS XTERRA Lite – 400m swim, 12.5km mountain bike and 5km trail  run

Date:                                      Sunday, 26 February 2012

Venue:                                  Grabouw Country Club, Western Province

Event Format:     08h30:  TOTALSPORTS XTERRA Full – 1.5km swim, 25km mountain bike and 10km trail run

The 12km for the senior men consisted of 6 laps on the 2km course and it was not until the fourth lap that Mbongeni Ngxazozo broke away from the main group with David Manja, Elroy Gelant and Lungisa Mdadelwa following.  Somewhere in the next lap Gelant overtook Maja and lead the race to the finish line.

Steven Mokoka started at the back of the pack and many expected him to come through and surprise with a finish in the top 10.  Mokoka, who already qualified for the Olympic Marathon, ran the Best Med Tuks Half marathon in the morning and finished 18^th, almost 2 minutes after Gelant came in.

The Phalula twins dominated the senior women’s 8km trials from the very start of the race with Nolene Conrad in the front pack with them.  Lebogang Phalula went into the last lap with a massive lead, almost 150m on her closest competitors and won the trials. According to Lebogang it was not a difficult race for her to win as she has been working hard on her fitness levels.

Defending champion Lebo Phalula came third with Mpho Mabuza finishing 2^nd, two weeks after running the SA Marathon Championships in George.  Other familiar faces to come through in the top 10 were Nolene Conrad who finished 7^th and Christine Kalmer in 10^th place.

The top 3 of the junior men’s trials was not decided until the last lap where Tunisang Monnatlala took the lead.  The last 300-400m however caused a lot of excitement as it was a sprint finish between Monnatlala and Sello Masia.  Sello Mokwena finished 3^rd, also just after Masia. There were about 7 seconds between the top 3 athletes in the junior men’s category.

Sylvia Tshehtlanyane won the junior women’s title with Anylsee van Graan crossing the line 2^nd.  Third place went to Luleka Dyonki from Central North West.  Anylsee’s sister Kyla finished 4^th.

The top 4 athletes (seniors and juniors) have a guaranteed spot in the team for the Africa Cross Country Championships taking place on 18 March in Cape Town, with the same rules applying to the Southern region Cross Country Championships in Mauritius (3 March) where the seniors will compete.

Results

Senior men

Senior women

Junior Men

Junior Women

It was a fight to the end as the top three runners in the 21.1km distance all finished within the record time but it was last year’s 10km Champion, Stephen Mokoka, who grabbed the title with a record breaking time of 1:04.35, followed by Desmond Mokgobu in 1:04.42 and Lucky Mohale in 1:04.59.

Rene Kalmer, who has already qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games, set a new best mark as she won the Women’s 21.1km category. She came home in a time of 1:13.09, shaving a full 1.16 off the previous record, to cap a sensational day of running in the Bestmed Tuks Race.
Taking the silver was Louisa Leballo in 1:19.58 with the bronze going to Kim Laxton in 1:22.50.

Zimbabwe’s Rutendo Nyahora successfully defended her title and broke her own record in the 10km category. Nyahora crossed the finish line in a phenomenal 34.34, beating her 2011 time of 35.02.

Irvette van Blerk was close behind with a time of 35.12 while Maxine Heine-Wacker finished third in 36.04.

Gladwin Mzazi was the fastest on the day as he claimed the 10km race with a new record time of 29.18 ahead of Sibusiso Nzima in 30.08 and Thamano Setone in 30.37.

The 10km wheelchair race winner was Gideon Myburgh in 1:00.10, followed by Frans Rossouw in 1:01.20 and Henrich Rossouw in 1:12.13.
“I would like to congratulate all those who took part in the 2012 Bestmed Tuks Race, and especially the winners. The quality of the field today was outstanding, as evidenced by the fact that four new record marks have been set.

“As we strive to promote sporting excellence, Bestmed is proud to once again enhance its contribution towards the caring for the communities in which we conduct our business, standing by our vision of promoting healthy societies, family wellness as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle,” said Bestmed CEO, Dries la Grange.

The University of Pretoria’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Cheryl de la Rey was expressed her delights in the high number of athletes who
participated in the 2012 Bestmed Tuks Race today.

“It is gratifying to see how this race has grown in stature and numbers, attracting a high level of athletes, families and students. This year’s field exceeded our expectation.

“The Wellness Programme which we launched last year between Bestmed and Tuks has been our main message here today as we do our best to promote a healthy body, healthy mind and an overall holistic lifestyle,” concluded Prof De la Rey.

Setting realistic resolutions can help you shed kilograms for the long run. Follow these weight loss training tips:

Resolution: Eat breakfast every morning

A mistake a lot of people make, especially runners, is to skip breakfast to save on calories, says dietician Madelyn Fernstrom.

Even if you don’t feel hungry in the am, eating early kicks your metabolism into gear so you start to burn calories.

Breakfast also curbs your appetite and sets the tone for a structured commitment to eating healthy all day. Try to eat between 150 and 300 calories for that first meal, and get a mix of carbs and protein (like an egg white omelette with toast) for both quick energy and long-lasting fullness.

Resolution: Plan to Eat

Real life means planning. This means thinking ahead about what you’re going to have for meals and snacks – during the week and on weekends – so that you have healthy ingredients on hand.

That way you don’t end up ordering takeout or going out to eat when you’re tired and starving.

A study found that the average restaurant diner underestimates his or her calorie count by up to 93 percent, so eating healthy at home can help keep off the kilograms.

On weekends, make a big pot of soup that will last a few days or grill up chicken and vegetables for multiple dinners.

Stock your freezer with pre-cooked meat and pre-cut veggies for quick and healthy meals on any night of the week.

Resolution: Take Notes

People who keep daily food records lose twice the weight as those who don’t.

No fancy journal necessary – just jotting down “tuna on whole wheat” or smsing yourself “chicken burger” helps you reflect on your meals and find your weaknesses. Even if you don’t think you can keep a food journal long-term, it can be helpful for some after just three days (make sure one day is a weekend).

You’ll find those hidden calories (nibbling at your kid’s unfinished lunch; snacking on cheese and provitas before dinner) and uncover mindless eating patterns (like always having chips when you watch Lost) that can contribute to weight gain.

Resolution: Nix late-night noshing

Do you eat “perfectly” all day only to scoff down ice cream and cookies at 9pm?

You may not be getting enough fuel when you need it.

Weight-conscious athletes often skimp on daytime calories, only to end up craving high-calorie foods late at night. Runners need to spread their calories out, says sports nutritionist Barbara Lewin.

People are active earlier in the day but get most of their calories at dinner, she says. “That’s going to affect your workout, your energy levels, and come evening, you’ll be starving. Eating enough during meals and snacks throughout the day will keep your hunger level on an even keel and prevent overindulging later.

Resolution: Think like an athlete, not a dieter

Your friend who “works out” at aerobics twice a week might get away with a meager 1 200 calories a day; you, Runner, cannot.

Depriving yourself of calories will slow your metabolism and sap your energy, damaging your weight-loss and running efforts.

Besides, diets don’t work: A New England Journal of Medicine study set out to find whether a low-carb, low-fat, or Mediterranean diet worked best, and concluded that none were particularly effective. While dieters tend to drop weight fast only to regain it, athletes need to focus on slow, steady weight loss.

This will provide energy for training while bolstering your chance of keeping the weight off for good.

And don’t ditch carbs in an effort to get lean: Doing so will drain your glycogen supply (the energy in muscles derived from carbs), preventing you from running as long or hard as you want. Lewin kickstarted a client’s weight loss by adding a high-quality carb to every meal, plus high carb snacks like whole-grain biscuits and fruit. Her energy skyrocketed, her workouts improved, and she lost weight.

Now that’s a “diet” we can resolve to follow!

Don’t sweat the occasional milk shake. A study found that 71% of successful resolvers said that slip-ups strengthened their efforts to stick to and meet their goals.

This time is almost 2 hours quicker than the previous record set, 11hrs48min.

Having led from check point 7 he was able to create more than a 10 min lead over his nearest competitor.

We’ll have a comment from Ryan as soon as he gets near his phone or computer.

A massive congrats, as always, from all of us at Runner’s World.