Comrades champions share their lockdown routine to keeping focused and fit
Last year's Comrades marathon champions talk about how they remain positive about their preparation for this year's Comrades, which will hopefully still take place later in the year.
The National Lockdown undoubtedly dealt a few blows to the normalcy of many people and for most runners too.
This has meant no road running or outdoor interaction with fellow runners to minimize contact and the spread of COVID-19.
Comrades Marathon 2019 winners and both members of the Nedbank Running Club, Edward Mothibi and Gerda Steyn, like most ultramarathon runners, are still preparing for the 2020 Comrades marathon. However, the implemented lockdown has forced them to be innovative and find ways in which they can keep physically and mentally strong.
On a recent trip to the mountainous country of Lesotho, Steyn mentioned that under normal circumstances her training sessions consist of running with the inclusion of cross running (pool running, cycling and swimming). To balance it out when the opportunity presents itself, she hikes.
“I believe in a holistic approach to training which helps keep my body strong,” Steyn explained.
Concerning the lockdown, Steyn has chosen to keep a positive mindset even though she admits she misses running outside.
“I miss the freedom and the feeling of pushing my body while enjoying the outdoors but I know that this lock-down is for a bigger cause, so I am just trying to be optimistic about it all and appreciating the fact that I am still healthy,” noted the extremely popular athlete.
Sharing how she keeps focused during this uncertain time, Steyn said she keep her mind focused on the fact that this pandemic is temporary and that there will be a day where all of this is in the past.
In terms of training, she explained the course she has taken for the next couple of days.
“I try to set myself daily targets with my new indoor training regime and that keeps me mentally strong. It is not easy to be unable to run because training is such an enormous part of my daily lifestyle. But I have learned from other situations such as injury in the past that it is possible to stay fit without running and I keep reminding myself that there are many other people out there at the moment fighting for their lives due to this virus and that my “problems” are trivial compared to theirs.”
Her fellow Green Dream Team (Nedbank) member, Edward Mothibi, has also felt the burden of not training due to lockdown.
He tells of a weekly training programme that entails running in his yard for 20-30 minutes, laps, skipping and some muscle-building exercises such as squats and push-ups.
“Training hasn’t been easy since the lockdown started but I try my best to exercise and keep fit. Normally I would train 6 days a week, doing a 28km mid-run every Wednesday, but now I’m forced to adjust to my environment and work with the space I have. Mental strength is also important and that is why I always try to relax, keep calm and stay positive,” Mothibi commented.
Though there’s a lockdown across the globe, Nedbank Running Club National Manager, Nick Bester encouraged all runners to observe and adhere to regulations of the lockdown.
Bester also reminded them to consider a few guidelines on training during the lockdown:
- Stretching is the most important part of training under these strange times to ensure the muscles and ligaments stay flexible and to avoid any injury.
- Weight exercise is highly recommended, should runners not have weights and other gym equipment at home, there are ways to improvise using household items.
- Runners should not neglect their abdominal muscles. This is one vital strength training for any endurance athlete.
- To get adequate endurance training runners can move quickly between exercises in a way that keeps the pulse rate up and above 120 beats per minute.
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