June 2009 Comrades edition. Click anywhere to advance pages.

June 2009 Comrades edition.

Click anywhere to advance pages

The official newsletter of Yellowwood Park A. C.

June 2009Club Captain’s Comment

Comrades Results

Coaching Matters with Megz

Time Trials with Kalman

Time Trial Achievers

Sandra’s Comrades Story

Race Results

Happy Birthday

Barry’s Bugle

Green Number Club

Comrades Statistics

The Last Word…….from our archives

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Chatting With The Chairman

X-Country with Kalman

Cheers, Steve!

Hi all.Gosh the last few weeks have been busy ones for the club and i must say all the planning and events surrounding comrades went off smoothly so i extend a hearty thank you to all involved in making this years comrades a memorable one.The build up began as early as the oceans with many of the comrades runners using this run as their long training run. I was unable to do my normal report  last month due to being in Scotland and therefore take this opportunity in congratulating the whole crew who made the trip-not only the runners but supporters as well.Having being restricted to standing on the sidelines the last few months i realised how much stress the supporters go through and how much their help means to the runners-a part of running that we as runners sometimes overlook.On to comrades itself. We had the normal build up with our runners going 'blond' ,a excellent pasta evening which was made more special as we shared it with Barry's 70th birthday celebration. Barry's talk was again informative and our two novices soaked up his advise and tips.Comrades day arrived and for me it provided a different excitement as this time round i would be doing the seconding and Sandra the running.To be honest it was a difficult day as i often wished i was out on the road running and sharing in the greatest ultra road race in the world.But i had a role to do and with Angela Ford we managed to get to the right spots at the right time(except for one mishap where we almost missed Dale and Garth) and the day flew past.It was great to see most of our runners achieving their times. Well done to all who got to the starting line-this in itself is a great achievement.For the first time we had an aches and pain time trial and all runners and supporters gave a brief talk on their experience of the day and common to all was the spirit of the club at the moment-lets keep it growing!!As usual our comrades dance was a great success-thanks to all involved espically Sandra and Angela for all their hard work. We were even fortunate enough to see Glen's toilet paper party trick-some people never grow old-thank goodness!!!With comrades over and the runners enjoying a small break there is  still lots on the go. We will be going away to Ashtonvale guest farm in July which hopefully will add to the spirit of the club and prove to be an enjoyable trip for all.We also have the Blarney Bros scheduled for the 1st of August-tickets will be available from next week -so start selling!Well thats it for this monthSee you on the road(one day soon i hope)Stephen   

Warm Winter Greetings To You All

The YWP phoenix has risen and kudos have been given, and everyone deserves one last lusty pat on the back! Well Done indeed!

Rather than belabour the point or single out anyone, I think we as a club can be exceptionally proud of the achievement of YWP this year, culminating in an awesome Comrades experience that was truly a team effort! I don’t think it is any coincidence that some of our ex-members went backwards this year! Don’t dis my club and think you can get away with it!

Congratulations to Jenny and Eugene for shaping in their categories at the KZNA 10km road champs, just one week before Comrades! That is the ethos of YWP!

With the winter months upon us it’s a lot easier to make excuses to miss training sessions, but now is the time to define your character for next year. That little bit of extra motivation to get going will stand you in good stead as you set targets for the rest of the year and indeed for next year’s Comrades. So come on, get those shoes on and embrace the best winter weather in the world!

My goal is to see 30 or more YWP runners entered for Comrades 2010 and I want every one of you to become marketing agents for our sport. Speak to your friends and colleagues and get them down to our time trial - they say running is addictive, one fix can sometimes be all it takes!

A final word of thanks to Megan for her efforts in getting relevant and meaningful information for the newsletter. It’s not just “cut and paste” off the Internet, but is carefully put together from hours of research. She certainly is a pretty face, but as a fully certified sports coach will be able to help you with practically any area of your training. Remember, “coaching matters!”

Until next time – “spread the word”

Regards

Mike

The psychological strain of not being able to run can sometimes be worse than your physical pain. Sometimes it takes an injury to make us realize how much we love to run and that it's an essential part of our daily life. Although you may be eager to return to running, rest is an extremely important part of your recovery, so don't rush the process. You may need to cut way back on running -- or eliminate it entirely -- until you recover from your injury. It's possible to take up to a week off without losing any ground. In fact, a few days of rest may even improve your performance. But after a week of not training, you'll quickly start to lose your fitness -- a lot faster than it took you to build it up.

Cross-train Instead of Running

Cross-training is one way you can help maintain your fitness. Try activities that will not put added strain on your injury, and keep at them. Think of your time off as an opportunity to explore other activities. Biking and swimming are excellent aerobic exercises that keep you off your feet but still give you a good workout. Water running may be the best cross-training activity during an injury-related hiatus from running. Even with cross training, you're bound to lose at least some fitness after a break from running, since you won’t be working your main running muscles as hard as you would when running. A general rule of thumb is that it takes about two weeks of training to come back from every week of no exercise.

Ease Back into Running

Go easy when you first return to running because if you run too hard, you risk re-injuring yourself. If you've been out of your running shoes for only a week or two, start at about half the distance you were running before the injury. You should be able to build back to your former level in two to four weeks. If you've had a longer layoff, you need to be extremely conservative. You don't necessarily have to run slower -- just less. Sometimes jogging slowly might actually aggravate your injury, so it's better to run your normal pace and take walking breaks, when necessary. As you build endurance, you'll be able to extend the amount of time that you run and reduce the walking time. In the beginning, take a day off after every running day. For your weekly mileage, you'll need to gradually work up to your previous level. If you were running 40 miles per week before your injury, stop at 20 or 25 miles for a couple of weeks, then build up to 30 or 35 miles per week before you hit the 40-mile mark again. The silver lining of any injury is that you'll appreciate being healthy and running comfortably much more when you come back. But be realistic in your goals and expectations so that you don't get impatient and re-injure yourself. Improvements will come, but don't try to rush it. Taking a conservative approach to your training will help you stay healthy and injury-free.

Dealing With the Emotional Impact

When you're recovering from a running injury, you become very aware of how running is a huge part of your life. Follow these tips to help you cope with the psychological strain of not being able to run. When you're recovering from a running injury, you become very aware of how running is a huge part of your life. And dealing with the physical pain of the injury is often not as difficult as coping with the frustration of having to put your running plans on hold. If you're sidelined with a running injury, here are some tips for helping you cope with the psychological strain of not being able to run:

See it as an opportunity.

An injury recovery period is a perfect time to work on your weakness. If your core can use strengthening, for example, now's a good opportunity to work on it.

Stay active.

Talk to your doctor about recommendations for safe cross-training activities during your recovery. Some good choices are usually low-impact activities such as yoga, pilates, or swimming. The physical activity will help prevent feelings of sadness and anger.

Seek out other stress relievers.

Whether you realize it or not, running is most likely a source of stress relief for you. Now's the time to find other relaxing activities that may help manage your stress (including the stress of dealing with an injury!). Pick up some magazines, books, or a crossword puzzle –- anything that will keep your mind occupied and not thinking about sources of stress in your life.

Don't abandon running altogether.

Although not being able to run may make you want to forget about running, staying away may actually make you feel even worse. Keep in touch with your running buddies and stay up-to-date on their training. Use your recovery period as a time to get involved with running in other ways, such as volunteering at a race or cheering on your friends.

But find other outlets, too.

Now's also a great time to focus on non-running aspects of your life. Get together with some non-running friends for coffee or dinner, or catch a movie or a play. Doing something that isn't part of your regular routine

will help you appreciate the time off from running. Think positive!

Try not to adopt a "woe-is-me" attitude. An optimistic outlook will help speed up your recovery. Look toward the future. Remind yourself that the silver lining of any injury is that you'll appreciate being healthy and running comfortably much more when you come back. You won't take running for granted!

Top Times for 2009 4km4km Thula NgcoboThula Ngcobo 14:2814:28 Jenny SuttonJenny Sutton 17:1517:15

Shane LesterShane Lester 14:3914:39 Sandra ConwaySandra Conway 20:4420:44

Mike SuttonMike Sutton 15:1915:19 Megan AnticevichMegan Anticevich 21:3621:36

8km8km Eugene NcubeEugene Ncube 29:4629:46 Jenny SuttonJenny Sutton 37:1437:14

Shane LesterShane Lester 31:0231:02 Sandra ConwaySandra Conway 42:3342:33

Mike SuttonMike Sutton 31:5031:50 Heather ConwayHeather Conway 50:5050:50

PBs set in May 2009 2.5km2.5km Megan AnticevichMegan Anticevich 12:5812:58 20 May 200920 May 2009

Roxanne SchoonRoxanne Schoon 17:3617:36 20 May 200920 May 2009

Damon SchoonDamon Schoon 17:3617:36 20 May 200920 May 2009

8km8km Sandra ConwaySandra Conway 42:3342:33 6 May 20096 May 2009

10 June 2009 The Lesters17 June 2009 Sandra Conway24 June 2009 Greg Reeve 1 July 2009 Dale and Angela Ford 8 July 2009 Kalman Porritt15 July 2009 Steve Conway

Timetrials Duty Roster

Collegians Harriers 18 April 2009

Ladies Vets 4kmLadies Vets 4km 33rdrd Jenny SuttonJenny Sutton 18:1918:19

1717thth Sandra ConwaySandra Conway 22:0522:05

Mens Vets 8kmMens Vets 8km 1111thth Mike SuttonMike Sutton 35:1535:15

41st41st Dale FordDale Ford 47:2447:24

Ladies Vets 4kmLadies Vets 4km 44thth Jenny SuttonJenny Sutton 19:1519:15

Mens Vets 8kmMens Vets 8km 77thth Mike SuttonMike Sutton 32:1032:10

88thth Tim DuberyTim Dubery 32:2632:26

1212thth Martin BirtwhistleMartin Birtwhistle 33:4433:44

University of KZN9 May 2009

6 June 2009 Summerveld13 June 2009 Verulam AC27 June 2009 Stainbank, Yellowwood Park11 July 2009 (ASA Invitational Inter-provincial)18 July 2009 Savages AC 1 August 2009 Gelofte School, Pinetown 8 August 2009 Newlands Striders – TBA12 September 2009 (ASA Nationals) Tshwane / Pretoria

6 June 2009 Summerveld13 June 2009 Verulam AC27 June 2009 Stainbank, Yellowwood Park11 July 2009 (ASA Invitational Inter-provincial)18 July 2009 Savages AC 1 August 2009 Gelofte School, Pinetown 8 August 2009 Newlands Striders – TBA12 September 2009 (ASA Nationals) Tshwane / Pretoria

ForthcomingFixtures

Mens Vets 8kmMens Vets 8km 99thth Mike SuttonMike Sutton 35:1935:19

1414thth Martin BirtwhistleMartin Birtwhistle 36:1336:13

1818thth Gary LesterGary Lester 37:5237:52

3131stst Kalman PorrittKalman Porritt 44:5544:55

Hilton Harriers16 May 2009

The REAL reason we run cross-country!

Runner of the Month – April 2009

Our “new boy” was our standout performer in April with a couple of impressive times over 4 and

8kms. Hearty congratulations to

Steve Stemmet

Runner of the Month – May 2009

Megan Anticevichperformed consistently to end the

month on a high with a PB 12.58 on the 2.5km course. Well done Megz!

I found and memorized this slogan from my trip to Beijing one year ago: “Motivation becomes habit, habit becomes commitment”. My motivation was to run the Two Oceans 56 Ultra Marathon with

Stephen on 11 April 2009, our 22nd wedding anniversary. The motivation soon turned into no run with Stephen and me running my first Comrades, after doing the 56 training run! Every time I spoke about

Two Oceans, it ended up with Stephen saying “if you run Two Oceans, you may as well do Comrades”. This was not part of my plan, so by the time it actually dawned on me that I was about to run 89,3km the anxiousness set in big time. Then I was asked what my plan was. Okay…, did I have to have a

plan? Thanks to YWP AC and it’s many Comrades runners, I was soon given and idea of what a plan was. My plan then turned out to be, run to the 56k mark (‘cause you have done that distance), then

take it from there. I have watched many a start of Comrades on TV but being in my batch with all those runners on that chilly morning was amazing. Dale took me to my seeding batch and there I waited for

the two Mike’s and Gerhard. The hairs on my arms stood up as I listened to all the chirps (so early) and runners bopping up and down around me, waiting for the sounds of Shosoloza, our Anthem, Chariots of

Fire, the cock crow and then the gun. It took us just over 4 mins to cross the starting line and then I realized okay, this is it – Comrades. True to it’s name, Comrades is full of “comrades” – from fellow

runners to our seconds, to the supporters on the road side. I started off with the two Mike’s then, after hearing words of wisdom from Mike Thackeray, I decided to hang back a bit. I decided to check my

pacing chart at the 30k mark, to see how I was doing. After 30ks, I was okay time wise, then I lost the chart just after the half way mark! Fear set in, then I breathed deeply and decided to keep a check on my time left once I got to different k marks. Many thoughts and memories went through my mind as I ran. I broke the race down into different sections and looked forward to seeing Stephen, Angela and

Debbie at the set spots. It was encouraging and uplifting when people from work recognised me along the route. I was never alone and now, looking back, I cannot believe I actually did it. I plodded along and about 25km to go, started cramping from my big toe up my legs. I got frightened as I have never experienced this before. Alan Baker ran/walked with me a bit and told me how to change my style of running, to avoid the cramps. Then it was down to the tent at 45th Cutting, where the best supporters

of the lot met me with salt tablets and laughter – thanks Desiree and Margie! Jenny was so right – seeing Heather and the rest of our own club really lifted my spirits. I was almost home, although I think

the last 4 ks were the longest of the lot. The roads through town never seemed to end. When I eventually saw the stadium, I got such a lump in my throat and tears came into my eyes – the end…I

now have a little bronze medal that was not part of my agenda but let me tell you – that little medal was the result of VERY BIG HEARTS of our YWP AC – THANK YOU for helping me to experience the most

"amazing race" ever. Remember MOTIVATION becomes HABIT and habit becomes COMMITMENT.