It's no secret, many people use races as motivation to keep the health and on the road running.
Putting an event in your diary can give your running a sense of purpose and ensure you think twice before skipping a training session
In the light of the measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to encourage social distancing to curb new infections, and limiting the size of public gatherings to no more than 100, all races across the country are being cancelled.
This means that many runners are left demotivated and not so eager to train. However, not all is lost, one can still continue to train alone or with a limited number of people.
Elite Under Armour Run Crew, Sibusiso Madikizela from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, says during this time there can be changes in the training programme with less intensity then usually, but keeping fit is the main motivation. So when race day comes along, you are ready to go.
“As an athlete we are used to training for months without racing, so it isn't hard as it seems, the difference is we don’t have a timeline as to when the next race will be which is challenging. We must put our health first and then train so that when competitions do happen, we are ready to go. I advise everyone who is looking for a way to keep healthy to lace up ad hit the road during this time."
Elite Under Armour Run Crew Nobuhle Tshuma says, that this is the best time to lace up and hit the streets to keep your health in check during this period. But while you are doing this, here are some of her suggestions to keep say on the road:
- Wear masks during training
- Avoid training on roads or fields with many people
- Drink a lot of water after training
- Avoid hand shaking
- Do exercises to help you stay fit during this time (i.e. home functional workouts lunges, push-ups and squats)
- Beginners, jog for 30 minutes then stretch
- Advanced runners to follow the attached program
- Wash your hands regularly before doing anything