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Interview with Claude Moshiywa

Claude Moshiywa

Claude Moshiywa

Claude Moshiywa interview –

1.  We are counting down days till Comrades Marathon on the 2nd of June, 17 to be exact. How has the training been going?

My training has been excellent this year. In 2011 I got my best up run result, so based on that result and the training I did then , I looked at the programme and made some changes here and there, so let’s see if it all comes together on the day. But I feel good and it’s now time to recover and wait. At least the early mornings and long runs are over for now. These are always hard but when you do them it makes you mentally strong as well.

2.  Would you say you’re ready for the big day?

Yes, I would say I am ready now. Just a few minor sessions left to do and then we will be on the start line. I have worked as hard as I can possibly work so yes I am ready for the race now.

3.  I’m not asking you to reveal your secrets, but out of curiosity, tell us a bit about your Comrades training program?

Well as I also work a full time job, my training is different to the guys that run only. I get up really early some mornings – 3am or 4am and do my morning session and then have to be at work by 7:00am and work until 4PM and then do the afternoon session. I sometimes only get home after 8pm. So it is a long day for me. On a Monday and Tuesday I work through my lunch hour so that on Wednesday I can take a longer lunch hour so I can go do my hill training at that time. I use the hill by SABC office in JHB. I do long runs on Saturdays and I have a great group who always assist me. These long runs are done at various paces and on different courses so I get a good all round work out. So I don’t get to train in the morning then sleep and rest then train like other guys. But I have my programme that I use each year and make some changes so I keep improving.

4.  Any special diet that you’ve adopted or yet to, before the big day?

In the past I never really worried about diet and just ate healthy foods. But with my training and work schedules I started feeling fatigued at the beginning of the year. Through my Manager Craig Fry, he arranged a meeting with Mark Wolff of 32GI, who is a leading dietician. He advised me on what I should change in my diet, and added new things into it and since then I feel great. My recoveries are now quicker and I feel that I have a lot more energy now to sustain my job and training so my energy levels have increased substantially.

5.I was a bit shocked to see you in the top places at Two Oceans Marathon this year as you normally don’t run Two Oceans. How did you find that race?

Yes, I normally do Om Die Dam and Loskop as part of my preparations. But this year Craig and I spoke about races and I really wanted to do Two Oceans again, so we went to the race. I tried different things on the day as the main aim was to use the race as a good test to see where I was in terms of form. So during the race I ran in the group and then pushed out a bit so varied my paces at different intervals. I also didn’t want to take too much out of myself so really just ran as comfortably as possible and to give myself a good workout, and if on the day I got a top 10 then that would have been great. So 11th for me was good and a good indicator. It was also good to see where the other guys were in terms of Comrades form. With a lot of the Comrades guys going to Two Oceans it was also good to run against them at the race. I really enjoyed it and I learnt a lot of my competitors from the race so I can now plan my Comrades strategy based on my form and what I want to achieve this year.

5.  In 2012 you finished 9th (now 8th) how do you compare the races in 2012, 2011 and going into this year.

2011 was good for me, and my mistake was that I let Stephen and Fanie get too far ahead of me. I pretty much ran the second half alone. So from 2011 I won’t make the same mistake, but that race also showed me that I have the mental strength in the second half of the race. Last year my preparations were not as good as my work commitments kept me from doing some of the quality long run,s so I went into the race a little light on mileage, but I still did as well as I could have. Each year I take the race as a complete new race and I learn from the past races and this seems to be paying off as I ran a PB in 2011 and a PB in 2012 so I know I am getting better each year and I suppose on the day if I am the best prepared athlete on the start line I will win.

6.  Who is your biggest threat?

Biggest threat – well there are probably 30 guys that can win the race so any of the top guys are a threat. But in Comrades it’s better to run your own race and do what you have to do at the right times and if your strategy is right you will win.

7.  Craig Fry pieced together a prediction of this year’s race. Please predict your own top 10, assuming you were not going to participate in the race.

I would say based on the athletes that I know, Peter Muthubi, Stephen Muzhingi, Ludwick Mamabolo, Bongmusa Mthembu, Petros Sosibo, Leboko Noto, Gert Thys, Fanie Matshipa, Gift Kelehe and either Marko Mambo, Jonas Budd.  But I do fancy two of my training partners to get into a top 10, ( Mabule “Chillies” Rapotle – Was 2nd in Om Die Dam and Pick n Pay this year) and Thabo “Fartlek” Nkuna – is very strong on the hills and has great speed. They are running for Toyota.

8.  On behalf of Running Matters South Africa, we wish you luck. Any final words?

Yes, I wish to thank Mark Wolff for all the advice on my diet, Tiaan Conradie of CompresSport for the awesome products that I use in training and racing, 32GI and Nedbank Running Club. I also want to thank my wife and my two kids who sacrifice a lot for me to do what I do, especially in the first half of the year where I spend so much time away from home for training. Thank you to Craig Fry for managing me, and a huge word of thanks to my training partners who have helped me very much in getting prepared for Comrades this year. Without these guys supporting and assisting me training would be extra hard

Interview done with www.runningmatters.co.za

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