"It’s been a really busier time than usual during this lock down period,” says Van Zyl from her home in Pretoria where her and former World Championships 400m hurdles medallist Lj and their two sons live. 

From a training perspective, Van Zyl has not let the lock down period let her lose focus. “I have been doing a lot of cycling indoors and strength work, even using my youngest son as a weight so he loves it because he loves being carried around, so it makes it a lot of fun for him.”

At a time like this, an athlete can really lose focus and motivation with the uncertainty of knowing when races will resume or even being allowed out to run. Luckily for Van Zyl, looking after her boys has kept her focussed. “If I am not training then I am really busy with them. I have to keep them entertained and making food almost 24 hours of the day as they are always eating!”   

After a debut Two Oceans Ultra Marathon last year that saw her finish on the podium in 3rd, Van Zyl had looked to 2020 to go even better but with races being either postponed or cancelled completely as was the case of Two Oceans, Van Zyl has had to shift her goals for this year. 

“Because we don’t even know what will happen for the rest of the year yet, it has had a major impact on how I train now. With no races, there is essentially nothing to train for, so right now I don’t do any hard sessions, so I am just trying to stay fit and not focus on anything in terms of a goal race until we know what is happening.”

Staying healthy at a time like this is very important, and Van Zyl praises sponsors Biogen and Futurelife for this. “Every morning starts with Futurelife oats for breakfast as it gives me everything I need to get going. I also ensure that I take daily vitamins from Biogen and my staple is a multivitamin, Iron, Vitamin C, Omega and Vitamin D.”

With the lock down having been extended in South Africa by a further 2 weeks, the Nedbank running club urges all their members not to lose focus, stay indoors and keep their families safe.