FITNESS: ROAD RUNNERS

Kwaito star Kabelo “Bouga Luv” Mabalane expands on the ways he’s made marathon running a part of his life

What is your training schedule? I have a basic routine which I intensify when getting closer to a race. I run 7km at least five days a week and do kettle bell training at least five times a week. Preceding a race, I may maintain the 7km run, but increase the kettle bell classes to two a day for two weeks. Then I might drop the kettle bell training and run 14km a day for a week or two, and then increase that to 18km a day, with a kettle bell session every day.

How do you stay focused? It has become a lifestyle more than a preparation for races. My schedule can be very demanding [Kabelo recently released his seventh solo album] and I find that being healthy and fit keeps me focused and able to achieve my goals.

How important is diet to your training? I live by the saying: “A six-pack is made in the kitchen, not in the gym.” There have been times when I have tried to out-train a bad diet, but it eventually takes over.

What are your future plans? To keep ticking away. I do not know how long I will keep running the Comrades, because it is getting harder, but I will be running about 7km a day five days a week for the rest of my life.

To read the full version of this story, go to page 98 of the January-February 2012 issue.