Training Axioms

1. Without running, without putting enough miles in the legs, you won’t get strong enough to do Comrades.

2. There are ways running that make you stronger, there are ways of running that make you weaker, then there are way of running that add minimum value. You can choose which you prefer, but know that the default option is a lower value one.

3. Training is a practical thing: knowable, doable, measurable, adjustable

4. You need to get your legs strong – you know that. You also need to train the rest of your body to keep up and support your legs.

5. You need to train (maybe in the sense of allowing them to adapt) all your systems – e.g. endocrine, cardio vascular, immune, lymphatic, digestive.  They all need to be able to cope with the relatively extreme demands you are asking of them.

6. Your mind is continually involved whether you are aware of it or not, in every aspect of your running. The more you engage your mind, the more you understand about what you are doing and how it affects you, and use that information, the better your training will be.

7. Comrades “training programs” will, mostly, tell you to do more distance than you need to get through the run or achieve the target you want to. They may therefore make you aim lower than you can achieve, even put Comrades out of reach. Or they make you do more than you should and end up breaking down rather than building your strength.

8. The better you train – running, adapting, engaging your mind, developing your race strategy and practicing it – the more you will get out of your Comrades running experience.

9. Liquids and nutrients are involved in every aspect of your running. Without taking in the right liquids and nutrition on the run, you will not perform anywhere near your best, hasten your breakdown, even create the risk of serious damage to yourself.

10. The more you take control of your training, understand what you are doing, have at hand options for what you encounter while running or racing, the more you will get out of your running.