Friday is normally my rest day. Plus this should have been a rest week, according my theory of having an easy week after 4 effort weeks. I missed yesterday because I just didn’t want to step into the dark, swirling, drenching rain. When it cleared and the sun...
You can call it Fear. It’s more. It’s the real you, the you that has to do the hard miles, asking the ego-you that one that likes to talk and dream and take chances: Are you doing the right things now? Do you have the right run-day plan? Can you handle a...
Tapering – tweaking the power Day 1 rest Day 2 easy 8 km (mapmyrun.com says its 8.72) Day 3 the same 8 km. This time pushing harder in the last 3.5 km, surging on the 6 little hills, easy on the 30-50 m between. Not too much but faster than yesterday. 1 min 20...
Arthur Newton Winner of the second Comrades race in 1922 Arthur Newton commented after his win: “It isn’t my fault I won. If Phillips and Rowan hadn’t cut out at such a terrific pace at the start they would both have finished in front of me, because...
The taper theory Having built distance into the legs and reaching the peak mileage week, the next and last phase of Comrades training is the taper. The idea of the taper is to lessen the weekly distance run (mostly the long run of the week) while increasing the...
Comrades Training Theory The short version of the theory of the distance part of Comrades training is this: Starting with what you can cope with in January run weeks of increasing mileage so that first 10 weeks average is rounghly 10% less than the second 10 weeks...
The hardest week Four out of seven days run, 47 km done, and all okay. The next 42 km I’ll run Saturday as if they will take me across halfway on race-day; take the run up from Kirstenbosch to Constantia Nek as if its the big Inchanga Bank. Run up Suiberbossie,...
So it begins … The only way really to simulate the demands of Comrades without running it and without breaking down: The highest mileage and hardest work week, at the end of 4 weeks of increasing mileage and effort work. My target is the Comrades run distance...
Running riches The thing about all the running for Comrades is that it’s not just about the hard work; not just about the medal at the end. Being out in the full of the last of the night-refracted sunlight is part of the richness And we are thriving in bonus...
Peak Distance Weeks The idea of Comrades training is always to push your running limits closer of the demands of the run, even to meet the demands if we can. Running lots to make you stronger, without breaking you down. My plan is always to build to a peak-distance...
