The 2013 Comrades is an UP run and we will therefore need to prepare physically for the challenge of COWIES HILL, FIELDS HILL and BOTHAS HILL – which all fall within the first 40km of the UP run.
By preparing physically for the challenge you will also prepare mentally for the task that awaits you in the second half of the UP run. If this is your first UP run, consider yourself a novice, where the down run is an exercise in patience and pain management, the up run is about managing fatigue and the gradual draining of strength from all the hills.
This programm is time based, so people of more experience and greater running ability will get relatively more out of the programme and progress faster. Time based programs also prevent you from settling on a route that you need to run faster every time you do it. It is also easier to maintain discipline and run easy on the easy days.
The Novice Project programmes are built around 4 days of loading and 3 days of recovery. Do not be tempted to do more as this will only compromise you later in the programme, leading to injury, illness and under performance in goal races.
Also note that training days are interchangeable, if your club has Time Trials (TT) on a Tuesday or Wednesday you can swap days.
Do not be tempted to add extra training days into the programme or to add in speed/hill work if none is provided for.
Comrades is not about how fast you can run!For example, to achieve a silver medal you must be able to run 5min/km for 7.5 hours and to be capable of that you should be able to run a 3 hour marathon (4:15.9 min/km). In other words it will not be lack of speed that costs you your goal medal on race day, it will have more to do with your ability to sustain a steady pace for 87km.
Coupled with this is the increased risk of injury during high intensity workouts.
In short: Stick to the programme.
Bill Rowan Training Programme: January 2013
Recovery: 5:50-6:20
Easy: 5:20-5:40
Long Runs: 5:20-6:00
Hill Repeats: 4:20-4:30
Time Trials:
4km 16:50
5km 21:30
8km 35:30
| Week Starting | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 31 Dec | REST | 20min easy + 5 TT | REST | Easy 1hr10 run | REST | Easy 1hr15 run | Easy 1hr50 run |
| 7 Jan | REST | 20min easy + 5 TT | REST | Easy 1hr15 run | REST | Easy 1hr20 run | Easy 2hr run |
| 14 Jan | REST | 20min easy + 5 TT | REST | Easy 1hr20 run | REST | Easy 1hr25 run | Easy 2hr15 run |
| 21 Jan | REST | 20min easy + 5 TT | REST | Easy 1hr25 run | REST | Easy 1hr30 run | Easy 2hrs30 run |
| 28 Jan | REST | 20min easy + 5 TT | REST | Easy 1hr30 run | REST | Easy 1hr40 run | Easy 3hr run |
Download the PDF for January, here >>
Get the rest of the Bill Rowan medal training programme here >>
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Thank you for this useful training programme which i am presently following. I am however slightly concerned that this programme is less arduous than that posted on the official Comrades website (Lindsey Parry’s plan I believe). The fundamental difference is that Runnersworld advocate each Weds as a rest day, whilst the official Comrades plan includes an additional one hour (plus) training for that day.
Grateful for clarification!
Thank you for this useful training programme which i am presently following. I am however slightly concerned that this programme is less arduous than that posted on the official Comrades website (Lindsey Parry’s plan I believe). The fundamental difference is that Runnersworld advocate each Weds as a rest day, whilst the official Comrades plan includes an additional one hour (plus) training for that day.
Grateful for clarification!
Hi Chris,
This programme was created by Lindsey Parry – we’ll ask him for his feedback and let you know as soon as possible. Until then, good luck with the training!