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.
Finishers Training Programme: December 2012
Recovery: 8:00-8:15
Easy: 7:20-7:40
Long Runs: 7:20-8:00
Time Trials:
4km 26:00
5km 32:00
8km 52:00
| Week Starting | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 26 Nov | Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min walk 1min x 3; Walk 5min | ||||||
| 3 Dec | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 10min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Jog 20min walk 2min x 3 | Jog 25min walk 1min x 3 |
| 10 Dec | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 11min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 10min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Jog 22min walk 2min x 3 | Jog 28min walk 1min x 3 |
| 17 Dec | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 12min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 11min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Jog 24min walk 2min x 3 | Jog 30min walk 1min x 3 |
| 24 Dec | REST | 5km Time trial, do this to the best of your ability, walk if you need to. DO NOT go 100% effort | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 12min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Jog 26min walk 2min x 3 | Jog 33min walk 1min x 3 |
| 31 Dec | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 13min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 13min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Jog 26min walk 2min x 3 | Jog 36min walk 1min x 3 |
Download the PDF for December, here >>
Get the rest of the Finishers medal training programme here >>
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Hi, I am using the Finishers programme for December and noticed that the training sessions for the last week of 31 December is in conflict with what is shown on the first week of the January 2013 program.
Which of these are the correct sessions for the particular week?
Thanks.
Hi Louis – the programmes now show the correct information.