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: January 2013
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 |
| 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 |
| 7 Jan | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 14min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Walk 5min easy; Jog 14min walk 1min x 4; Walk 5min | REST | Jog 28min walk 2min x 3 | Jog 36min walk 1min x 3 |
| 14 Jan | REST | Run 35min easy walking when needed | REST | Run 35min easy walking when needed | REST | Run 50min easy walking when needed | Run 1hr10 easy walking when needed |
| 21 Jan | REST | Run 40min easy walking when needed | REST | Run 40min easy walking when needed | REST | Run 1hr easy walking when needed | Run 1hr20 easy, walking when needed |
| 28 Jan | REST | 5km Time trial, do this to the best of your ability, walk if you need to. DO NOT go 100% effort | REST | Run 45min easy walking when needed | REST | Run 1hr05 easy walking when needed | Run 1hr30 easy walking when needed |
Download the PDF for January, here >>
Get the rest of the Finishers medal training programme here >>
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Hello, I am a beginner and are using the finishers program to hopefully complete the comrades this year. I have a few questions and would appreciate your advice:
- I have an ITB issue on the right leg/knee area, and missed one session since December. How do I recover the lost training? I am using RICE techniques and foam rolling with lots of stretching after every run which are helping. I just need to know if I have to lay of for a week do you start again where you ended or continue the program at that particular time.
- The March program on the weekend of the 10th is the qualifying race for the Comrades. There are no qualifying races that I am aware of on that day in Gauteng, only 1 and 2 weeks prior. Do I try and qualify earlier or at a later date than stipulated as I feel 5 hours for a 42km is a tough ask at this point in time?
- Lastly what would the recommended running/walk strategy be to qualify seeing that I have never done a running road race in my life. I currently manage to do around 7 minutes per km and have sustained it based on the program thus far.
Thank you.
Regards.
What should I do for hill training? I live in an area where there is no hills, do I find a ramp or flyover and change TT for hill repeats?
Thanks