April 2011
Training Programme for Comrades 2011
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WESTERN PROVINCE PROGRAMME
NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW Where are we now?
The answer is: nearly there. There are 59 days to go which is
just less than 2 months. When you think that one month is taken
up with the wind down in May there is only really one month of hard
training left in April to do. Of course most of the month of
April is taken up with Two Oceans, either making plans and final runs
followed by a brief recovery. Overshadowing Two Oceans this year
of course is the last long training run planned for Monday May 2nd.
There are a bare 8 days between finishing Two Oceans 56km ultra
marathon and lining up for the 4 Hills for Lindsay 56km Comrades training run
from Fish Hoek. Presumably everyone reading this article is
training for Comrades and therefore Comrades remains the one sole
objective in your running at this point in time.
Internal
links: long
club run, pacing charts, travel and accommodation, shoes, To have a good Comrades you must run Two Oceans with Comrades very much in mind. To do this you must remind yourself that Oceans is a training run in all ways to improve your chances of running well at Comrades. During the Two Oceans race you must never dig too deep from your well prepared reserves of effort, strength and endurance. If you take too much out at Oceans you will not have enough left for the last long training run on May 2nd and even worse on May 29th. The huge publicity and excitement of Oceans is a difficult temptation on race day to go that little bit too far. Being a local race you are constantly surrounded by well wishers asking how well you expect to do. Not all the competitors in the 56km Two Oceans race will be running Comrades. Those people can afford to throw caution to the winds and run to exhaustion to beat you or improve their own time. Keep a tight rein on things during the race and whenever you feel you are digging a bit too deep to keep up, just slow down, have a short walk or forget about the club member who pulled away from you up Constantia Nek You have to live to see another day. Of course discipline is one of the important qualities needed to excel at Comrades. In March of course you had the exhausting and totally draining marathon at Langerbaan in the dangerous heat wave. Some of you may have exercised caution and bailed at an early stage and others may have battled on obstinately refusing to give up. Either way you learned from that race. Remaining to be done to complete your Comrades training is a 50km training run on April 3rd, Two Oceans on April 23rd and Four Hills for Lindsay on May 2nd. That is still a lot to do and I must caution you to go carefully for another 4 weeks. The reward for being sensible and cautious will be a safe enjoyable run on May 29th from Durban. Living anywhere in Western Province you enjoy an abundance of hills on your training routes and also in the races. It is unnecessary for you to include deliberate hill training in your programme. What you must do however is to be patient climbing long and hard hills. There are a lot coming in the first half of Comrades and you must learn to settle into the hills and conserve your effort and energy. Look forward to the last major hill, Polly Shortts with 10km to go. You can walk the whole way up if you have consolidated your running during the day. Our Pacing Charts for the Up Run are on the website already which will help you on your way. Study them to see what is involved. Included here now is a useful Chart for a Safe Bronze at Two Oceans in 5hrs 55mins. Pacing Chart for Two Oceans 56km.
Compiled by Don Oliver 18 medals. The
chart is compiled for a slower second half by 23 minutes, with the
first half being two hours 50 minutes and the slower second half of
three hours five minutes. You can expect to pass through the standard
marathon mark in four hours 22 minutes, which you already know you are
capable of. Feel very satisfied with your time because a bronze
at Two Oceans will almost guarantee you a bronze at Comrades. This month you must tidy up all your travel and accommodation plans. Each year there is some poor soul panicking to get a lift or a bed at the last moment that ruins months of hard work. You have to be comfortable on the road for 11 hours at Comrades so take any action now in respect of shoes, socks, clothing and headgear that is necessary that is bothering you while running. Here is your April Training Programme. Objective. To complete the Two Oceans 56km marathon in less than 6 hours 15mins
Total kms for April = 239km Recommended races: April 23rd Two Oceans Marathon 56 km Cape Town. Thought for the month: "Keep a little bit in hand!” Don Oliver Cape Town March 2011 External links: Official Comrades Marathon website; 4 Hills for Lindsay training run,  |
Copyright Don
Oliver 2011