Don Oliver's November 2009 training programme for Comrades 2010

The position is getting very exciting. 211 days to go and the entries stand at 15,000 with the previous Comrades runners entries closed off. The 15,000 cap has been reached and as they receive the last postal entries, they will probably accept another 2000. If you are a novice, get your entry in by this first week of November as otherwise you will be watching it on TV again. There are only 5000 novice entries available and following the very successful Comrades Road Shows throughout the country, they will be over subscribed for sure.

It will certainly be a huge event and it is important to train well and run well on the day. Don’t want to blow it with the eyes and ears of the world on you.

November remains another month of sound controlled preparation. Don’t get too excited yet by increasing your training too early. The early months of Comrades training are the most important while you are laying solid and dependable foundations for the hard training starting in January 2010. The two area of attention in November are clear. Moderate mileage without any runs longer than 25km. All runs to be completed in a pace faster than the pace you will be doing at Comrades, which is 7,3mins/km. Training runs should be completed, with all stops, at 6,5mins/km and race times for 15km should be less than 90mins and all 21kms races in less than 2hrs 10mins. The reason for all this fast running in November is that the rule of ultra long distance road running is “As the distance increase the speed decreases.” If you want to run a bronze medal of 10hrs 50 mins at Comrades over 89kms(7,3mins/km), you must be capable of running a short 21km in under 2hrs 10mins now (6,2mins/km). I have found that many club runners have no gearbox. They run an 8kms Time Trial at the same speed as a 56km Two Oceans ultra marathon. No wonder they can’t keep up their one speed for 89kms for 11hours.

In October you had two rest days/week and that mustn’t change in November. In October you would have run 194kms for the month and it will only increase to 208kms for November. Get out to at least two road races of 21km this month and meet the target times of 2hrs 10mins. Use the races to get used to racing. In the big race in May next year, you must not be a scared little novice who doesn’t know their way around a classic 15000 field of hardened confident well trained runners. You have to train for the big occasion in all ways not only merely putting kms in the logbook. The alternate weekends you can enjoy a leisurely club run.

The other job for November is to get into the right frame of mind for road running both during training, during races and in between time when you worry about your running. The key to relaxed running is to be well trained for every race and even more important, that you are relaxed, confident and in control the whole time. We see many runners getting intense and worried about their running which causes a severe bad effect on your performance for the day. The point of following a sound training programme is to give you the confidence to relax and enjoy all the runs because it is part of the overall route to success. Develop your ability to relax. Attitude has always been important in running.

Next month we will lay out our long term plan including races for the 2010 Comrades season. You must always know where you are going with your running and how you will reach your dream of the Comrades medal.