November 2010
Training Programme for Comrades 2011
CENTRAL GAUTENG PROGRAMME
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Where are we now?210
days to go. 7 months and at this stage everything going better
than expected. It will stay this way all the way to
Comrades. The load will increase of course but your ability will
increase at the same rate. You will remain, for the next 7months,
in a state of surprised but mild confidence. That is what we do
in this programme. This month is the very first real test. To run the RAC Tough One of 32km in less than 3 hrs 15 mins. If you met last month’s objective of running a 21km race in less than 2 hrs 07 mins you are well in line for the Tough One. We always obey the rules of the game when training for Comrades and we say ”the longer the distance, the slower the speed”. If you run 21km at a speed of 6,0 mins/km you can run slower over 32kms in 3 hrs 15 mins at 6,1 mins/km. Many of you will run faster than 3 hrs 15 mins which is a fine run but I can assure you that at 3 hrs 15 mins there will still be a big crowd behind you. I
ran the Tough One 18 times and can offer some suggestions how to handle
it. First of all it is not all that tough. There is a lot of long
downhill stretches where you must cruise along making up time. The
uphills start early and continue to crop up all the way along even in
the last 2 kms. You must consolidate on the hills. Move over to
the right, relax and get into an economy mode to the top of the hill.
Never try to overtake on hills or show off by passing club mates that
you think are fading. They might pass you again before the finish. If
you start and finish at the same place there must be as many ups as
downs. In this race you must allow for a slower second half. I
suggest something like 94 mins (1hr 34mins) in the first half followed
by 101 mins (1hr 41mins). It will be hot so drink sensibly and
often. The target is 45g carbohydrate /hour. That is about 450ml
Coke. Drink water as you get thirsty. If you can handle the
squeezies
(complex carbohydrate gels) take one per hour which will boost you by
another 25g carbohydrate. Get used to a good drinking pattern
even over this relatively short distance because it is one part of the
basis of running Comrades. It is a race with a big field always
and make sensible plans for parking and getting to the start on
time. In a big field you have to look after yourself in the first
6 kms and avoid being bumped and even worse, tripped. Don’t get
carried away with the early speed. Settle in to your own pace
that you alone know will last the distance. To
increase your chances of success, look back at last month’s article
listing 10 points to get it right on the day for a race. The
training programme for this month is shaped for the Tough One so you
will notice a fairy gentle week before the race on Sunday November
28th. It will be a hard effort for all of you and I have designed
an easy week to recover before you start again on the build up to
Comrades. Here is the November programme:One word of advice this month is about your hill and speed training. You will not be taking part in any specialised hill or speed sessions for the Comrades Up Run in 2011. Believe you me here are more than enough hills on most of your training routes and if not, there are plenty of hills in the C.G and G.N races. For speed training you can just vary your pace in training over say 2 days/week and one of the races per month. So many runners have no “gearbox”. They run the same speed in training during the week, also at the Time Trial and yet again in the races irrespective of the distance. To improve your cardiovascular fitness run slightly faster over three sections of your training run or race. Speed up for about half a km that’s all. Get a bit out of breath and relax to recover but try to not lose too much speed. You will improve your “steady state running speed" in this way. First of all this month do the speed stretches on flat sections of the course. Take it slowly to start off with and as you get the hang of the exercise you can go a bit faster. There is a lot to prepare for in this month of November and I promise a pretty relaxed December for the holidays and Christmas. Objective: To run the 32km RAC Tough One in less that 3 hours 15 mins.
Total kms for November = 269km for 5 week month (equivalent to 215 kms for a 4 week month). Recommended races: November 14th - Paul Ras Half Marthon - 21km Springs November 28th - RAC City Lodge Tough One 32 - 32km Craighall Thought for the month. "Long distance runners are patient people”. Don Oliver Cape Town October 2010 Internal links: squeezies, External links: Official Comrades Marathon website |
Copyright
Nikki
Campbell 2010