I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to spend time on your legs in your build up to the race.  Unless you are planning to win the Comrades Marathon you can expect to spend many hours more on your legs on race day.  Spending time on your legs is very good physical and mental training for Comrades.  If you are planning on running Comrades the ALSORAN way, you will certainly need to condition your legs for at least 10 hours, if not 12.

In training, you will build up each month to spending more time on your legs.  It’s quite simple really, if you can spend 2 hours on your legs, then to spend an extra hour is not such a huge jump.  Time on your legs does not necessary mean time spent running, it is the time spent out there keeping the focus on running.  There will be many occasions during a training run where you may actually be walking, refuelling at a refreshment table or in the process of ‘pit stopping’.  The thing is, this all counts as part of the run and on spending the time on your legs.  The more time spent out there, the more experience and conditioning will be gained.  The longest time I spend on my legs in my preparation for Comrades is about 7 and a half hours.  I have always found this to be sufficient.

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Key words: time on your legs, running
Internal links: Comrades the ALSORAN way, keeping the focus, refreshment table, mental strength, pit stop, Comrades
External links: Official Comrades Marathon website

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