It was the morning earlier than the Comrades marathon in 2019 and I used to be gazing out of the 15th ground window of my room in a Durban seashore entrance lodge once I witnessed an astonishing sight.
No, it wasn’t the brightly billowing spinnakers of 100 worldwide racing yachts, nor was it the conning tower of a nuclear submarine surfacing off the bluff. It wasn’t a breaching whale, and the well-known sardine run the place black clouds of fish are accompanied by plummeting gannets and leaping dolphins had been solely anticipated the following week.
No this was a extra superb spectacle. This was the sight of dozens of Comrades runners committing athletic suicide on the esplanade beneath me.
Great impis of sweating runners had been charging up and down the North Beach promenade singing and waving their arms like a high-speed cell Mexican wave. A number of runners would peel off from the crowd and dash at breakneck pace alongside the size of the pier. Other smaller teams had been participating in vigorous callisthenics on the grass subsequent to the seashore. The pleasure was palpable. These fanatics had been ensuring everybody knew that they had been right here, in Durban, to beat the Comrades marathon the subsequent day.
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In a persistent case of mass group psychosis these runners had been additionally loudly broadcasting the indisputable fact that they’d by no means heard of the three magic phrases “pre-race taper.” They had been promoting the indisputable fact that the Comrades was about to beat them.
Gatvol
As Comrades runners start coaching in the first week of August, they’ll really feel immensely relieved that the actually exhausting work is behind them. Most may have run their membership 60km run or be about to. Nearly all can be drained, heavy-legged and grumpy giving which means to the express Afrikaans adjective, gatvol!
From now on no Comrades runner ought to think about operating an extended gradual run of additional than 35kms. (And that undoubtedly contains those that missed some coaching due to damage or sickness. I mentioned this athletic crime of “making up for misplaced coaching “in an earlier Citizen column)
The emphasis now must be on resting drained, overtrained legs, and on constructing energy, and sharpening up for race day. This explicit talent is healthier often known as peaking for race day.
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If doubtful I like to recommend observe this strict recipe.
“Should I run 15kms today or 10kms?” (My recommendation, run 8kms)
“My training mates are running a last 40km on Sunday. They have promised it will be slow and gentle. Should I join them?” (My recommendation, run a gradual, mild 20km by yourself)
During this endgame many runners are understandably nonetheless overwhelmed by the urge to attempt to do one thing to get fitter.
And there’s something they’ll do. They can take the sturdy, match, battle-hardened runner that they’ve constructed and sharpen it for race day. They can obtain this by operating some quicker shorter runs or races, and a few quick steep hill repeats, to sharpen up, and to reassure themselves that they’re prepared.
Time to cut back mileage is now
The course of is a bit like taking a stable sturdy blunt blade of a knife and honing it on a whetstone till it’s razor-sharp. The sensation of rising and accumulating health can be accelerated by decreasing bulk mileage.
From Monday 8 August I like to recommend slashing nice swathes and chunks off your coaching mileage.
As an instance, I used to run 160-220kms per week for three months whereas coaching for Comrades. With three weeks to go to race day I’d drastically scale back this coaching workload to run 100km per week and with two weeks remaining I’d run 70-80kms.
I peppered that schedule with loads of quicker and extra intense runs equivalent to time trials, cross nation races, observe work and hill sprints (If we had had parkruns in my day I’d have run a few speedy parkruns.)
But it was the final week of my coaching schedule that ready me finest to race 90 kilometres. It’s virtually a paradox, however with a view to meet that problem I hardy ran in any respect.
Sunday 15kms regular tempo
Monday 10kms simple tempo
Tuesday 8kms simple tempo
Wednesday 5kms very simple tempo
Thursday no run
Friday no run
Saturday no run
Sunday 90 mountainous, brutal, exhausting kilometres.
I hope the final entry in my coaching plan (“90 mountainous, brutal, exhausting kilometres”) drives the level residence. The finest solution to put together for battle in the previous few days is to not run in any respect and to spend as little time as attainable on the legs.
An prolonged relaxation creates legs which can be sturdy and champing at the bit to race Comrades. “Rest” contains avoiding spending hours at the pre-race expo gathering numbers and looking by means of all the stands and stalls seductively touting their wares. It additionally contains avoiding strolling round for ages trying for an appropriate carbo-loading restaurant that isn’t totally booked.
But no matter runners do and at the threat of overstating the level, hear my plea.
“Please don’t be part of the ranks of the boastful runners making exhibitions of themselves on the beachfront on the morning of 27 August. “