Bruce Fordyce's Comrades Training Programme

Month 5 - May: IT'S ESSENTIAL TO INSPECT COMRADES ROUTE 

A few days ago a business trip enabled me to drive over the Comrades course. The drive underlined how important it is to inspect the challenge ahead of the race – if at all possible.
 
 Even though I have run the Comrades 20 times and have run and driven over sections of the course on many more occasions I still believe a drive over the course is an extremely important part of the final preparations for the race. It goes without saying that for novice runners the drive is obligatory. 
 
 Every time I drive the route my memory is refreshed and forgotten parts of the course are recalled. It has been two years since even the most experienced runners tackled the ‘down’ run and so much can be forgotten. The hills are shortened, and the kilometers diminished. The drive hammers the fighting truth home. I now know exactly how long 90 kilometres is and I have a pretty shrewd idea how tough it will be. 
 
 I am particularly glad that I now recall that the ‘down’ part of the down run starts not at Inchanga, not at Botha’s Hill, but at the last garage in Hillcrest. 
 
 There are also some very nasty hills in the last eight kilometers of the race. Even driving the course is a gruelling experience. It is tiring and requires concentration, and it gets hot and sticky from Pinetown onwards. The drive itself is a great warning of what lies ahead for those who plan to run. 
 
 The point is that I am now worried and cautious and that is exactly the correct frame of mind to be in at the start of the Comrades. Cocky, arrogant runners are in for a shock on race day. The correct mental state for Comrades runners is to be cautious, nervous and slightly worried. The best way to instill those concerns is to drive over the Comrades course. 
 
 As I line up for my 21st Comrades I am reminded of my first Comrades marathon back in 1977. It has been wonderful to win the Comrades but my first run still has a special place in my heart.
 
 I can remember many details of that magical day – the early sweat (it was a very hot year), the radios broadcasting the race’s progress up front (live TV coverage was till six years away then), the packed cheering crowd at Cato Ridge, the incredible slog up Polly Shorts, my black toenails aching, and the tear in my eye when I knew I was about to become a Comrades finisher. 
 
 It seems a pity that there will be some novices who spoil their first run by starting too fast and by exhausting themselves. Novices should enjoy their first run. Savour the hours on the road, absorb the memories, treasure the friendships. 
 
 There will be other years to race for silver medals and good times. The novice run is the run to gather special memories.