Bruce Fordyce's Comrades Training Programme

Month 1 - January: LONGER RUNS ARE ESSENTIAL 

It seems that as each week goes by the length of weekend races and indeed, of training runs gets longer and longer. A few days ago Springs Striders hosted their famous Striders 32km and soon we will all be running marathons. And yet it wasn’t long ago, that some of us (especially me) were battling through the Dis-Chem 21

With the focus on the Comrades marathon’s 90 odd kilometers it makes sense that we train our legs to get used to longer and longer distances. After all if we can’t cope with a 42km marathon, how can we hope to run 90 km?

It is important however, that we understand the purpose of the long run. Too many runners use the weekend long run as a means of proving that they are ready to run the Comrades. A new marathon personal best time is their reassurance that the Comrades will come easily. Some runners are convinced that they will run good Comrades because they ran their long club training run at the front of the pack. “I was first back to the clubhouse” is the usual boast.

The converse of that, is that, many runners, especially novices get really depressed when they battle to finish the Loskop or Om-die-Dam 50km races.

“If I can only just stagger to the finish of a 50km, how on earth will I run 90” is one typical response.

The long run is an important part of training to ensure we can run 90km, but its purpose is to get used to running for a long time. At the risk of exaggeration its purpose is to persuade the body that remaining vertical for many hours is possible. It is a sobering thought to realize that, counting the time before the starting gun, 12 hour Comrades runners will be standing, running or walking for up to 13 hours on race day.

The long run has no part in improving speed. It is an endurance training session and that is all.

So, typically, when I set off to run a long training run, I start my watch as I climb out of bed. For the next few hours I make sure I am standing, running or walking. I do not sit down until the run is over. I concentrate on spending time on my legs.

Those runners who are worried about their Comrades prospects after battling through a 50km run like the Loskop, need to understand that as they train slowly and steadily they will build up the endurance to last the Comrades distance. The important thing is not to race to achieve that, but to aim for time on the legs.

The ability to run faster will come from other training sessions and not from the weekly long run.

It is also advisable to alternate medium length long runs with very long runs eg:

Weekend 1	Weekend 2	Weekend 3	Weekend 4	Weekend 5	Weekend 6	Weekend 7
40 km	25 km	50 km	30 km	60 km	30 km	40 km