Don Olivers Comrades Up-Run Training Program
Group 2: Road-runners wanting to progress from a 21 km road race to Comrades
There’s nothing more exciting than to be able to say that you’ll be running this year’s Comrades Marathon. The next step is to follow a good training programme that will give you the best possible chance of success, and avoid the many pitfalls that can bring total disaster in the heavy training period or even on the day itself (June 16th). The programme has been developed and constantly modified over 28 years to produce around 6,000 proud owners of their first Comrades medal. The design hinges on gradually increasing the distance of the training runs and road races at a controlled rate that develops confidence in your own ability to run further each time. The risk of injury and overtraining is avoided, as is the chance of illness in the last month of training, which falls at the beginning of winter
The training you have done since July last year has given you a solid foundation to enter the final part of the Comrades training, which will be both rewarding and inspiring. The requirements that you, the runner, have to contribute are commitment and total dedication to finish Comrades this year. After setting aside the time to do extra training, there will be occasions that need willpower to overcome tiredness both during the week and maybe during a hot, hard ultra-marathon at the weekend. Get used to handling tiredness, which will be your constant companion for the next six months.
To avoid breakdown in any form, we follow the principle of “hard day, easy day” training. Trust the programme and never think that doing a little bit more will increase your chances. It doesn’t work that way with Comrades. If anything, always err on the side of too little than too much.
I recommend that you include specific hill training in the preparation or an up-run. The objective is to prepare yourself for approximately 50 km of uphill running and feel strong enough to carry on to do another 36 km. Deliberately choose hilly courses for your races, such as the Long Tom 56 km ultra-marathon in Mpumalanga, which climbs for the first 35 km; or The Two Oceans Marathon (56 km) in Cape Town.
As a potential bronze medallist, you must get used to walking frequently in races, particularly on the uphills. This will be the pattern on Comrades day. However, in your hill training, put in genuine hard effort to develop the strength and confidence to tackle any hill. Develop a strategy for running hills. Decide how long to walk for, and how often on each hill. Try to keep the walking to a minimum, but still retain your strength for the remaining distance.
The schedules are attached and you can choose your racing programme to fit in with where you live. Keep a detailed log book, which is included in this booklet, and you can get more advice on the Comrades website at www.comrades.com under “Training”.
Part 1: January and February |
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Objective: To qualify for Comrades by completing a standard marathon in less than 4hrs 20mins. |
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Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
Week 8 |
|
W/c |
02/01 |
09/01 |
16/01 |
23/01 |
30/01 |
06/02 |
13/02 |
20/02 |
Mon |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
Tue |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
Wed |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
6 km |
Thu |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
8 km |
Fri |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
10 km |
5 km |
Sat |
8 km |
6 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
5 km |
8 km |
42 km race |
Sun |
20 km |
21 km race |
25 km |
28 km |
25 km |
32 km race |
20 km |
REST |
Total |
60 km |
59 km |
65 km |
68 km |
65 km |
69 km |
62 km |
69 km |
Notes 2. The 21 km race should be run in 2hrs 03mins (5,8mins/km). 3. The 32 km race should be run in less than 3hrs 10mins (5,9mins/km). 4. Your 42,2 km standard should be run in 4hrs 18mins (6,11mins/km). First half in 2hrs 06mins and the second half in 2hrs 12mins. 5. Hills 8 km is 3 km warm-up, 10 hill repeats and 3 km warm-down. 6. Hills 9 km is 3 km jog, 12 hill repeats, and 3 km jog. |
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You will see how, as the distance increases, the speed decreases. That is a golden rule of long distance road running! Enjoy a slow club run on the weekend following a race. The total distance you have run for two months is 517 km, building up to a total of 1,400 km between January 1 and June 16. At this stage, at the end of February, you are ready to go up to the ultras, where all the real runners are. You can plan your races according to a schedule of completing two standard marathons and three ultras from February to the beginning of May. One of the ultras is the compulsory 65 km Long Club Run. It is fine to run both the Two Oceans and the Comrades if these races are two months apart. Use this booklet containing all the national road-running fixtures to design your “Race Menu”.
Part 2: March and April |
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Objective: To complete two ultra-marathons and one more standard marathon in this nine-week period. |
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Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
Week 8 |
Week 9 |
W/c |
27/02 |
06/03 |
13/03 |
20/03 |
27/04 |
03/04 |
10/04 |
17/04 |
24/04 |
Mon |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
Tue |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
Wed |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
Thu |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 9 km |
8 km |
Hills 9 km |
Fri |
8 km |
8 km |
5 km |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
REST |
8 km |
8 km |
Sat |
8 km |
8 km |
50 km race |
8 km |
5 km |
6 km |
56 km race |
8 km |
8 km |
Sun |
15 km |
25 km |
REST |
35 km |
42 km race |
15 km |
REST |
15 km |
40 km |
Total |
58 km |
66 km |
80 km |
76 km |
80 km |
54 km |
81 km |
55 km |
81 km |
Notes second half in 2hrs 43mins. the second half in 3hrs 07mins. and second half in 2hrs 11mins. |
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The training period you have just completed represents the major part of the heavy training. This was a nine-week period and you can just manage another week in May before the wind-down must start. The 65 km Long Club Runin May is the final stepping-stone to the 86 km Comrades Marathon. So far the stepping-stones have been quite close to each other, going from 21 km to 32 km to 42 km to 50 km, and then to 56 km. This final step is 9 km next month (65 km) and then a whopping 21 km to Comrades. (86 km) That final step will be made easily because you have developed the art of gradually increasing your race distance and finishing comfortably. The wind-down consists of gradually decreasing weekly kilometres and running shorter weekend races.
Part 3: May and June |
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Objective: To complete the Long Club Run of 65 km in less than 8hrs 30mins and the Comrades Marathon in 10hrs 45mins. |
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Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
|
W/c |
01/05 |
08/05 |
15/05 |
22/05 |
29/05 |
05/06 |
12/06 |
Mon |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
REST |
8 km |
Tue |
8 km T/T |
REST |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
8 km T/T |
REST |
Wed |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
5 km |
5 km |
5 km |
REST |
Thu |
Hills 9 km |
Hills 8 km |
Hills 8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
5 km |
REST |
Fri |
8 km |
8 km |
8 km |
6 km |
6 km |
5 km |
86 km race |
Sat |
8 km |
5 km |
8 km |
6 km |
8 km |
5 km |
REST |
Sun |
65 km club |
32 km race |
25 km |
21 km race |
10 km race |
15 km |
REST |
Total |
106 km |
61 km |
65 km |
54 km |
45 km |
43 km |
94 km |
Notes |
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The Long Club Run will be supported by drinks stops every 4 km. Use that opportunity to stop and stretch. Try to eat biscuits or rolls in the second half. This is not a race but rather an endurance run to spend more than 8 continuous hours on your feet. Walk part of the hills as a dress rehearsal for Comrades. Resist doing more than the programme for the wind-down. You will get stronger by the day and your tiredness will miraculously disappear. Have any remaining minor injuries attended to, and any cold or ‘flu treated by a doctor urgently. The wind-down is your very last chance to do everything right, so don’t do any extra running than your training programme while you build up your strength again for the huge task ahead. Study the course and get a Comrades Pacing Chart at the Comrades Expo from the Comrades Coach stand. I will see you there and answer any final questions about the race.