Comrades training - March 2011

Welcome to the March edition of the 2011 Comrades Marathon training program.

Let's go straight to the highlights for March 2011:

Month 10.  March

Goals:
    1. to get that Comrades qualification under your belt
    2. to maintain a comfortable 55 - 65 km per week building up to the Ultra marathon in April
    3. to remain injury free and run comfortably within yourself

Total weekly mileage: 66 km, 60 km, 56 km, and 61 km

Total Monthly mileage: 273 km

Road race distances to be achieved: 1x42 km, 2x21 km and 1x15 km

Highlight of the month: To qualify for the Comrades marathon by running a marathon (42.2 km)

Let's now look at the training in more detail:

Goals:
    1. to get that Comrades qualification under your belt

March is about qualifying for Comrades. Even though runners have until the 6th May 2011 in which to qualify, it's always a good idea to get that qualifier "out of the way" early.  If you didn't run last year, and especially if you are a novice runner, if you haven't managed to qualify for Comrades by the end of March, you really should question whether you will be ready to run Comrades by  29 May.

If you did run last year's Comrades., even though you can use your finishing time as a 2011 qualifier, it's still a good idea to complete a standard marathon around this time of the year, even just to prove to yourself that you are on schedule with your training.

This month, in the Gauteng area, there is a choice of 4 marathons to use as your Comrades qualifier!

I am always a fan of running the Vaal Marathon, run this year on 6 March at the Dick Fourie Stadium in Vereeniging. It's a very pleasant route and is essentially a flat course the whole way through.

In the Central gauteng area there are 3 other equally fine Marathons to choose from should you prefer:

On the same day, Sunday 6 March there is the  Remax Reach for a Dream 42 km Challenge run from Horwood's farm.
On Sunday 20 March there is the Bidvest JHB Marathon & Half marathon run from the Botanical gardens.
On Sunday 27 March there is the Springbok Pharmacy Jackie Gibson Marathon & Half Marathon run from the Klipriviersberg Recreation Centre in Kibler Park

    2. to maintain a comfortable 55 - 65 km per week building up to the Ultra marathon in April

This is achieved by running three runs during the week of around 8 - 10 km.  Ideally this is done on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Monday and Friday are well earned rest days. Remember, your rest days are as important as your training days, as they help the body recover from the stresses of running and thereby reduce the incidence of injury.

The Sunday run will be either a half marathon or a 15 km race, and there should be one run during the month of 42.2 km.

The Saturday run is dependent on the length of the Sunday run, as always.  Should the Sunday run be 42.2 km, then the Saturday will be a rest day.  If the Sunday run is a half marathon, the Saturday run will be a short loosening up 5 km run.

And lastly, if the Sunday run is only 15 km in length, there should be no reason not to have a comfortable 10 - 15 km training run the day before..

In the Gauteng area there are lots of races to choose from:

Half marathons:
Sunday 6 March: The Remax Reach for a Dream Challenge Marathon & half marathon
Sunday 20 March:  The Bidvest JHB Marathon & Half marathon.
Sunday 27 March: The Springbok Pharmacy Jackie Gibson Marathon & Half marathon

15 km races:
Sunday 13 March: The Alberton 15 km race, with the option of doing 10 km instead..

I'm sure the other provinces have equally good races lined up for their runners in their respective areas.

    3. to remain injury free and run comfortably within yourself

Be warned though, if you are feeling tired, over trained, or feel an injury developing, cutting back on these recommended distances is more beneficial than vainly trying to keep up with the distances at all costs.

Secondly, don't speed up your running during this phase. The running required at this point in the year is still called "long, slow, distance" running. March is still a time for training at a pace that is well within your capabilities.  Training should still be very comfortable, and relaxed.

We are still at the stage of building up mileage, and you should avoid the temptation to run a "PB", a personal best, when running your qualifying marathon.

Total weekly mileage: 66 km, 60 km, 56 km, and 61 km

In February the weekly mileage was 55 - 60 km.  March sees us pushing this up to 60 - 65 km per week. Next month, being April will see the weekly mileage climb to the highest mileage for the whole year.  We are not quite there, so we will worry about that next month.

Total Monthly mileage: 273 km

This is up from 215 km in February.  There are three more days in March compared to February, but the main difference comes from the increase in weekly mileage.  It's over 30% more running than last month!

Road race distances to be achieved: 1x42 km, 2x21 km and 1x15 km

March is a time of high mileage.  We should try, barring injury, to maintain a weekly long run. Aside from the qualifying marathon, try run two half marathons and either a 15 km or a 10 race each on the other Sundays in the month.

Highlight of the month: To qualify for the Comrades marathon by running a marathon (42 km)

What a highlight!  You decided on running this year's Comrades marathon many months ago.  You had to hand in your entry form very early this year, even before actually qualifying.  You have worked on your mileage every week slowly building up bit by bit.  Now, after qualifying for Comrades, you really will be on your way!  Good Luck with the qualifier.

Lets look at the actual daily training required in March this year:
 

Lets look at the what races on offer in the Central Gauteng region in March this year:
 

See you in April ......