Comrades training - March 2012

Welcome to the March 2012 edition of the Comrades Marathon training program.

This year, for the first time the organisers of the race have introduced a substitution process.  This process allows runners that have entered the race but are no longer able to run due to injury, illness or because they were unable to qualify, to have their place substituted by another runner.  The Substitution process opens on 1 March 2012 and all applications must reach the CMA by no later than 30 March 2012.

It is the responsibility of the substitute athlete to find an athlete who intends to or has withdrawn from the race, and the two runners need to fill out the same form together.  The organisers have warned that no late substitutions will be processed, so if you know of a runner who intends to withdraw and you would like to run, make sure you get that application in on time.

March is the 10th month in the Comrades training year.

Goals:

    1. to get that Comrades qualification under your belt

March is all about qualifying for Comrades. Even though officially runners have until Friday 4 May in which to qualify, it's always a good idea to get that qualifier "out of the way" early.  If this is your first Comrades Marathon and you have not managed to run a 42.2 km marathon by the end of March, you really should question whether you will be ready to run Comrades by 3 June.

If you have run Comrades before, it's still a good idea to complete a standard marathon around this time of the year, the first of two marathons leading up to Comrades.  Don't forget that there is still one ultra marathon you should run in addition.  So getting that first marathon done early should give you lots of confidence.

This year there is only a choice of three marathons in the Gauteng area:

On Sunday 4 March. The Vaal Marathon, run from the Dick Fourie Stadium in Vereeniging. It's a very pleasant route and is essentially a flat course the whole way through.
On Sunday 11 March there is the  Remax Reach for a Dream 42 km Challenge run from Horwood's farm.
On Sunday 25 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 60 - 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.

Aside from the one Sunday where you will be running a standard marathon, the Sunday runs will be either a half marathon or a club run of 15 km or 20 km. As there are very few races in the Gauteng area this year, you will have to run some Sundays on a club run.  This is not a bad idea as they are usually a lot of fun, and there is no incentive to run fast.

The Saturday run is dependent on the length of the Sunday run.  The Saturday before the marathon should be a rest day.  If you are running a half marathon, then the Saturday run will be a run of 10 km. And lastly, if the Sunday run is only 15 km in length, there should be no reason not to have a comfortable 15 km training run the day before.

All three of the marathons mentioned above have a half marathon option, so look to be doing a full marathon at one of them, and a half marathon at one or both of the others.

    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: 58 km, 66 km, 60 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: 262 km

This is up from 215 km in February which is just under a 25% increase.

Road race distances to be achieved: 1x42 km, 2x21 km and two club runs (1x15 km and 1x20 km)

March is a time of high mileage, and we should try, barring injury, to maintain a weekly long run.

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 .......