Comrades Supplement Comrades Training and Info Guide, January 2016

Training days are interchangeable, so if your club has its time trial (TT) on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you can swap Thursday with one of these days. Also note that there are recovery weeks built into the programme every four weeks – do not be tempted to do more mileage, as this will only compromise you later in the programme, potentially leading to injury, illness and under-performance in goal races. Very important to note is that the eccentric load (pounding) on your legs will be extremely high, so to help prepare for this, strength training is highly recommended for the Down Run. In fact strength training is important for both directions, but I feel non-negotiable for the Down Run. And the earlier you start with your strength programme, the sooner you will be used to the added work, and the lower the impact will be on your programme. My suggestion is to do your strength training on two of your three rest days in the week, leaving at least one full day between each gym session. If you have not yet started strength training and have 30 minutes one or two times per week, then start now! Enjoy the training, and remember to walk when needed on long runs. JANUARY 2016 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 4 Jan REST 50min E REST 55min E REST 50min E 1hr L REST 1hr E 1hr20 L 11 Jan REST 55min E REST 18 Jan REST 1hr E REST 1hr E REST 1hr20 E 1hr40 L 1hr05 E REST 1hr30 E 25 Jan REST 50min E REST 2hr L 5km TT REST 1hr E 2hr20 L 1 Jan FEBRUARY 2016 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 Feb REST 1hr10 E REST 1hr10 E REST 1hr30 E 2hr40 L 8 Feb REST 1hr15 E REST 1hr15 E REST 1hr30 E 3hr L 15 Feb REST 1hr E REST 45min E REST 20min E Qualifying Marathon or Training Marathon L 22 Feb REST REST REST 30min E REST 45min E 1hr L 29 Feb REST MARCH 2016 Monday 1 Mar Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1hr20 E REST 1hr25 E REST 1hr45 E 3hr L 7 Mar REST 1hr20 E REST 1hr30 E REST 2hr E 3hr30 L 14 Mar REST 1hr20 E REST 5km TT REST 1hr E 2hr L 21 Mar REST 1hr E REST 1hr E REST 45min E Marathon or Ultra L as training 28 Mar REST REST REST 20min E APRIL 2016 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1 Apr Friday Saturday Sunday REST 30min E 45min E 4 Apr REST 1hr20 E REST 1hr30 E REST 1hr30 E 3hr30 L 11 Apr REST 1hr20 E REST 1hr30 E REST 2hr E 3hr L 18 Apr REST 1hr E REST 45min E REST 30min E REST or 50-55km L 25 Apr REST REST REST 45min E REST 1hr E MAY 2016 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 May Sunday 2hr L 2 May REST 1hr20 E REST 1hr30 E REST 2hr E 3hr L 9 May REST 1hr20 E REST 5km TT REST 1hr30 E 2hr L 17 May REST 1hr E REST 45min E REST 1hr E 1hr L 23 May REST 30min E REST 20min E REST 10min E COMRADES 17

Comrades Supplement Comrades Training and Info Guide, January 2016 | Page 17