Saturday, May 18, 2013

Comrades Looms

2 weeks to go.

What do you do for inspiration?  As I get ready for the big race, I need to pump myself up by reviewing all the awesome things this race has to offer. Sure, I will watch the obligatory movies in Remember the Titans, Prefontaine/Without Limits, and Invictus, but I need to draw some more race-specific motivation this week.



Above is a video I made to pump myself up for the big day.



For a really inspiring visual tribute to this great race, check out the YouTube video below.
Captured here is a telling reality of the UP run from Runners World and former elite Amby Burfoot.

In a 7-part Runner's World YouTube series you can see Bart Yasso take on the Comrades
Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

I am even venturing out into the fiction realm, as long as it is Comrades related. On my Kindle is In the Long Run by George Stratford.
 
I have been reading throughout the year, a book on Comrades. It is called Comrades Marathon by John Cameron-Dow and covers the history of the race, year-by-year.  Inspiring to read about the greats, though not a through read as it is more of a coffee table book.
Comrades Marathon

Check out this rousing performance of Shosholuza by the Drakensberg Boy's Choir.  This song is sung by the masses at the start of Comrades every year.






The race plan:
Step one: Eliminate mistakes from previous years. Prior to the race, jog and get out of the hotel room.  Last time was too much down time.
Next, wear the right shoes.  Every single person who knows about running will tell you to run in the shoes you have been wearing.  Then why did I wear flats last time without training in them?  Because I am a jackass, that is why.
No hero stuff:  It is supposed to feel easy at the start. Don't go faster than the plan, especially since the first 60% of the race is mostly uphill. I got hooked up with some fast guys last time and although they pulled me along and made time pass, I was through halfway in a bit over 7 hour pace and suffered from there, losing Silver. Get up and over the hills to half way, negotiate Inchanga, and use the next part to cruise.  Power through Camperdown and work to Pollys.  Let Pollys be what it will be and lock in for the ride to Maritzburg.  Don't ever give up.
I expect a half split in the neighborhood of 7:20 (overall time) pace and either hang on or push up for a negative split. I must negotiate maximizing my fitness (somewhere in the 7:00-7:15 range) with the best odds for a Silver (halfway in 3:44 or so).  It is hard to say.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

All About the Numbers

 1 Month Until Comrades Marathon!!!

Coming off of the worse stomach bout yet, I absolutely destroyed the RAC Loooong Run. 57.3Ks of hilly Joburg action at 5am on a Sunday morning. Just me and a couple of thousand fellow runners joining up for a “fun” run, all of us Comrades bound. And do you know how I can tell they are all Comrades runners? Because who else in their right mind would be out there in the cold, crisp air that early in the morning?

A bit under 5 hours for the run had us through the marathon mark in 3:38 and at the Comrades “halfway” of 43.5K in 3:44, which is spot on Silver pace. While I can’t say every step was flawless, I was absolutely in control and enjoying the run through the streets. Just 3 days later I jumped in the Wally Hayward Marathon. While flat from Sunday and uninspired most of the way, we ran together as a training group in the most unaggressive run of the year. A simple 3:28:30 was my slowest of the year and just another notch in the belt. But when given an emergency day off for a burst water pipe, you have two options: sleep in or run a marathon. Which one gets you a Comrades Silver?

This year I have worked diligently to improve my overall training to be ready for Comrades. First, I have made Comrades my only goal. All I care about this year is finishing, and preferably with a Silver medal, the Comrades Marathon. Looking at my numbers, I have done that. Not including 2012, where the goal was Ironman, a comparison of 2011 and now shows the improvements. I have run over 400 miles more in the same time period (the equivalent of almost 2 months extra training). I have gone over 50K 3 times this year, but just once in 2011. I managed a high week of 91 compared to 84 in 2011, and that was in a week of 3 marathons and essentially no other running. In the 2011 season, I ran 6 marathons at an average effort (1-10) of a 7. This year I ran 11 and most of them a 4-5 in effort. This year I have run 6 days a week most of the time, and even a few 7s. Formally, I would skip runs as my schedule dictated. I take a day off after most marathons and hit it again. The negative effects are not compounding. In posted an average of 28.2 miles per week in 2011, 44 in 2013. I had may weeks in the 55-63 mile range and multiple 70+ weeks.



Stats (Sept-May)
2011
2012
2013
Number of Miles
1128
756
1541
Number of Ultras
1
0
3
Number of Marathons
6
4*
11
Highest MPW
84
40
91
Comrades time
7:45
8:21
????
* Plus 1 Ironman

But the real results are in the intangibles. I never dreamed I could cruise a 56k, then do a marathon days later. Each of my ultra distances have ranked among my easiest runs of the year by feel. I am not worried about a fast marathon or quick 8K. I just run solid and move on. In 2011 I was undertrained. I went out too fast and crossed halfway far too quickly, setting me up for failure. This year is different. I am a solid, mature runner who has the base and will pace correctly.