Cyclists with a "Running" Problem

[ScottCM]

To all the hero's who started, ran, completed or even dnf on Sunday.

 

When reflecting back on your training especially Jan - Race and then the tapper, how much did you do, time achieved, how did you feel on race day (Over/Under Trained) and what word of wisdom would you give us ever growing list of couch wannabe runners for next year?

[Lexx]

Im so there next year.... Will have to go and Look for all my old log books and see how to train properly again..  

[Andrew Steer]

i think anything above 6 hours it is entirely feasible to cut an hour off a pb. Bob de la motte went from 9:10 to 6:03 in one year...but as soon as you start hitting those "elite" times the ability to improve by big margins reduces significantly. 

 

When I heard the time on Sunday my immediate thought I must admit was towards the dark arts...

 

That said, I believe on an event like Comrades it's quite possible, even up top, to carve a massive chunk off your pb if you have your 'perfect' day. The thing is the race is so long and the margins so small between a great day and a *** day, that the gaps can get massive and quickly. Are those previous times of his good days at the office? Or did he limp home the last 10/20km's?

 

I've got a friend that has run a 2:34 marathon... his goal the last two years has been something under 7, nearer 6:30, (he has three silver around the 7:10 mark, all from runs he wasn't "happy" with.) The last two years going for that 6:30 odd he has a 9hr Comrades and a dnf this year after his achilles seized up.

 

I don't know enough about Gatebe's history or if this performance was every really feasible building up to the race, but it might be worth looking into. 

[Andrew Steer]

Jeepers Ferret... you bloody smashed that silver     

[Stretch]

To all the hero's who started, ran, completed or even dnf on Sunday.

 

When reflecting back on your training especially Jan - Race and then the tapper, how much did you do, time achieved, how did you feel on race day (Over/Under Trained) and what word of wisdom would you give us ever growing list of couch wannabe runners for next year?

 

depends on your time you are going for really....but lessons I have learnt in the past 2 years;

1. It is really all about March and April..focus on high mileage in these months

2. Speed intervals and hill repeats help immensely. Include these in your training from the beginning

3. On the day...start slow. I did one split between lions park and camperdown on Sunday 30 seconds per km faster than my average, and i reckon this lost me a solid 10 - 15 minutes in the end

[Andrew Steer]

Okay, I see Gatebe won Two Oceans in 2013 in 3:08...

 

So another 2:10 for the extra 32kms... a lot more feasible all of a sudden in my view.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure running is a lot like cycling in terms of ped's... but yeah, maybe not as big a shot out of the dark as people thought.

[Lexx]

Are the hub's strava running group still open?

[Stretch]

Are the hub's strava running group still open?

 

yip

[Lexx]

yip

Cool.

[Ferret69]

depends on your time you are going for really....but lessons I have learnt in the past 2 years;

1. It is really all about March and April..focus on high mileage in these months

2. Speed intervals and hill repeats help immensely. Include these in your training from the beginning

3. On the day...start slow. I did one split between lions park and camperdown on Sunday 30 seconds per km faster than my average, and i reckon this lost me a solid 10 - 15 minutes in the end

 

 

Stretch Is Spot on with the 3 Points Above

 

Build a Comfortable base through January and Feb without ever increasing week on week by more than 10%.

 

March and April bring in the Speed and the Hills... the 8km TT Times are just as important as the Marathons.

 

Personally - Don't "race" further than 21kms in the Comrades Year, get your optimal qualifier done in the previous Sep/Oct/November... racing a hard marathon can take up to 4 weeks out of the legs... not something you want to lose in Feb/March or April.

 

I ran two 2h46 Marathons last September and November, but didn't go faster than 3h16 on any of my 3 marathons this year..

 

Taper properly in May, Miles are no longer important but keep the speed work..  Don't taper too fast or stop completely, you will get lazy... drop 10-15% a week until the final 2 weeks..

 

This is just what worked for me, and made my race this year a lot less painful and a lot more controlled than my previous 3.

[Job]

When I heard the time on Sunday my immediate thought I must admit was towards the dark arts...

 

That said, I believe on an event like Comrades it's quite possible, even up top, to carve a massive chunk off your pb if you have your 'perfect' day. The thing is the race is so long and the margins so small between a great day and a *** day, that the gaps can get massive and quickly. Are those previous times of his good days at the office? Or did he limp home the last 10/20km's?

 

I've got a friend that has run a 2:34 marathon... his goal the last two years has been something under 7, nearer 6:30, (he has three silver around the 7:10 mark, all from runs he wasn't "happy" with.) The last two years going for that 6:30 odd he has a 9hr Comrades and a dnf this year after his achilles seized up.

 

I don't know enough about Gatebe's history or if this performance was every really feasible building up to the race, but it might be worth looking into. 

What do you mean "it might be worth looking into"? are you suggesting that Gatebe might have enhanced his performance through illegal means?

[SeaBee]

Anybody that even hit the "Enter" button are impressive in my mind. Everybody that made it to the start line is one determined bugger. Congrats to all!

 

Ferret, you really klapped that one - awesome!

 

Had to laugh at the post-race emotions of a friend - it encompassed what an amazing event this is for all who participate. We'll meet up over the coming weekend and I expect a lot of war stories!

[Andrew Steer]

What do you mean "it might be worth looking into"? are you suggesting that Gatebe might have enhanced his performance through illegal means?

On that point specifically, I was referring to his pedigree for achieving something like this... something which I myself answered just a few posts later (his OMTOM result from 2013)

 

And yes, I firmly believe 'outlier' results should always be heavily scrutinized - but also at the same time, rationally and within reason.

[Andrew Steer]

Sport, and the Comrades in particular uniting South Africans...

 

[ADe]

Comrades 2017 was on my bucket list for next year, before this weekend's race. One of my friends ended up in the ICU unconscious having suffered 2 seizers on her way to the hospital. She collapsed +- 200m from the end with her first seizer. She trained well, was in good shape etc etc. Dr says on the day her body could not handle the stress. It makes me think twice if it is worth the risk.

[Stretch]

Comrades 2017 was on my bucket list for next year, before this weekend's race. One of my friends ended up in the ICU unconscious having suffered 2 seizers on her way to the hospital. She collapsed +- 200m from the end with her first seizer. She trained well, was in good shape etc etc. Dr says on the day her body could not handle the stress. It makes me think twice if it is worth the risk.

 

I think our bodies are quite capable, but it depends on a lot of things

 

Did she hydrate properly

did she take pain medication - how many

did she take in food during the day

 

the options are endless and my take is as long as you listen to your body on the day and dont do anything stupid then you should be just fine