COMRADES MARATHON – COMRADES 2014 FINISHERS PROGRAMME – JULY-DECEMBER 2013 – by LINDSEY PARRY – Official coach of the Comrades Marathon Association

Welcome to the beginning of training for the 2014 Comrades Marathon. The focus for the rest of this year will be on building you up to running consistently and regularly. For those of you who completed the 2012 down run or if you are a regular runner capable of running 10km, you will be better suited following the BRONZE Programme.

This programme is designed for the runner who is literally coming off the coach to attempt the Comrades Marathon.

Should time allow, novices are encourages to get into the gym and do some basic strengthening. The focus should be on the legs, including the glutes, the lower abdominals and core. This is especially important while you slowly build up the running kilometers to help prevent overuse injuries, and will also serve to help prepare your legs for the brutal punishment of Fields Hill.

This programme is time based so people of greater running ability will get relatively more out of the programme and progress a little faster. Time based programs also prevent you from settling on a route that you need to run faster every time you do it. It is easier to maintain discipline and run easy on easy days. The aim is to be able to run a sub 5:00 marathon before Comrades. It is critical to remember that as a novice the slower you increase your mileage the less chance you will have of picking up injuries and the greater your chances are of qualifying for and Finishing Comrades 2014.

Because you will employ a run walk strategy for your Qualifier, Long run and Comrades we will use this strategy in training. Very important to note about the run walk strategy is that the walk is not a Sunday stroll but fast walking with purpose. It is a change in focus on the muscles not a "rest".

Note that training days are interchangeable, if your club does training on a different day or club long runs on a different day then you can change days around. What is important is that you stick with 4 days per week for the next 5 months.

The key is to become consistent and establish your routine. Comrades training proper will only start in March 2014 and everything before that is to prepare your body.

 

Enjoy the training!

 

Source: COMRADES MARATHON – LINDSEY PARRY – Official coach of the Comrades Marathon Association

 

JULY 2013:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WED	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1 Jul	REST	Walk 5min easy; Walk 4min, jog 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Walk 4min, jog 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Walk 4min, jog 1min x 4	Walk 5min easy; Walk 3min, jog 2min x 4
8 Jul	REST	Walk 5min easy; Walk 3min, jog 2min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Walk 3min, jog 2min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 3min, walk 1min x 4	Walk 5min easy; Jog 3min, walk 1min x 4
15 Jul	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 3min, walk 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 4min, walk 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 4min, walk 1min x 4	Walk 5min easy; Jog 4min, walk 1min x 4
22 Jul	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 4	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 5
29 Jul	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 5	REST

 

 

AUGUST 2013:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WED	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1 Aug				Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 5	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 6	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 3
5 Aug	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 6	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 4
12 Aug	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 7	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 7	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 7	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 5
19 Aug	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 8	REST	5km TT, waling when needed	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 8	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 6
26 Aug	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 9	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 9	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 5min, walk 1min x 9

 

 

SEPTEMBER 2013:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WED	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1 Sep							Walk 5min easy; Jog 10min, walk 1min x 9
2 Sep	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 6min, walk 1min x 8	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 6min, walk 1min x 8	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 6min, walk 1min x 8	Walk 5min easy; Jog 11min, walk 1min x 6
9 Sep	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 7min, walk 1min x 7	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 7min, walk 1min x 7	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 7min, walk 1min x 7	Walk 5min easy; Jog 12min, walk 1min x 5
16 Sep	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 8min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy;Jog 8min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 8min, walk 1min x 6	Walk 5min easy; Jog 13min, walk 1min x 5
23 Sep	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 9min, walk 1min x 6	10km Race – walk as needed
30 Sep	REST

 

 

OCTOBER 2013:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WED	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1 Oct		Walk 5min easy; Jog 10min, walk 1min x 6	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min, walk 1min x 3	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min, walk 1min x 3	Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min, walk 1min x 4
7 Oct	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min, walk 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min, walk 1min x 4	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 15min, walk 1min x 4	Walk 5min easy; Jog 17min, walk 1min x 4
14 Oct	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 17min, walk 1min x 3	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 17min, walk 1min x 3	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 17min, walk 1min x 3	Walk 5min easy; Jog 20min, walk 1min x 4
21 Oct	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 20min, walk 1min x 3	REST	Walk 5min easy;Jog 20min, walk 1min x 3	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 20min, walk 1min x 3	1hr10 easy run, walk as needed
28 Oct	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 20min, walk 1min x 3	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 20min, walk 1min x 3

 

 

NOVEMBER 2013:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WED	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1 Nov					REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 20min, walk 1min x 3	1hr10 easy run, walk as needed
4 Nov	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 25min, walk 1min x 2	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 25min, walk 1min x 2	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	1hr20 easy run, walk as needed
11 Nov	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	1hr30 easy run, walk as needed
18 Nov	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	REST	Walk 5min easy;Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min x 2	1hr20 easy run, walk as needed
25 Nov	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min	REST	Walk 5min easy; Jog 30min, walk 1min	REST	Walk 5min easy; 10min easy OR Half Marathon

 

 

DECEMBER 2013:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WED	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1 Dec							Half Marathon OR REST
2 Dec	REST	REST	REST	REST	REST	REST	REST
9 Dec	REST	15min easy, walk as needed	REST	15min easy, walk as needed	REST	15min easy, walk as needed	30min easy, walk as needed
16 Dec	REST	20min easy, walk as needed	REST	25min easy, walk as needed	REST	20min easy, walk as needed	40min easy, walk as needed
23 Dec	REST	30min easy, walk as needed	Merry Christmas REST	35min easy, walk as needed	REST	30min easy, walk as needed	50min easy, walk as needed
30 Dec	REST	45min easy, walk as needed