If you are a Comrades novice or a former Comrades runner thinking of making your comeback to the race, this is the programme for you. A time of Sub-10:30 at Comrades is quite achievable for anyone – if you follow a balanced training programme, of course! And what a privilege it will be to finish such an iconic race with someone who has run 40 of them back to back! Modern Athlete and Barry are planning to create one of the biggest buses that has ever been seen at any Comrades race. So now is the time to decide if you want to commit to Comrades 2012, join Barry’s bus and become part of history.
SOME TIPS FOR DECEMBER TRAINING
• Many of us will be on holiday in December, which allows more time for training. But don’t get carried away and rack up the kilometres! December is not the month to be training at your hardest.
• Try to be consistent and run at least four times a week, and try to fit in one longer run per week.
• Don’t focus on quality work such as hill work or time trials.
• Run all your sessions at an easy and relaxed pace.
• If you miss a session because of a late party or function, don’t try and make up for it.
Most of all, enjoy your well-deserved break and start getting your mind ready for the five months of focussed training that lie ahead.
THE PROGRAMME
This month we bring you the training programme for January and February, so that you can start planning ahead. In our series of ongoing articles leading up to the big day, you will be guided step by step on exactly how to train, which pitfalls to avoid in your journey, as well as some handy tips from the master himself, plus a guide to which races you should be focussing on in your build-up to the Comrades. Barry will recommend races that he will be running himself, but look at the race calendar in your area to see other races of similar distances if you cannot run these particular ones.
LOOK OUT FOR NEXT MONTH’S EDITION OF MODERN ATHLETE WITH THE FOLLOWING MONTH’S TRAINING PROGRAMME.
