COMRADES MARATHON 20 WEEK 4: The tough get going

"No one has ever drowned in sweat"
Lou Holtz

As the going gets tough, I have just had to get it going. This has been my first full on training week in some time, finally stepping up my training back to where it should be. I always feel when you are doing 100km+ per week you start to get fit pretty quickly. However by this weekend my body has been knacked and just wants to rest!
Thanks for the messages of support, they certainly help to motivate me in the early mornings when I don't want to get out of bed. I am happy the longer runs have stepped back up in distance, but it is the run the next day that is harder when the body is still stiff and trying to recover!

Training for week Mon 24 Sept - Sun 30 Sept
Mon 24 Sept	7km intervals 1 hour total trainer
Tues 25 Sept	20km
Wed 26 Sept	15km 15' cycle, 15' crosstrainer
Thurs 27 Sept	2 hours total trainer
Fri 28 Sept	38km
Sat 29 Sept	10km, 30' total trainer
Sun 30 Sept	20km
Weekly mileage	110km

"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires"
Nelson Mandela

COMRADES MARATHON 2008 WEEK 3: Training in the hills of NZ

"The world meets nobody halfway,
if you want it you gotta take it"
Linc Hawk, Over The Top

This week has seen me return back to New Zealand for my Grandfather's funeral. Returning to the hills of Wellington has made me realise that whilst the 90km of Comrades is going to be hard enough, the big 5 hills and many many smaller ones are going to kill me! It will require a lot of fitness and strength to be able to survive let alone run swiftly. At least I managed to do a few more kms this week even though I wasn't feeling so great. Wednesday I ran my favourite, up Ngauranga gorge, and friday I started the long runs again, doing a 32km run from Wilton to Tawa and back, on friday. Sunday ended with a 20km run along the Brisbane river, which resulted in a much more consistent pace than the up and down of Wellington which saw me get slower and slower as I ran.

Training for week Mon 17 Sept - Sun 23 Sept
Tues 18 Sept	12km
Wed 19 Sept	22km
Fri 21 Sept	32km
Sun 23 Sept	20km
Weekly mileage	84km

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible"
Doug Larson

COMRADES MARATHON 2008 WEEK 2: Slow progress

"It's at the borders of pain and suffering that
the men are separated from the boys"
Emil Zatopek

This week started off well but got disrupted by rugby world cup and personal issues. Whilst I didn't get the mileage and long run in, at least it was a step up from last week which is progress!

Training for week Mon 10 Sept - Sun 16 Sept
Mon 10 Sept	7km intervals, 1 hour total trainer, 30' cycle
Tues 11 Sept	20km
Wed 12 Sept	15km
Thurs 13 Sept	2 hours total trainer
Fri 14 Sept	10km tempo run
Sat 15 Sept	45' cycle, 10' crosstrainer
Weekly mileage	52km

"To describe the agony of a marathon to someone
who's never run it is like trying to explain
color to someone who was born blind"
Jerome Drayton

COMRADES MARATHON 2008 WEEK 1: 280 days to go!

“There’s no telling how far you will
have to run when chasing a dream”

After being a slack ass over the last 2 months it is now time to get back into some serious training. As of today there are a little over 9 months to go...280 days! Time will fly by and preparation is the name of the game. The work that gets put in now is the most important, even though most comrades programs don't start until 1 Jan. I have a feeling September/October are going to be tough getting up with Rugby WC!

Training for week Mon 3 Sept - Sun 9 Sept
Wed 5 Sept	15km and 20' cycle
Thurs 6 Sept	Weight session and 45' cycle
Sat 8 Sept	10km
Sun 9 Sept	20km
Weekly mileage	45km

"Our greatest battles are that with our own minds”
Jameson Frank