Well, to be honest, I can technically say the training started even late last fall when I started running again. The back to back marathons was by all means a prep for Comrades, who else would do something that crazy (actually, a lot of people did! For fun!). Then, of course, Two Oceans, and so it goes. I'm actually super glad broke it up like that because it didn't make 'the season' seem so long. We had the taper before these big events and then also had the recovery after.
Weekly Training:
However, all things considered, Comrades technically starts after the New Year, so basically, from New Years to the run, I ran 1511km, or 939 miles. WOW!!! Let's repeat, I ran from the 1st of the year (where I actually did run!) to race day (not including run itself, this is all training), 1511 km or 939 miles. Even I'm impressed with that! hahaha.
Here's my little breakdown of weekly km's:
Week 22 - 54km
Week 21 - 27km
Week 20 - 89 km (Mumbai and Dubai marathons!)
Week 19 - 21 km
Week 18 - 73 km
Week 17 - 60 km (RAK 1/2 marathon)
Week 16 - 73 km
Week 15 - 105 km
Week 14 - 90 km
Week 13 - 90 km (Hatta 1/2 marathon, where I got 2nd place in my age group!)
Week 12 - 101 km (3 Emirates Run)
Week 11 - 107 km
Week 10 - 80 km
Week 9 - 55km (Was in Chicago!)
Week 8 - 97km (Two Oceans week!)
Week 7 - ZERO (Botswana!)
Week 6 - 80km
Week 5 - 100 km
Week 4 - 79 km
Week 3 - 68 km
Week 2 - 40km
Week 1 - 22km
Race day: 86.73 km! (Not included in total 1511km)
Physical Training:
So our little Comrades Cookoo Club (CCC) as we liked to call ourselves, decided to do "smart training," meaning instead of a lot of junk miles, we would do purposeful training. So... we actually ran mostly 4 times a week!
Our schedule varied a bit, but below is a typical week that I would do (being mindful, I really thrive on cross training!):
Sunday: Stairwell at Index towers, I would start at Ground floor, climb up to 80, back down to 32, and then up to 80 again. Then would go to the gym and do strength workouts.
Monday: Dubai Masters Swim Club in evening
Tuesday: RUN - Tim's Fork, hill repeats. Basically, it's this 'fork'-like loop we discovered on Jumeirah Beach Road where we did hill sprints, about 200 m x 4 times for one loop. We would do one loop warm-up and the rest those hill repeats. Then I would go to the gym and do stairclimber machine and a strength session for my legs and lumbopelvic muscles.
Wednesday: RUN - Our tempo workouts, we did between 15-20km, so a longer mid-distance run, and again, was a tempo run. For example, a 3km, 2km, 1km at "pace," such as 5 km/min . It always changed, thanks to Ram! Evening I sometimes did nothing, sometimes Hatha yoga, sometimes swim!
Thursday: Usually an off day. My schedule changed a bit, when I was off work did yin/'yang yoga. Sometimes did light mobility/core work. Sometimes a run, depending on what was happening over the weekend. But usually was off :-)
Friday: RUN - Our LSD, Long Slow Distance run. Anything between 25km-50km (we did do that once! 50km!) with our super group, Dubai Creek Striders. Then I would Hot Bikram Yoga after the run.
Saturday: RUN - Hatta Hills! Soo... due to Dubai having NO hills, the 'best' thing we could do is wake up at 3 something in the morning and drive 1/5 hours out to Hatta to run 20km + on these gigantic hills, really tough! Great practice and of course during Two Oceans and Comrades, felt it was useful, but at the time, really tiring because of that early wake-up. We were usually back by 11am, but then you're pooped and would need to relax. If no Hatta Hills, we would do another run somewhere around Dubai.
Hatta hills we did 7 times (Including Hatta 1/2 marathon race)! Or at least I did (we all ended up skipping one time or another).
Soo... looking back, there isn't much I would change and I found it all purposeful. For me, I really found the stairclimbing super helpful, really works that posterior chain. Swim was great to loosen up and just relax the muscles. Yoga was great for stretching out as even I admit that I'm not the best at stretching. The strength training - a MUST! I admit I do get stuck in my same 'ol strengthening routine, did really try to 'load' more with weights, but overall really tried to concentrate on my hips, butt, quads, and more hips (abductors) and butt.
Body upkeep!
Can't forget to mention my fab physio treatments by my super awesome friend and colleague. Once a week, usually Tuesdays after work, my awesome colleague would treat me, basically work out any imbalances, tight areas, etc. Soooooooooooooooooooooooo super appreciative of that!!! Thank gawwwd had no niggles or injuries, and I think it was because I was proactive in keeping 'balanced'.
Which, speaking of, also had occasional chiropractic sessions with our super American chiro. Again, more maintenence and felt ahhhh-mazing, especially when he manipulates my thoracic spine.
Those 2 things, physio and chiro upkeeps, really helped. Prevention is key!
Also, 5 days before the run we all got vit B12 injections. Funny all the things goes into just a wee run, haha.
Mental training:
Well, some say this is even more important than the physical training. Fortunately, I am quite confident and also quite strong mentally. Of course we all have our "demons" as our runners like to say, when those doubts start to creep in and how you get through 'tough' moments, for sure I have that, buuuuut, with experience am getting better and better at the mental part. Soo... what did I do for the mental training? Here are a few things:
- Stay positive! I don't watch news for a reason. Not to be ignorant, but just because it is such a downer and gets own worked up.
- I try and associate myself with positive and happy people. Fortunately, athletes are like that. I do of course have some not-so-happy friends, buuut they are very very few, and spend more efforts and time on people that are positive and uplifting.
- For the run, a few people said or I heard that it helps to break up the run in 10km segments and designate each segment to someone or a group that is special and important to you. So a couple of months before Comrades, I made a 0-10km, 10-20km, and so forth person or group. I had my running club on there, high school friends was one segment, college friends, family, parents (I know parents are a part of family, but my parents got their own special segment), my Comrades running group, etc. REALLY was nice to do it like that and I REALLY did think of them during the run! I even got more OCD and on my phone made an album of "Comrades Inspiration" and had pictures of those people and/or positive things or things that make me smile.
- Read lots of Comrades things, like this:
- Listened to great running podcasts with sports psychologists, faves being 'Running for Real' with Tina Muir and also Runners Connect 'Run to the Top' (when she used to host). Great info in there!
Nutrition:
Well, unlike before, I wasn't as particular and.. pretty much ate normally and not restrictive. I guess the one main thing I am particularly reactive (in a bad way) is dairy, so would shy away from that, but I did have my fave fresh parmesan cheese many times, he he. Sugar, well, overall, tried to shy away from it, but more on weekends would have dessert, etc.
What was new is, mentioned this already before, but started taking Beet It 'shots', this condensed beetroot 'shot' a couple of weeks before the run and also had some Beet It bars.
Overall, more or less tried to keep a 'clean' diet and do the usual boring things of eat more veggies and greens (helloooo morning green juices!!! Also lunch salads) and eat less processed foods. It's as simple as that. This time tried to be better about eating protein within 30 min max 1 hour after a run, tried some shake things, but good 'ol eggs also do the trick!
There you have it!! Training in a nutshell!
Next up: Ah ha, finally, a more fun blog - Pictures from the weekend in Durban!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment