Race Plan - Runner # 54878

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Lots to report but I'll save that for the race report. All I'll say is that the Comrades has so much support here in Sth Africa that the taxi driver was giving me tips on pacing and the 65 yo woman on the plane couldn't figure out how to fill in the arrivals immigration card but she knew the altitude elevation of the start and the midway and finish points of the race. How is it that a race like the Comrades can capture the attention of an entire nation?

The race plan..

Well it's very straight forward. I have maintained that my objectives are to:

1. Finish prior to the cutoff (12hrs)
2. If the opportunity presents itself to finish in less than 10hrs.

Today I met the legendary Don Oliver. I showed him my schedule and he advised me to go for both objectives because I've done the work required to get a medal.

So it looks like I'll run for a 9hrs 50min finish.

This requires a 4:30 halfway and a steady decay in speed to the finish. I already know that the steep declines into Durban are punishing and I know that I'll be buggerd by the time I can see the ocean (25km) to go but I think I can do this time. And if I can't I'll just revert back to objective one.

I must go, the girl in charge of the business centre wants to go home.

Brendan

On the way to Johannesburg

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In true form I slept in for my connecting flight up to Sydney which always creates a nice bit of stress and drama. Here in the Sydney Qantas Club, they've just called QF63 to Johannesburg. So it looks like I'll need to do my last post and race plan from Sth Africa.

Next Thursday at 05:30 SA time (13:30 in Syd Melb) I'll be setting off. You will be able to track my progress in the run by logging on to www.comrades.com and entering my race number 54878. I expect to take anywhere between 9hrs 30min and 12hrs to complete the run.

I better go to the gate.. I'll complete this from the hotel tonight....

There is only one race left

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On January 1 this year I started training for the Comrades Marathon. The 89km Ultramarathon is held yearly in Sth Africa. By the time I am on the starting line I will have run 1,513km in preparation for the big race.

On January 1 I weighed 104kg, today I’m 94kg and still carrying plenty of unneeded weight. After Comrades I’ll maintain a schedule of events and focus on the psychological barrier of 90kg. But before I plan the next steps too much I should get Comrades out of the way.

1,513km including two marathons and four ultramarathons qualifies me for a finishers medal in Sth Africa. So long as I plan the day and don’t let the excitement of the race force me to make stupid choices I’ll get to the finish line in under the cut-off of 12hrs. I don’t want to end up looking like Kostya Tszyu did today after 11 rounds in his light-welterweight IBF crown fight against Ricky Hatton in Manchester.

The last race in my preparation was the Williamstown Marathon on the 22nd May. My race plan was to run to ‘blow up’ which, means that I decided to run at a pace which I thought would be unsustainable for 42.2km. Not only did I sustain the pace I managed to run faster in a marathon than I have in 21 years. My time of 3hrs 40min is certainly not world class but very satisfying and a great confidence booster for things to come.

In keeping with tradition my target race schedule on the way to my goal is listed below;

20-Feb-05 Maroondah Dam Ultra 50km - Done
13-Mar-05 6 Foot Track Marathon 46km - Done
10-Apr-05 Canberra Ultra 50km - Done
24-Apr-05 Brisbane Marathon 42km - Done
8-May-05 Walhalla Wound Up 65km – Done
22-May-05 Williamstown Marathon 42km Done

Only one to go..

16-June-05 COMRADES MARATHON 89km

I am currently in the training phase called the taper which, is by far, the most boring part. It involves drastically reduced mileage and is supposed to allow your body to recover fully from the months of hard training. I shouldn’t whinge I am carrying a few small injuries which will benefit from the lighter training load.

In terms of logistics I fly to Sth Africa next Sunday.

Sunday – Johannesburg
Monday – Fly to Durban and register. Apparently my hotel (The Elengani) is the one all the top African runners stay in. (Hope they don’t get all the non smoking rooms)
Tuesday – Transfer to Pietermaritzburg on the newbie bus. (The bus reserved for all the first time runners) and Stay at the Golden Horse Casino.
Wednesday – Relax by the pool of the Golden Horse Casino.
Thursday – Run 89km to Durban
Friday – Fly back to Australia

My race number is 54878 you will be able to track me on the internet on race day.. I’ll provide details on how to do this when I figure it out for myself
My last post before I head to Sth Africa will be next weekend where I will outline my race plan.