RUN-REPEAT-RUN- REPEAT

March 6th to 12th.  Yeah.  It's that time in my preparation where it is about simply logging miles.  To be honest i am not sure what i am doing.  Just following the advice an accomplished CMA runner who says to pretty well stick to your usual marathon preparation but include a few longer long runs.  I have been told that it is most important to make the Sunday run longer and sometimes much hillier.   I have increased the length of my Wednesday and Sunday  runs.

I have also reduced the quality for the sake of quantity on my long rep day; my up-tempo, marathon pace day; and my 400 "speed" session is on a dirt trail with a 5% rise hump in the middle section.  My track session and tempo runs are now on hillier courses;especially my Saturday up-tempo, pace run.  So pretty much my usual marathon build-up stage with even more emphasis on endurance and strength.

 I have to admit i get a bit frustrated at losing my already limited speed.  I thought i would at least be able to keep my park runs under 18 minutes.  Arrh well....I guess that partly explains CMA's 2017 logo:

Well thus far my Comrades preparation has just taken my already limited speed😊.  Feel pretty good about my running otherwise.

RECOVERY WEEK AND SETTLING BACK INTO COMRADES PREPARATION ROUTINE.

FEBRUARY 27 to MARCH 5.   I had a quiet week.  I just made sure I ran within myself until the week end.  My pins are okay.  It is strange because they feel fresh from the easier days but still a bit fatigued from the marathon.  It was a different feeling to the tiredness I usually train with.  Anyway, on Saturday I ran a few Strava PRs unintentionally.  I need to put the brakes on.  This week and the next two months or so will be all about preparing for Comrades. 

It is 13 weeks to Comrades and it is hard to imagine that 13 weeks ago I was ready to give in to my sore back.  My physio, Tim West, has been very helpful keeping my back in shape.  My first "tempo attempt" saw me averaging just 5 minute kms.  I have been able to get down to 4:09s on the Samford/Rail trail course for 10km.  So, well pleased.  Priority though is to remain in tact. 

And one more thing to remember.  I am not a Comrades finisher.  And even if I do, I will still be only another runner,who has run Comrades.  This, that I am on a journey to competing in Comrades and hopefully becoming a COMRADES FINISHER, is important for me to make clear for two main reasons: A: Out of respect for those who have  completed Comrades and B: because I am old school.  I know that these days it is trendy to declare to your friends your intentions to help achieve your goals but that's not usually my way.  I have seen that too often what a person is going to do becomes a part of their identity.  So, for instance, a person declares that they are going to run a marathon.  They start to be identified as a marathoner.  I think some people declare their goals for the instant gratification that it can bring.   And also, more self indulgently, it has been found that when you tell people your goals and when they acknowledge your goals, this social acknowledgement engenders a sense of self satisfaction.  This in turn unconsciously leads to a feeling that the goal is already achieved. To stay on track according to Dereck Sivers you need to tell people in a way that gives you no satisfaction in relation to your goal.  Siver's Ted Talk does a good job of explaining it.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHopJHSlVo4

So I am, like the runner below, only another runner trying to achieve a goal.