Thread by @VuvuZongo

The Year I ran comrades comfortably
2017 - never mind that it ended badly
Here are key things I did
1. I qualified and accepted my time and never raced any other marathon
2. I ran all marathons under 4 hours strictly between 3:55 and 3:58
3. I strengthened my core and legs

In addition I did only 2 long runs - well Ultra running if you like. Two oceans and fat cats 60
The rest was a distance that never exceeded 40km on training and I used my marathons as part of my LSD’s
I gave the body enough time to recover.

Adding a strict training program and running group helped with discipline and not showing up on all races helped with knowing when to run and not being dragged by the high rise of races and trainings

In simple terms don’t accept any invite if it’s outside your training plan

I made mistakes along the way as the journey from Jan - June was too long .. at my peak I did not know how to run slow I wanted all runs to be 5mpk because I could pull a 12km under an hour I forgot that my program warranted me to run @6mpk during the high mileage months

By default I was almost in my race pace almost everyday during the week and long runs weekend and I took a strain even though I did not notice because I was fit and could pull it off daily

Because the fitness deceives and you then running at 85% capacity all the time without feeling it…

Well… to run slow actually makes you run faster

Anyways
Biggest mistake was on race day
Nutrition
I missed 4 Critical points I was supposed to have refuelled at
I was supposed to have eaten at 8am
This was around 30km - my family missed me, at 12:00 I was supposed to be at 70km - they missed me only saw them after 82km

At that time ndandikhalele and I told them let’s meet at finish
Big mistake coz 2 km after I met them I collapsed

Point of this thread is to say it’s not over until finish line
Listen - I passed 80km in 8hrs and had to run 7km in 1 hr and it never happened for me to achieve my sub 9 because of the silly mistakes

What must you adopt Between now and August?
You have 4months
It’s enough time - but what you do between now and ultimate race day is crucial
Master your body, adopt a running group, get a program, train those legs 🦵 and core (Downrun) wants strong core and legs

Avoid Simulation on all races, run wisely, run slow to run fast, recover, eat well. Keep the flu at bay and most importantly extend your training days by recovering well and looking after your body.
Keep well and good luck 🤞 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

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