Some people would say that there are two kinds of ultrarunners: those who have run Comrades, and those who want to. Comrades is famous in the world of ultramarathoning as the largest ultramarathon in the world. Although it is less well known in the general running community in the United States, in South Africa, where it takes place, it’s considered a legendary running challenge.

For the many Americans who are unfamiliar with the race, it can be said that Comrades is, in many ways, the Boston Marathon of ultrarunning. Like Boston, it is the oldest annually run race of its kind. It has a rich history of showcasing bravery, tenacity, and yes, even cheating. It has mirrored the evolution of our culture, like Boston, by admitting formerly banned participants—women in Boston, and women and black runners in Comrades. And like Boston, it is wicked hard. Tackling Comrades is actually like running two Boston Marathons, back to back. Begun in 1921 as a tribute for the returning World War I veterans, Comrades covered roughly 89 kilometers—approximately 56 miles—in the Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa, starting at the inland city of Pietermaritzburg and ending in the coastal town of Durban. Forty-eight men registered for the race, 34 started it, and 16 finished it. The participants, many of whom were war veterans, did not have the benefit of aid stations on the course and raced mostly on dirt roads.

That was then. This is now: more than 18,000 runners from over 60 countries start the race, as helicopters hover overhead and TV stations report on their progress. Most will make it to the finish line; to date, more than 300,000 runners have completed the race. The course still runs from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, known as the Down course, but every other year it switches direction and heads from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, called the Up course. But in either direction, it’s the race of a lifetime. With the proper training and racing plan, you could conquer Comrades. Here’s how to make it happen.

First, get entered Comrades differs from many other big races in that it does not sell out moments after registration opens. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it is one of

the relatively few races that, like Boston, maintain qualifying standards. You don’t have to have run an ultra to qualify for Comrades, though; you can qualify with a marathon. If you have run an ultra, there are seven more distances above the marathon that you could use for your qualifier. These are summarized in table 1. A quick glance at the qualifying times will let you know that this range is a bit misleading to an American runner, since most of these distances aren’t commonly offered in the United States. Of those listed, the only readily available options would be the 50K and the 100K. For most runners, however, this won’t lead to any anxiety because all of the standards are relatively kinder and gentler than the Boston qualifying times. Table 1 Qualifying times 42.2K (marathon)

Sub-5 hr

48-50K

Sub-6 hr

52-54K

Sub-6:30

56K

Sub-7 hr

60K

Sub-7:40

64K

Sub-8:20

80K

Sub-10:30

100K

Sub-13:30

Next, get to know the race Comrades presents runners with a special set of challenges. Whether the Down course or the Up route, the Comrades ultra, like Boston, is defined by its hills. It has hardly any stretch of flat running; you’ll be running either up or down, no matter which direction you’re running. On the Down course, there is 5,000 feet of climbing to go with the 7,000 feet of descent, and the Up course, taking a slightly different route, has 4,700 feet of descent to go with its 7,000 feet of climbing. In Boston, there are the three hills of Newton, anchored by notorious Heartbreak Hill. In Comrades, there are the “big five,” consisting of Cowies Hill, Fields Hill, Botha’s Hill, Inchanga, and Polly Shortts, listed in the order they are encountered on the Up course. The first three come in the first 25 miles of the Up race, the fourth follows at about the 31-mile mark, and the last comes with about six miles left to go. These quad-busters are hidden among many other smaller hills that lack names but that also take a toll. Any way you look at it, it is a relentless roller coaster of a course.

While a hilly course may not be anything unusual for an ultrarunner, another feature of Comrades might be. In contrast to its first running, the course now is run

entirely on asphalt. This surface is far less forgiving than many ultrarunners are accustomed to. If you’re thinking that none of this matters because you can just take your time and walk vast stretches of the course, think again. In Comrades, time matters, and the 12 hour cutoff time—raised from 11 hours in 2003—is very strictly enforced. To keep runners realistic about their pace and to weed out the hopeless causes, runners must also reach five cutoff points in specified times to be allowed to continue. When the finishing gun sounds, the race is over, even for those runners just yards from the end. For those runners who can make the cutoff time, though, the rewards are many: six, to be exact. Prior to 2000, only gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded, but now all runners can aim to earn a medal within their target finishing time. These are summarized in table 2. While none of these medals are large or spectacular by American standards, the effort needed to earn any of them makes them priceless. Table 2 Finisher-medal categories

Gold medals: the first 10 men and women Wally Hayward medals (silver-centered circled by gold ring), named after the five-time winner: 11th position to 5 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds Silver medals: 6 hours to 6 hours, 29 minutes, and 59 seconds

Bill Rowan medals (bronze-centered circled by silver ring), named for the first winner: 7 hours, 30 minutes to 8 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds Bronze medals: 9 hours to 10 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds

Vic Clapham medals (copper), named for the race founder: 11 hours to 11 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds

Add to all this often-sweltering temperatures, and you have the makings of a very serious challenge. This race is no joke. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that there have been seven deaths to date at Comrades. But there have been far more stories of triumph. To give you an idea of how the best of the best fare, see the course records in table 3. Table 3 Course records Up/Down Run

Record holder

Country

Year

Time

Men

Down

Leonid Shvetsov

Russia

2007

5:20:49

Up

Leonid Shvetsov

Russia

2008

5:24:49

Women

Down

Frith van der Merwe

South Africa

1989

5:54:43

Up

Elena Nurgalieva

Russia

2006

6:09:23

Elements of a training plan for Comrades Every effective training plan aims to balance the need for adequate preparation for a target event against the risk of injury from increasing the exercise workload. Ideally, your training would mimic your race as closely as possible in order to fully prepare your body for the stress of the race, but exposing the body repeatedly to high levels of stress to match the exertion of race day would invite the possibility of overtraining and injury. Striking the proper balance between these considerations is all the more important with an event like Comrades, which requires even more endurance, strength, speed, and physical and mental toughness from its participants than many other races. The program presented here aims to strike this balance by working several different modes every week of training, pushing the body to adapt to training and improve but without focusing so much on any one element so as to court injury. These elements are listed below.

Endurance running This, of course, is the backbone of the program. Our goal will be to not only increase the efficiency and endurance of the cardiovascular system, but also to build toughness in the joints and ligaments by running on asphalt trails. This might feel unusual for ultrarunners who are used to running on dirt trails, but Comrades doesn’t run on dirt, so for now, at least, neither should you.

As you look over the program, you might think that the weekly mileage isn’t high enough to adequately prepare you for a 56-mile race. However, remember that while the weekly mileage might be relatively low, the long run remains a central part of the plan and the buildup to the longest run is steady and will fully prepare you for the race. The guiding principle for our running is that we will aim to take every step necessary in our preparation, but not one step more.

The pace for your long runs should be at your marathon training pace, or even a little slower, which should be at least a minute or more slower per mile than your marathon race pace. If you are accustomed to taking a one- or two-minute walk break every mile or two during your training, you can continue to do so.

Remember, too, that cross-training, as discussed below, will be used to help build a solid endurance base without adding excessive stress to the body. In a sense, this cross-training will steal extra fitness for us, since weekends that would otherwise be used for shorter recovery runs can be filled with longer cross-training sessions that allow for some recovery from running while expanding your endurance base.

Hill work Preparing your body for the hills of Comrades is another essential element of training. This means preparing not just for the uphills but also for the punishing impact of downhill running as well, so this program designates hill workouts as

being either uphill or downhill. You should run tall and lean forward on both the uphill and downhill, while keeping a high leg turnover. Use the opposite direction for an easy recovery jog. You should aim to find some hills that are fairly steep and others that are long, meaning more than 200 meters or so. If you are lucky, you might have a series of hills in your area that contain both types, or better yet, hills that are both long and steep in sections. If you don’t have access to any hills, you can run parking ramps or stairwells or do repeats on a step machine. Begin with a one-mile warm-up and finish with a one-mile cool-down.

Speed workouts Successful completion of an ultramarathon does not require great speed; rather, the key is to maintain a consistent pace and avoid long breaks and more walking than is necessary and part of your race plan. Still, we have to keep speed in mind because of the cutoff times and also because of the incentive to win medals in faster categories.

This section will include both interval training and tempo runs. We will focus on just two different speed-workout formats for interval training, as numbered below: 1. 800-meter repeats. These are to be run at your 5K pace, or put another way,

at a hard intensity. Jog a 200-meter slow recovery run between each interval. 2. One-mile repeats. These are to be run at your 10K race pace, or a moderately hard pace. Jog a 400-meter slow recovery run between each interval.

The tempo workouts are to be run at your marathon race pace. Begin with a one-mile easy warm-up, do the miles as indicated, and end with a one-mile cool-down.

Cross-training This is where we sneak added fitness in through the back door, extending your fitness base without adding more stress. There are several possible modes of crosstraining, but whatever you choose, it should be cardio work that is continuous for the workout period and it should also be nonimpact. So for all its benefits, yoga doesn’t count as cross-training. Cycling, on the other hand, is a great choice and is my recommended exercise since it directly benefits running by working complementary muscle groups, including the quadriceps muscles on the front of the upper legs. (To see more discussion on this point, see my article “Cycling for Runners” in the July/August 2014 issue of Marathon & Beyond or my book Smart Marathon Training, Velo Press 2011.)

For our purposes, it doesn’t really matter whether you choose to cycle indoors or outside on the streets or trails, since both can be effective and each has its upside and downside. Cycling outdoors will engage your core more than spinning

indoors, since you have to balance your bike as you negotiate turns, potholes, and other obstacles. Indoor spinning, however, presents a more controlled environment and doesn’t allow any coasting. Just as with the old treadmill versus road running debate, there are people who feel passionately about each. Ultimately, both are effective, but since spinning generally requires more continuous movement, my own view is that it takes less spinning to get the equal effect of outdoor cycling. There are various calculators available to help you figure out how to convert one mode of training into another, but we’re going to keep it simple here. The times listed in the program below are for outdoor cycling; for spinning, do two-thirds of each of the cycling workouts for sessions listed as being more than one hour. Either way, aim to keep a fairly high cadence—80 to 100 rpm. I’ve indicated which rides are to be easy, moderate, or fast, which correspond to low-, moderate-, and higher-intensity training levels, respectively.

Other modes of cross-training, such as the Stair Master or elliptical trainer, could also be used for these workouts, but they work much the same muscles used in running. That’s a good thing when you’re injured and trying to maintain running fitness, but otherwise it would not increase the strength of underused muscle groups that are not involved in running but which are nevertheless important to maintaining form and avoiding injury while running. If you choose one of these workout options, aim to do at least 50 percent of the indicated training time for the cycling sessions for workouts designated as lasting over one hour.

For those who like to swim, I encourage you to continue to do so, as long as you don’t count on swimming for your cross-training workouts. Although swimming is a great exercise, it doesn’t work the legs in a way that would effectively complement or improve running fitness.

Strength training This mode of training makes our must-do list because while a runner might get away with poor strength when running low weekly mileage, training for and racing Comrades increases the stress of running exponentially, so any gap in fitness will become a problem. For this reason, we will schedule two strength workouts every week of training. If you are unsure about how to do any of these exercises, I recommend hiring an experienced personal trainer to assist you. If you have any back problems or any other limitation that could affect your ability to safely perform these exercises, consult your doctor first.

The strength program here is divided up into core, resistance, and balance workouts. All strength training has the goal of increasing muscle strength and endurance through short, intense repetitions, but for runners, a bodybuilding or powerlifting routine won’t add much, so generally avoid lifting heavy weights. If you are currently doing strength work, you can keep doing it, although I recommend that you incorporate these exercises into your routine as well if you’re not

already doing them. Feel free to add more exercises, but don’t feel compelled to do more than what is listed below. Remember: a little is better than none, so if you can’t do any of this work because you don’t belong to a fitness center or for any other reason, you’ll still benefit by doing whatever you can squeeze in, even if you just do some of these exercises in your home.

Start with one set of 10 repetitions for each exercise in the resistance work and one set of 20 repetitions for the core and balance exercises. As you feel stronger and more comfortable with this, aim for two sets of each. (For more information on strength training, see my article “Hitting the Gym” in the May/June 2011 issue of Marathon & Beyond or my book Quick Strength for Runners, Velo Press 2013.) Core • Hip raises. Lie on your back with your knees bent, your legs together, and

your feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips up in the air until you have achieved a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Lower and repeat. • Push-ups. This is the granddaddy of all exercises, and it’s also one of the

most effective, since it involves so many muscle groups in a movement that’s easy to understand. Be sure to keep your body rigid. If you are unable to do a push-up from your toes, drop down to your knees but still aim to keep your

body straight. • Crunches. Lie on your back and roll your shoulders up until your shoulder blades are off the floor. You can cradle your head in your hands, but don’t pull on your head, or you may strain your neck. • Cross-over crunches. Lie faceup with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Cross your right ankle over onto your left knee. Keeping your right elbow on the floor and your left hand on the back of your head, bring your left shoulder up and across diagonally toward your right knee. Repeat on the other side. • Leg raises. Lie faceup with your hands wedged under your backside, your

knees extended, and your legs together and as straight as possible. Raise your legs off the floor until they are perpendicular to the ground and then slowly lower them again. If this is too difficult, bend your knees. • Fire hydrants. Get down on your hands and knees. Keeping your right knee

bent, raise your right leg out toward the side until your leg is parallel to the floor. Repeat on the other side. • Supermans. Lie facedown with your arms outstretched in front of you. Arch your body upward, raising your shoulders and your legs simultaneously, and

then lower them again. • Side crunches. Lie on your right side, keeping your body as straight as possible. Simultaneously raise up your legs from your hips, along with your shoulders, and then lower both back down. Do the same on your left side.

• Side leg raises. Lie on your side with legs outstretched, knees extended, and one leg on top of the other. Raise the top leg as high as you comfortably can, and lower it back down again. Repeat on the other side. • Adductor leg raises. Lie on your side. Bend the knee on your top leg and point

it at the ceiling and place the foot of that leg on the ground in front of the knee of your other leg. While keeping the knee on that lower leg extended, raise that lower leg up as high as possible and lower it again. Repeat on the other side. • Side hip raises. Lie on your right side. Now raise your hips in the air and as

sume a side plank position, holding your body in a rigid line from your feet to your shoulders while resting on your elbow. Lower your hips down—aim to avoid having them touch the floor and then raise them back up again. Repeat on the other side. • Windshield wipers. Lie faceup and hold your legs straight up in the air with

your knees extended and locked. Put your arms at your sides, palms down, to steady your body. Now, keeping your legs together, swing your legs down to your right side as far as you can comfortably let them fall and then swing

them in one smooth motion over to your left side. If you find this to be too difficult, bend your knees. Resistance • Cable punches. Stand with the cable behind you, the pulley and handgrip positioned at shoulder level. Grasp the handle with your right hand, cocking

your arm as if you were preparing to throw a punch. Your right elbow should be bent and behind you, with your arm parallel to the floor. Your legs should be scissored, with your left leg in front of the right one. Keep your knees slightly

bent. Throw a slow punch, aiming for an imaginary opponent standing just slightly toward your right (aiming a bit to the side will help avoid dragging the cable across your shoulder and neck). Start by turning your hips, then your

torso, then your shoulders, and finally your arm, and then return and repeat on the other side. • Twisting cable pulls. Stand facing the cable machine, with the pulley and handle set at just above eye level. Scissor your legs so that when you grasp

the handle with your right hand, your right leg is behind you and your left leg is in front. Now twist your body and pull the handle toward your side. This constitutes one repetition. • Wood chops. Set the handle of a cable station to the highest position and at

tach a rope handle to the pulley. Stand sideways in front of the station, with your left side closest to the station, and grasp the rope with both hands. Pull on the rope, swinging the cable in an arc from your upper left to your lower

right, as if you were swinging an axe. Reverse direction and return the rope to the starting position. Repeat on your other side. • Dead lift and front raise. Take a stance that is just a bit wider than shoulder width. Tilt your pelvis backward and arch your back, locking your knees into a slightly bent position. Bend forward from the hips, and do not round your back. Grip a dumbbell or medicine ball with both hands and straighten up, swinging the weight up over your head toward the ceiling in one smooth movement. Hold for just a moment, and then let the weight swing back down and repeat. • Weighted swing. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold a dumbbell or medicine ball with both hands against your outer left hip. Keep your arms as straight as possible and swing the weight up and out diagonally toward your right side. Complete all of the swings on one side and then repeat

on the other side. Keep your eyes on the weight as you swing and aim to swing your entire body as a single unit. Do not just swing your arms; think of them as welded into place with your shoulder. Balance • Walking lunges. Locate a stretch of floor that is at least 30 feet long. Keep

your eyes focused on a distant point that’s about eye level and hold your arms either straight out in front of your body or raised out to your sides. Take a long step forward, being sure not to let your front knee go past your toes on that

leg. Concentrate on bending your back knee and sinking straight downward instead of bending forward over the front knee. That will help keep your front knee from passing forward of your front foot and will reduce strain on your knee. • Side lunges. This exercise is similar to the standard squat but focuses more

directly on the lateral stabilizers. Stand with your feet close together, knees slightly bent and your back slightly arched. Step out to the right, keeping your left leg straight as you bend your right knee down to a 90-degree angle. Step

back up and lunge out to the left, keeping your right leg straight this time as you bend your left knee. • Side leg swings. Standing straight, swing your right leg out to the side as far as you can, and then swing it back across your midline toward your left side

like a pendulum. Repeat on your other side. • Front leg swings. Standing on your left leg, swing your right leg behind you and then swing it forward as far as you comfortably can. Repeat on your other leg. • Standing hurdles. Stand on your left leg and bring your right knee up and

outward to your right. Keep that knee bent and swing it forward and then

down and back, drawing a large counterclockwise circle. The motion should be: out, up, forward, down, back. Repeat on the other leg. • Step-ups. Stand with your elbows bent, holding your left arm and right leg forward and your right arm and left leg back—basically, opposite arms and legs. Swing your right arm forward while you swing up your left knee. Reverse to return to the starting position. Repeat

on the other side. • One-legged dead lift. Imagine yourself as a seesaw or a teeter-totter. Stand on one leg, with your knee slightly bent so that your leg muscles will be engaged to hold your body steady. Keep your other leg straight and your arms at your

side and bend over, raising that other leg behind you as you lower your upper body, forming a T. Keep your back straight throughout the movement. Repeat on the other leg.

The program Below is a training program for the 2016 Comrades ultramarathon. Following this program will put you in a position to remain injury free during training and to finish the race. Of course, it’s not the only possible program; there are as many different possible training programs as there are athletes, and any number of them might prove to be effective for you, so consider this one as being a well-considered option. Ultimately, you will have to decide whether to follow part or all of this program. Whatever you decide to do, I recommend that you include the different modes of training incorporated here.

This program assumes that you have already run a qualifying race sometime within the previous year, but it does not assume that you currently have a marathon base, so training begins with a seven-mile run. If you are running longer than that now, continue to do so until the program catches up with you. For the longest runs, you might try to include a race—even a marathon, where appropriate—to keep things interesting, but remember: be a participant, not a competitor, since these are still training runs for you, and you shouldn’t do more damage to your muscles than the program already accounts for.

This program uses Sunday for the longest training workouts. To change this to a different day, simply shift the entire program. In general, however, avoid shifting particular workouts around or changing the workload, since every day of training is like a piece of a puzzle, building on what has come before and preparing for the workouts to follow. Shifting workouts around can interrupt recovery and the gradual buildup that we’re aiming for. If you miss any workouts—especially the long runs—reduce successive workloads by small amounts (such as 10 to 25 percent) until you catch up. In other words, don’t try to catch up all at once in the next workout.

As you review this program you’ll probably notice that an easy week of training has been slipped in during April. You should fight any temptation to do more than is listed. You won’t lose any fitness during this week, and you’ll feel stronger when you get back to the hard workouts. Along these lines, note that Wednesdays are generally easy cross-training days, which can be taken as off days if you feel tired, worn down, sore, or otherwise uninspired. JANUARY 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

2

Happy New Year’s Day! Sleep in late.

Rest up— the fun starts tomorrow.

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

7-mile run

Strength workout— core

Hill workout— up  4

30-minute bike ride

Speed workout #1, 4 repeats

Strength workout— balance

4-minute moderate bike ride

4-mile easy run

4-mile easy run

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

8-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— down  4

30-minute bike ride

Tempo run, 3 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

45-minute moderate bike ride

4-mile easy run

4-mile easy run

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

9-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— up  4

30-minute bike ride

Speed workout #1, 4 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

1-hour moderate bike ride

5-mile easy run

4-mile easy run

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

11-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— down  4

30-minute bike ride

Tempo run, 3 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

1-hour moderate bike ride

5-mile easy run

31 13-mile Run

4-mile easy run

FEBRUARY 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

2

3

4

5

6

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— up  5

45-minute bike ride

Tempo run, 4 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

6-mile run

5-mile easy run

4-mile easy run

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

2-hour bike ride

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— down  5

30-minute fast bike ride

Speed workout #1, 5 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

1-hour easy bike ride

6-mile run

4-mile easy run

14

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18

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20

15-mile run

Strength workout­— resistance

Hill workout— up  5

1-hour bike ride

Tempo run, 4 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

6-mile run

30-min fast bike ride

4-mile easy run

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

2-hour bike ride

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— down  5

30-minute fast bike ride

Speed workout #2, 2 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

OFF

6-mile run

4-mile easy run

28

29

18-mile run

Strength workout— resistance 30-minute easy bike ride

MARCH 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

2

3

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5

OFF

1-hour bike ride

Tempo run, 5 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

Easy 6-mile run

1-hour bike ride

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

3-hour bike ride

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— down  6

30-minute fast bike ride

Speed workout #1, 6 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

1-hour moderate bike ride

Easy 6-mile run

Easy 4-mile run

13

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15

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19

10-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— up  6

1-hour bike ride

Tempo run, 5 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

OFF

45-minute fast bike ride

Easy 4-mile run

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

21-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

OFF

30-minute fast bike ride

Speed workout #2, 3 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

Easy 6-mile run

30-minute easy bike ride

1-hour easy bike ride

27

28

29

30

31

3-hour bike ride

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— up  6

1-hour bike ride

Tempo run, 5 miles

Easy 6-mile run

APRIL 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

2

Strength workout— core & balance

45-minute fast bike ride

Easy 4-mile run

3

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5

6

7

8

9

EASY WEEK! 7-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Easy 5-mile run

OFF

Tempo run, 2 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

OFF

NO CARDIO WORK

30-minute easy bike ride

10

11

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13

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16

24-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

OFF

Hill workout— up  6

Tempo run, 4 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

Easy 6-mile run

30-minute easy bike ride

1-hour moderate bike ride

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

4-hour bike ride

Strength workout resistance

Hill workout— down  6

OFF

Speed workout #1, 6 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

45-minute fast bike ride

Easy 6-mile run

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

12-mile run

Strength workout resistance

Hill workout— up  6

1-hour bike ride

Tempo run, 6 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

OFF

45-minute fast bike ride

1-hour moderate bike ride

MAY 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

28-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

OFF

Hill workout— down  6

Speed workout #1, 7 repeats

Strength workout— core & balance

Easy 6-mile run

30-minute easy bike ride

Easy 45-minute bike ride

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

4-hour bike ride

Strength workout

Hill workout— up  8

OFF

Tempo run, 6 miles

Strength workout

1-hour hard bike ride

Easy 6-mile run

Easy 6-mile run

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

12-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— down  8

1-hour bike ride

Speed workout #2, 4 repeats

Strength workout

OFF

30-minute fast bike ride

1-hour hard bike ride

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

32-mile run

Strength workout resistance

OFF

Easy 6-mile run

Tempo run—6 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

Easy 6-mile run

30-minute easy bike ride

1-hour easy bike ride

29

30

31

4- to 5hour bike ride

Strength workout— resistance

Hill workout— up  10

Easy 6-mile run

JUNE 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

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4

1-hour bike ride

Tempo run, 6 miles

Strength workout— core & balance

Easy 4-mile run

45-minute hard bike ride

5

6

7

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9

10

11

10-mile run

Strength workout— resistance

Tempo run, 2 miles

Strength workout— easy core and balance: one set of each, 10 reps

Easy 4-mile run

Speed workout #1, 2 repeats or OFF

OFF

NO CARDIO WORKOUT

12

13

14

15

COMRADES ULTRAMARATHON!

OFF or easy walk

OFF or easy walk

Easy 3-mile recovery run

A final word Slight deviations from this program won’t derail your preparation, so while you should aim to get in all the listed workouts, don’t worry if you miss a day or two, or you need to cut a workout short along the way.