HILLCREST VILLAGERS COMRADES 2015

DISCUSSION

“I BELIEVE IN MYSELF”

• "Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them--a desire, a dream, a vision."

• Muhammad Ali 

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT?

• THE NEXT TWO WEEKS• PLANNING FOR THE DAY• THE ROUTE• PACING POINT LOCATIONS /

COMRADES CALCULATOR

CONT.

• REVIEW EACH OF THE SECTIONS

• SOME SUGGESTED STRATEGIES FOR THE DAY

• TAPER

• FUN,FUN,FUN

THE NEXT TWO WEEKS• “THE MONEY IS IN THE BANK!” – YOU

HAVE DONE THE KMS SO DOING EXTRA DISTANCE NOW WILL NOT BE BENEFICIAL

• TAPERING- LESS KMS AND MORE QUALITY WORK, ALLOW YOUR BODY TO RECOVER BEFORE THE BIG DAY – CAUTION DO NOT STOP RUNNING ALTOGETHER

• GET YOU MIND AROUND THE DAY

PLANNING FOR THE DAY• “FAIL TO PLAN – PLAN TO FAIL”

• START PLANNING EARLY – NOT LAST MINUTE- ENOUGH STRESS

• KNOW THE ROUTE – LANDMARKS / PACING POINTS– MEETING POINTS WITH FAMILY ETC

• RUNNING KIT READY – NB CHAMPION CHIP ON SHOE

• WARM CLOTHES FOR FINISH IN PMB-RUNNING INTO THE COLD

• ACCESSED THE COMRADES CALCULATOR– PREDICTED TIME– PACE & PACING POINT LOCATIONS– KNOW YOUR WALKING PACE – MINS PER KM

• NOTHING NEW ON THE DAY

PLANNING CONT.

• WHAT IS YOUR PLAN “B” IF YOU RUN INTO PROBLEMS ALONG THE WAY? – BE REALISTIC – BUT DO NOT GIVE UP!!

• GETTING TO THE START– FINDING YOUR RUNNING MATES– KNOW THE LAYOUT OF THE START

• ENTRY POINTS• TOILETS• KIT BAG TRUCK LOCATION

• AT THE FINISH, KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO MEET YOUR FAMILY ?.

DETAILS OF THE DAY / ROUTE

• 88 kms (incl Pinetown deviation)

• RACE STARTS IN DURBAN AND FINISHES IN PMB!!!( Cannot start from Oscars!)

• 48 TABLES ALONG THE ROUTE

• HIGHEST POINT ON THE ROUTE – UMLAAS ROAD 810m @ ABOUT 70 kms

ROUTE ( Cont)

• SIX CUT- OFFS– COWIES HILL 08H10 – (RUN TIME) 02:40– WINSTON PARK 10H00 – 04:30– DRUMMOND 11H30 – 6:00– N3 SUBWAY (CATO) 13H30 – 08:00– UMLAAS ROAD INTERSECTION 15H00 –

09:30– POLLY SHORTTS (TOP) 16H40 – 11:10

ALONG THE ROUTE

– WE WILL SEE “THE BIG FIVE” AT CLOSE QUARTERS –

• COWIES – SITUATED AT ABOUT 15 km,2.1km LONG, • FIELDS - SITUATED AT ABOUT 22km, 3.2km LONG• BOTHAS – SITUATED AT ABOUT 35 km,2.4km LONG• INCHANGA – SITUATED AT ABOUT 45km, 2.5km LONG• POLLYS - SITUATED AT ABOUT 79km, 1.8km LONG

PACING POINTS (Bite size chunks)

• HAVE USED THE COMRADES PACING POINTS TO AVOID CONFUSION

• OFTEN DIFFICULT TO SEE KM BOARDS , LINES ON TAR ETC- IDENTIFY LANDMARKS

• IF POSSIBLE GET A PACING BAND AT REGISTRATION

• COMRADES IS ABOUT THE 4 “C”s– COMMITMENT– CONSISTENCY– CONSERVATION– CELEBRATION

PACING POINTS – 11 (FIRST HALF)

• N.B. LARGE % OF FIRST HALF IS UPHILL!!

• START TO 45th CUTTING– START SLOWLY & WALK EARLY -PART OF THE WAY UP

TOLLGATE HILL. PICK A RUNNING LINE AND TRY AND STAY ON IT, DO NOT WASTE ENERGY WEAVING IN AND OUT

• 45 CUTTING TO TOP COWIES – FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO SPREAD OUT & SETTLE DOWN- RUN

TO HALFWAY UP COWIES• TOP COWIES TO RAIL BRIDGE AT BOTTOM FIELDS - 20km

TIMING MAT– RELAX DOWN COWIES, WATCH PACE THROUGH P/TOWN AND

NEW ROUTE – REWARD YOURSELF• BOTTOM FIELDS TO WINSTON PARK GARAGE

– BRISK WALK UP FIELDS, CONSERVE ENERGY- ,ENJOY THE CROWDS – WATCH YOUR PACE THROUGH KLOOF.

PACING POINTS (FIRST HALF)

• WP TO KEARSNEY COLLEGE GATE- – HOME TURF, WATCH THE HYPE OF THE CROWD,

RUN HALF OF BOTHAS• KEARSNEY TO HALFWAY –

– LONG DOWN HILLS, LENGTHEN YOUR STRIDE , RELAX ARMS & SHOULDERS, DO NOT STRESS TO MUCH IF YOU ARE NOT ON TIME.

– WELL DONE – PUT THE FIRST HALF BEHIND YOU.

– CONCENTRATE ON THE 2ND HALF

– REMEMBER ARTHUR’S SEAT, GREET HIM AND GIVE HIM FLOWERS

PACING POINTS 2ND HALF(Counting down to finish)

• HALFWAY TO END OF HARRISON FLATS (CALTEX GARAGE BEFORE CATO)– WALK UP INCHANGA, LONG DOWN HILL

SECTION TO AMAZONDI’S STORE-RELAX EXTEND STRIDE-LONELY SECTION

• END HARRISONS TO CAMPERDOWN RAIL BRIDGE – – WATCH OUT FOR THE “WALL”- BITE SIZE

CHUNKS, THINK POSITIVE, KEEP MOVING,FEED OFF THE SUPPORT

– THIS IS WHERE THE RACE STARTS

PACING POINTS 2ND HALF• CAMPERDOWN TO N3 BRIDGE AT LION PARK TURN OFF –

15.5km TO GO– WATCH THE HILL COMING OUT OF

CAMPERDOWN,RUN/WALK ,REACH THE HIGHEST POINT, YOU CAN SEE PMB.

• LION PARK BRIDGE TO TOP POLLYS – – LONG DOWN HILL TO BOTTOM OF LITTLE POLLYS- TRY AND RUN

ALL THE WAY,WALK TO ASHBURTON SPAR, RUN DOWN HILL TO START OF POLLYS. WALK POLLY’S – CONSERVE YOURSELF

• TOP OF POLLY’S 7.5 KMS TO GO MAINLY DOWN HILL– TRY AND RUN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN FROM TOP OF POLLYS TO

THE FINISH, THIS IS WHERE THE CONSERVED ENERGY WILL HELP YOU , NB JESMOND ROAD

– DO NOT PANIC & RUSH RUN THE LAST FEW KMS IF YOU ARE A BIT LATE – RUN THE LAST KMS DOWN ONE AT A TIME - FOCUS

– ENJOY THE “GOLDERN MILE”, YOU HAVE MADE IT ,ROUND THE FIELD TO THE END – WATCH THE CRAMPS.

– CONGRATULATIONS – ENJOY THE ATMOSPHERE

SOME SUGGESTED STRATEGIES FOR THE DAY

SUGGESTED STRATEGIES• IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THE BACK GROUPS AT THE

START, DO NOT TRY AND MAKE UP TIME IN THE FIRST FEW KMs – USE THE DOWNS AND THE FLATS ALONG THE WAY – IMPACT OF THE LAST 10/15 KMS – WALK VS RUN

• CONSERVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE DAY – TORTOISE vs HARE

• MAKE SURE YOU EAT EARLY AND REGULARLY• TRY NOT TO WASTE TIME AT THE TABLES – PICK UP

AND GO• WATCH OUT FOR OVER HYDRATION (TABLE EVERY

1.8KM)• TRY AND KEEP MOVING,• SHORT TERM FOCUS IN THE BAD STAGES – CATS

EYES!

SUGGESTED STRATEGIES

• ULTIMATELY IT IS IN THE MIND – LEARN TO PLAY MIND GAMES, USE POSITIVE WORDS:SEE YOURSELF RUNNING WELL TO THE FINISH

• RUN / WALK SCHEDULE – PLAN YOUR WALKS AND TRY TO STICK TO THESE

• THIS IS YOUR DAY, YOU MAY NEED TO BECOME SELFISH!

YOU WILL BE AT THE FINISH

• YOU ARE ALL STARS – BE PROUD OF YOURSELVES AND YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

• YOU BELIEVED IN YOURSELVES

GOOD LUCK