Monthly Archives: October 2013
Comrades 2014 Bronze Medal Programme by Lindsey Parry – Official coach of the Comrades Marathon Association
The 2014 Comrades is a DOWN run, for the uninitiated don’t think for a moment this is an easy direction. You still climb an enormous amount; however it is the 10km of downhill between the top of Bothas (39km to go) and the bottom of Fields Hill that the major damage is done to your legs. It is for that reason that you should consider adding a day or two of strength training to your routine.
For now the focus should be on building consistency into your running. Success on 1 June will be determined by the work you do day to day, week to week and month to month. Doing too much now and having to miss training later through injury starts to put the Comrades into doubt. Start short and easy so you can build up to long and easy over time.
This programme is time based so people of more experience and greater running ability will get relatively more out of the programme and progress faster. Time based programs also prevent you from settling on a route that you need to run faster every time you do it. It is easier to maintain discipline and run easy on easy days. The aim is to be able to run a sub 5:00 marathon before Comrades. Continue reading
Share This PostRun Talker of the Week – Ntutu Letseka
How did you get into running? I ran at school way back, but once I got into varsity in 2001 other more ‘fun’ things kept me occupied! I tried again when I was in honours in 2005, on and off until 2007, but just never got back into it. But it all changed when I went to support at Comrades 2011 with my dad running. He was 53 at the time and the simple logic was that if he could do it, then I had no excuse
How long have you been running? My current wave has been going strong since June 2011
What is your favourite distance to run and why? 10km. It’s a brutally hard distance to get right. When raced properly it hurts, especially those last 2km. It is supposed to hurt but is short enough that the hurt only lasts ~10 minutes. And the recovery afterwards is quick too so you can race a couple in a month with no issues. I love it because it’s such a unique test of speed, stamina, strength and endurance. There’s no other distance quite like it.
Who is your biggest running inspiration and why? My father. Other than his Comrades endeavour (he ran 9:19 in 2011), he self-coached himself to a 2:30:40 PB at the 1997 London Marathon and a 31:58 10km in the build up to it…aged 39. It’s difficult to not get inspired by someone close to you achieving something like that.
What is your biggest or best running achievement? What are you most proud of? The easy answer is running Soweto Marathon last year my first (will remain my only one for a while). I was proud that I set myself a goal, 3:10, and went for it, even though I bombed in the last 10km and ran 3:38:10. Getting through the training was tough; those 32km runs almost buried me! I’m also pretty chuffed with my 36:13 PB for 10km after two years of running (though it was at the coast!).
What is your favourite running quote? Simply “Train, Don’t Strain” by the great coach Arthur Lydiard
Where is your favourite place to run and tell us why? I love running around my suburb Moreleta Park. There are a lot of runners here and the drivers are aware of us and courteous. And one word…hills. Lots of hills, speed training in disguise as Frank Shorter is credited with saying. I also enjoy the parkrun route at Ebotse.
Why do you run? It’s clichéd but running really gives back what you put in. I like that reward element (and the punishment when you don’t do the training)
What has been/is your biggest running challenge and how did you/ do you overcome it? This year I got a bit overzealous with the track work and had to deal with a bout of ITBS, which first surfaced after running that 10km PB in Cape Town. I ran through it as I’m sure most runners would but by the end of June I couldn’t run more than 20 minutes without pain. I made a decision to take time off and do all the rehab. Coming back and having to run 1 minute and walk 1 minute for 20 minutes was humbling but I’m glad I stuck with it.
What is the biggest life lesson running has taught you? Putting in the hard work gives you the best opportunity to reap the rewards Continue reading
Share This PostMike Stopforth’s Otter Trail Run Experience & The Molweni Trail Run in KZN with Daniel Graham – Trail Talk SA Episode 10
We are into double figures here on Trail Talk SA and this week we talk about two really cool races. On this week’s show:
- Brad caught up with Mike Stopforth, who recently completed the Otter African Trail Run. Mike is the CEO of Cerebra and only recently got into the sport of trail running. Mike published an article on his blog called “6 Tips For Making The Most Of Your Otter Trail Race Or Challenge” and Brad thought it would be cool to chat to Mike about a few of the tips he wrote about. You can also .
- We also talk about a brand new race on the South African trail running calendar, the 2014 Molweni Trail Run. Race Director Graham Daniel joins us to talk about the race as well as how you can enter and what to expect. As discussed the promo video is below and you can visit the website to enter or get more information here.
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courtesy www.jacquesmarais.co.za
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Share This PostLouis Meintjes on his Silver at the 2013 World Champs, Nolan Hoffman wins the Go West Cycle Race & Mike Hewan talks about what novice cyclists should take with them on a ride – Cycle Talk SA Episode 11
2013 has been a superb year for South African cycling and last Friday saw another South African show that we have what it takes to perform on the world stage. This week on Cycle Talk SA:
- Brad caught up with Louis Meintjes, who won silver at the 2013 UCI World Championships in the under 23 road race. Brad chatted to Louis about the race as well as how he got involved in cycling. Louis explained to Brad how exciting it is to be racing for Team MTN Qhubeka on the European circuit and what he believes the future holds.
- Team Abantu’s Nolan Hoffman won the inaugural Go West Cycle Race on Saturday and with it a R40 000 purse. Brad managed to catch up with Nolan straight after his win to chat about the race, life and the state of South African cycling.
- We chat about what novices, and in particular women, should know when they head out on the road for the first time with Mike Hewan from the Complete Cyclist. Mike also told us what to look out for when it comes to tyre wear to avoid punctures in the first place.
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Share This PostWhat an amazing performance on Sunday from Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang, breaking the marathon world record by 15 seconds in Berlin, Germany. In Episode 19 of Run Talk SA we chat extensively about that record breaking run amongst other things. This week:
- We caught up with Grant Schuleman, who ran his first Berlin Marathon on Sunday. Grant told us about the experience as well as whether or not other South Africans should consider running Berlin in 2014.
- Dr Ross Tucker spoke to Brad on his radio show on SAfm on Sunday about how long he thinks it will take until the magical two hour mark will be broken in the Marathon. The pair also touched on why runners are becoming faster and also about the dark side of the sport, doping and genetic engineering.
- Parky spoke to Phillip van Niekerk from Easy Event Recycling. If you’ve run any races in Joburg you will have interacted with Phillip’s company. They provide the targets that you can see at many races on the Highveld after every water table where you can throw your used water sachets and cups. As discussed on the show you can contact Phillip on his cell on or via email
- We also chat briefly to Comrades Coach Lindsey Parry about the upcoming Run Talk SA Comrades Webinar on 8 October 2013 at 7pm South African time. You can register for it here.
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Share This PostPrime Jailbreak with Colleen Jacka, Ironman World Champs with Kris Fesel & Raoul de Jongh on his triathlon career – Tri Talk SA Episode 13
This week on Tri Talk SA we have a really cool prize to give away and chat to three awesome guests:
- Colleen Jacka from the Prime Jailbreak Triathlon joins us to tell us about the race and that entries have now opened. Colleen has also given us an entry to give away. So all you need to do is listen to this week’s show, answer the easy question and submit your answer here.
- Kristian Fesel (Who we spoke to in Episode 1 of Tri Talk SA) is Kona bound. The hard work has been done and he is now making final preparations to board the plane to the big island. Brad and Kris spoke about training through winter as well as what a difference training with a coach has made. You can and on race day with the number 1247
- Raoul de Jongh joined us briefly to tell us what he still has up his sleeve from a tri point of view. If you want to hear the whole interview with Raoul go here.
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