Don Oliver, where are you?
I’ve been following Don Oliver’s training program for the Comrades Marathon in 2007, as it’s the only program that is running now, over 250 days away from Comrades. However, the Comrades organisers saw it fit to change everything, and there are two very basic programs from Lindsay Parry, who writes a column for Runner’s World and is a practicing Biokineticist. With all respect to Mr Parry, who has a sub 3 hour Marathon PB, if I follow your “9 Hour Plus” training program, I’ll go mad from “Running Easy” for 30-40 minutes a week, every week, and my Marathon qualifying time in February/March will be awful.
Ok, I’m being harsh, this training program is not aimed at me, and Comrades is still a long way away, so the training will probably build up. But to not train too hard now so as not to risk injury, is like playing touch rugby as practice for full contact rugby practice. It might prepare you for certain aspects, but not for the real deal. I’m prepared to risk injury, so that I can enjoy my running, and therefore be confident in races, and hopefully lower my PBs.
I’m busy searching the web for a decent marathon training program, and hopefully will have a solid plan by tomorrow. Any suggestions?
