All For That 89.28KM...

By Frank

So here it is, My final report card for this year's Comrades training before I leave in a few hours time later in the wee hours of Monday (26 May 2014) morning. 5 months of training since 1 January 2014 came and went in a blink of an eye. The suffer fest I went through for 145 days (1 January - 25 May 2014) was tough but yet I stayed focus and committed for this once a year main event.

How time flies when it all began back on 1 September 2014 when registration open. And today, a total of 1,488KM has been ran as part of training which officially kick started on 1 January 2014 till this entry was made today and it was a perfect 5 months in terms of Kilometers ran as per required in the training regime. I followed closely the training program given and was honoured and lucky enough to have the official Comrades coach guidance. This is my best training among all my 3 Comrades in not only running but also focusing on other workouts. So hopefully, although it will be my weaker direction at the "down" round, I am hopeful for better results this year.

"Down" run profile.

I've been posting my month end "report card" but here's a little look back at where it all began this year. January has always been the base building month. To build the fitness up to prepare the body for the training ahead was the main objective. And besides, I was training a little for February's Titi 100 so it was a good start to the training with a healthy total of 251KM (target 242KM) ran.

Next was February, the month to identify and correct any running form. More or less to improve. And being the shortest month and with Chinese New Year, it's a tough month to run the distance. However thanks to Titi 100, 335KM (target 262KM) was achieved!

"Hell" March, the toughest most intense month is one where runners should have peak at the end of it. It was an emotional month for me as it was a roller coaster ride for me in my personal life matters. And to make matters worst, the haze returned earlier than expected from the hot weather and open burning. Therefore, I trained most of the time indoor. And also as the name suggest, it was going to be tough to run the required distance hence I've asked Jamie for help from his Gold Coast Marathon group which consist of Nick, Julia, Choon Yuen and Kew which made things less difficult. It was a re-visit to the Kinrara route and the introduction of the Subang route. It was all well worth it and I thank them sincerely for their company. And this month, I had Twilight Ultra Challenge in Singapore to help out with the training where I ran 93KM. Although I did peak at the end of the month with total 371KM (target 348KM), I recovered a little slower than expected probably due to the travelling and thus the following month started a little slower.

So far so good but things went a little bumpy in mid April where I was hit by "heatiness" hence had trouble at my "bottom". Had to stop running for almost a week while waiting for it to heal before everything went smoothly again. April was all about maintaining the fitness and while doing so, to improve on pace and lactate threshold. Therefore, there were interval and speed works involved this month, something which I do not favour but I survived by recording 280KM (target 272KM).

Then came the final month, one where I taper. May was a busy month indeed as the launch of this year's Be Frank campaign in conjunction with me running the Comrades Marathon while raising funds and awareness for cancer research. There were press conferences, radio and media interviews which was necessary to market the cause and also the Frankathon event. But it's all for a good cause and something I am willing to do. However, sadly work has been rather stressful considering how inconsiderate some turned out to be. Am not going further into details on this but it kind of contributed to me falling sick at the early of the month. Yes, I am blaming work stress for it and all in all, it had to happen a month before the big race. I stopped training for a few days but resumed lightly and safely to ensure everything will progress smoothly. I came thus far hence I've no plan to waste all my efforts. And finally I was glad I managed to record 251KM (target 227KM) as of this morning where I will end all main trainings with it. The remaining short runs will be done at Durban to just keep those legs moving.

Coming full circle.

So in total, it was a 1,488KM ran for this year's Comrades training which ended yesterday night. I hope to continue with the momentum and fitness gained coupled with my experience 2 years back to ensure a better Comrades this time. There's after all some pressure building up back home as many will be supporting my cause at the Be Frank campaign's Frankathon in raising funds and awareness for cancer. But it was pressure that got me to the finish faster last year hence pressure is good at times, by thinking out of the box.

Final composition analysis. Managed to gain some precious fat back.

This will be my final entry for this year's road to Comrades as my flight is schedule tomorrow morning at 2am. Come race day on 1 June 2014 at 11.30am Malaysian time, I together with 9 other Malaysians will tackle the epic journey. For those back home who will like to view it live, there will be live streaming on YouTube via SABC's channel. There will also be live online tracking for runners via www.comrades.com. I can be track with my race number of 57056.

And last but not least, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been part of my training journey. To Jamie, Nick, Kew, Choon Yuen and Julia from the GC training group for the company during difficult months. Special mention to my "family" at CARIF and Be Frank for the awesome support given.To my fellow Comrades runners this year, rest well, stay healthy and I will see you at Kingsmead! And finally special thanks to my parents who has once again given their time for me to train.

So it all boils down to this as it all comes full circle on 1 June 2014 as the journey of 89.28KM at the Comrades Marathon 2014 takes places. Hard Is What Makes It GREAT!

A recap of Comrades Marathon 2013.