You Can Do This Long-distance Running

Any distance above 10km can seem very intimidating, but you don’t have to start with The Big C (or even end there). We chat to Comrades record breaker, Gerda Steyn about stepping up the distance and how to prep your body and mind for marathons and beyond

- Amy Hopkins

The Big C.

If you belong to a running club, you’ll know all about the hype around the toughest, more than-double the-distance of-a-marathon race that gets people asking: “Are you even a real runner if you haven’t done The Comrades?” 25 000 crazy runners entered this year – and it sells out every year. During the race, you’ll see every shape, size and age. You don’t have to be skinny or young to run long distances. What you do have to have is mental game and a good training plan.

MEET GERDA

YES, YOU CAN!

The knot in your stomach that forms when you get your entry confirmation email... Eeep! You’ve committed to run a marathon. Now what? “Don’t let your head tell you that you can’t do this,” says certified running coach, Garth Dorman of Embark. But where to begin? “A smart training plan and some dedication,” he says. We all know long-distance running requires time on feet. A lot of time. “You need a programme that works for you, that you can balance with your work, family and life. And then do the hard yards to get across the finish line,” says Dorman. As a coach, he creates personalised training plans to suit your level and needs. Some of the biggest mistakes Dorman sees with first-time marathoners is that they don’t set a goal from the start – and stick to it. Another common mistake is not practising nutrition on long training runs and trying to cram training in right at the end.

What he does advise? Cross-training. “I swear by it and it should be done in most training programmes. It helps reduce injuries and if you are injured it can help with rehabilitation. Cross-training can also make you run faster by increasing your aerobic fitness power and efficiency, plus it breaks up that mould of just going on long runs.”