Dodge The Super Plods

We all want to get faster, not slower. But the plods are real – if we overdo our training. Stay fast with Joburg-based coach Neville Beeton.

- Neville Beeton

The Super Plods. The very words strike a chill in the heart of any runner before an important race, at a time when they should be peaking and feeling full of energy.

It has happened to me, and I bet it has happened to you.

The term 'plods' was first coined by Graeme Lindenberg, who ran six gold medals at the Comrades Marathon, of which two were third placings.

Graeme is a sports physiotherapist, and well qualified to speak on this. When you are unfortunate enough to have the Plods, you feel sluggish with heavy legs. The only solution is rest, and no amount of mental strength will turn your race into a good one.

And while the Plods are a setback at any stage in your training, the absolute worst is when it progresses to the Super Plods just before a race – when you are supposed to be peaking.

To put it in a nutshell, when you are peaking, you should be feeling the complete opposite to the Plods or Super Plods.

Euphoria, aka Peaking

So, how do we know when we are peaking and ready for the big race?

Peaking does not just comprise physical symptoms, but also some mental ones. When peaking, we have that rare confluence of physical fitness and mental alertness where both qualities are in sync, allowing us to reach new heights in our running. We feel mentally alert, even a bit nervous and excited, and we experience heightened libido.

Tim Noakes in the Lore of Running (fourth edition, 2001), quotes ultramarathoner and guru running coach, Tom Oslo, on the following signs that a runner is peaking: