Run With Coach Parry

The next question on Ask Coach Parry was submitted by Jaco Van der Merwe. This is also a pretty cool question. Jaco wanted to know about the pros and cons of using compression socks for running. He considers himself very fortunate to be an injury free runner, and was wondering if it would be advisable to try a pair of them out. Is it a case of if not broke don’t fix, or will they help him with recovery and perhaps improve his performance? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

On Ask Coach Parry today we have another Comrades Marathon Question. This one comes in from Ross. He says he is quite a seasoned runner. He’s completed 10 Comrades Marathon's. He got his green number in 2012. He didn’t enter in 2013 and pulled out for the first time in 2014 at 76 km. His training was going quite well until a month ago, when he injured his left heel somehow. He said he’s seen the doctor, he got x-rays, there’s nothing broken, but there was some inflammation present. He could barely walk for the first week or two after it happened. He’s been using ice water and Arnica Winter Green to treat it, but he’s still limping at times, and unable to recommence his running as of yet. He took his dog for a short run to the park a week ago and was feeling okay, but the next day it played up again. Do you think he’s still got a chance to catch up on the training and enter the Comrades Marathon 2015? It’s only just less than a month to go until entries close, and he can’t put too much pressure on his left

Welcome to another episode of Ask Coach Parry. Today’s question comes from Peter Yulie, and it reads as follows: “I’m in the process of rehab. My best 5km time is 33 minutes. I’m working with the Sharks Medical Centre, and have great confidence in the team there.” He says his plan is to qualify at the Postnet Marathon, and he does have a bit of a history of not finishing the Comrades Marathon. He’s got 7 DNF’s. He’s doing the Finishers Program at the moment, and he’s thinking of possibly following the Bronze Program. Should he be following the Vic Clapham, or should he be following the Bronze? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

We have an awesome question on Ask Coach Parry today. It’s from Annelie Grove, and she’s saying at this stage she’s running a 10km comfortably. How can you go from that to a half-marathon, so to 21 km? What does she need to do to make that step up? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

On the latest episode of Ask Coach Parry today we have a short and sweet question coming in from David. He’s saying, “Hi coach. I’m a runner with a personal best of 1:20 for half-marathon and a 3:30 for a marathon.” He did his first Comrades Marathon this year, but he struggled just after half way due to stomach problems, and he crossed the halfway mark in 4:30. He’s intending to try and finish the Comrades Marathon next year well under silver, and even perhaps aiming for a Wally Haywood. He needs your guidance in terms of training that can assist him to achieve his goals. What should he be doing mileage wise, sort of what should he qualify at, and that sort of thing? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

On this episode of the Ask Coach Parry Podcast Lindsey Brendan Dunne submitted his question and he wanted to know about qualifying for the Comrades Marathon. As a Comrades Marathon novice next year he wants to leave his Comrades Marathon qualifier later to try and build up a better fitness base. He’s currently doing around 50 km a week now and he’s been doing that for a few years. He’s got times in the Bill Rowan range across all distances. If he decided to do his qualifier in mid to late March, he wants to know will he have to do more of a slow training run rather than fast qualifier to get a great Comrades Marathon seeding? He says how fast should he run his Comrades Marathon qualifier? He was thinking of running an easy sub-4 and getting a D seeding which would be fine for his first Comrades Marathon given his lack of preparation time and inexperience at anything over 32 km. What would this translate to on race day? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

This is the next edition of Ask Coach Parry, and today we have a question from Linda. She says she’s running an average of 40 to 45 km a week with long runs on a Saturday. Her aim is to qualify for the Comrades Marathon at Kaapse Hoop, which is round about now. She says although the route that she runs has a lot of water points, she feels as if she can’t drink enough after a long run. She stays very, very thirsty, but she, she can’t seem to take in any more fluid because she’s so full. Have you got any advice for her? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

Welcome back to the latest edition of the Ask Coach Parry podcast. Julie Van Lyleveld asks a bit of a combination question between triathlon and running. Julie says she is training for the half Ironman, the Ironman 70.3 in Buffalo City in January. She wants to know how do you go about training for that race and do the necessary running training for the Comrades Marathon. When she looks at the training needed for the Comrades Marathon, she has no idea where she can fit in her cycling and swimming. She has completed one Comrades Marathon before, that was this year and has run a 21 km very comfortably in about 1.55, so she is a decent runner. She is strong on the bike but she needs to spend time in the pool to get strong in the water. Your help will be greatly appreciated in getting the balance right. Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

On Ask Coach Parry over the last few days we have been talking about the various Comrades Marathon finisher medals. Today we wrap up the five episodes regarding the times you should be aiming at so over the shorter distances to secure your goal medal at the Comrades Marathon. Today we are talking about one that probably less than 5% of the Comrades Marathon field get. Silver medals, you have got to be a pretty decent runner. What do you need to do from a running perspective, for a 10 km half marathon or marathon time to get yourself a silver medal, a sub 7½ Comrades Marathon? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

Welcome back to another episode of Ask Coach Parry. Over the last few days we have been chatting about those time goals over the shorter distances for the various Comrades Marathon medals. Today, let us look at the Comrades Marathon Bill Rowan’s sub 9. A sub 9 Comrades Marathon is great going and if you look at the percentage of people that actually get it, you are in the very small minority. It is a wonderful achievement, if somebody is looking at a sub 9 Comrades Marathon, what should they be looking at 10 km, half marathon and marathon times? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

Welcome to the next edition of Ask Coach Parry. Over the last couple of days we have been chatting about what sort of time goals you should set for shorter distances and which medal you could achieve by that at the Comrades Marathon, and today’s one is quite interesting because it is the one that is smack bang in the middle of the Bill Rowan and bronze. It is a sub 10 hour, it is one that I am looking at for the Comrades Marathon 2015, and we have had a few questions on this one with regards to adjusting training programmes. If someone is aiming for a sub 10 Comrades Marathon, from a shorter distance perspective, what should they be looking at for their 10 km, half marathon and marathon times and as we have mentioned before, it is not an exact science but it is more of a ball park of what you should be looking at? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

Yesterday on Ask Coach Parry we focused on your times in a 10km, 21km and 42km in order to get the Comrades Marathon Vic Clapham medal, the sub 12 hour finishers’ medal. And as promised today we are going to chat about a sub 11 Comrades Marathon medal. Lindsey you obviously mentioned yesterday, it is not an exact sign, but it will give people a rough guide on what they should be aiming for over the shorter distances. What should your 10km, half marathon and marathon time be if you are aiming for a sub 11 at the Comrades Marathon?In what time should I be running 10km? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

On Ask Coach Parry today we are starting a series of 5 episodes that deal with your times for various distances and how they relate to which finishers medal you’re aiming for at the Comrades Marathon. We will start with the medal that most people get at Comrades Marathon. The Comrades Marathon Vic Clapham finisher’s medal. If you look at that Vic Clapham medal, realistically what should you be running a 10 km, a half marathon and a marathon to be able to comfortably finish and get a Vic Clapham at the Comrades Marathon? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

Welcome to another episode of Ask Coach Parry and it is Jacqueline Kellermans’ question we answer now. This is a question that has got to do with being sick. Jacqueline has got a race coming up and she says she has got a head cold and she is pulling out of the race. She has read online that as long as the symptoms are not in the chest and you do not have a fever, you can still run. What is the thinking behind a head cold? When should you and could you run and when should you not? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

In today's Comrades Marathon related question on Ask Coach Parry, we answer a question from Nazreen. She says, “Thanks for all the valuable advice. 2015 will be my second Comrades Marathon and it scares me because it has so many climbs. How can I improve my hill running (endurance) gradually, to prepare for all those climbs on the Comrades Marathon up run?” Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

In this episode of Ask Coach Parry we answer a question sent in by  Nicholas Nyangal. He is asking about some of the terminology and references you use when talking about Comrades Marathon Training. Nicholas was asking for you to explain what you mean by walk 5 minutes easy, jog 20 minutes, walk 1 minute times 2, walk 5 minutes. What do you mean by walk 1 minute times 2? So, you know what I am talking about? If you can explain those sort of things in your training programmes?Understanding the Comrades Marathon training programmes. Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

In this episode of Ask Coach Parry, we have a Comrades Marathon training question Kate Theron. She said “Hi coach. I would like to start training for Comrades 2016. I saw on the Comrades.com website that you have a programme posted for finishers that you can recommend beginners modify a bit.” Could you maybe tell her how she could modify that programme so that she can start from the beginning? Thanks so much, Kate.Can I go from couch to Comrades Marathon? Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

Today’s question on the Ask Coach Parry podcast was submitted by from Bernard Van Den Dool. Bernard’s said that due to over-use type injuries, his first two attempts at the Comrades Marathon had failed.Post the Comrades Marathon this year, he adopted your post Comrades Marathon training programme in Tom Cottrell’s race date booklet.The program has been a bit less than he normally did. A better build-up to what he has been trying to do over the last two years.Needless to say, he is quite excited with his progress. His recent 5 kilometre time trial with hills is 25:30. The question is where to from this programme after December as the programme is more than the Comrades Marathon Bronze medal programme but less than the Comrades Marathon Bill Rowan programme?His aim is to finish with a bronze and avoid to any over-use injuries in the build-up to the 2015 Comrades Marathon. Read More · Training Programs · www.CoachParry.com

In this episode of Ask Coach Parry we touch on a topic that was mentioned in our first Comrades Marathon webinar for the 2015 Comrades Marathon (The can register for the next one here). It is quite interesting and it deals with Comrades Marathon training and Comrades Marathon coaches. Obviously in the build up to the Comrades Marathon, you want to find a coach training philosophies you can work with and fit to your style of running and what you’re looking to get out of the Comrades Marathon. But then you need to stick to that coach’s advice, and that includes using that coach’s Comrades Marathon pacing charts on race day. We used a football example in the webinar. It’s like Sir Alex Ferguson coaching Manchester United all season, but then on match day they listen to Joe Soap for the match tactics. It’s not going work and they’re not going win. It is pretty much the same with the Comrades Marathon. There’s lots of Comrades Marathon pacing charts around and online. There are lots of Comrades Marathon training p

In this episode of Ask Coach Parry we chat about how the body uses fat for energy as opposed to carbohydrates. Patrick Kongsilp submitted his question, and it says: “Hi Coach. So I’ve come to the realisation that I’ve been too dependent on carbohydrates for the past few years to fuel my training runs. My weight remains steady at 72.5 kg’s, yet high for my height. Despite the fact that my weekly mileage has increased since August, from 56 km per week to 80 km per week.” He suspects that during the majority of his training runs his body was consuming carbohydrates and not properly trained to utilise fat. Hence, he was basically wasting energy carrying dead weight fat, which was slowing him down. His marathon PB was a 3:08”10 back in 2004, so ten years ago, where he weighed 64kg. It was about 8 kg lighter than he is now. The best he’s been able to do since then was a 3:19 back in 2012. He’s got a Comrades Marathon PB of 8:52 in 2012 as well. Looking back, he thinks he was eating a lot less carbohydrate, and his