There is life after the Comrades marathon! In the first week, the legs are sore and you will be eating and sleeping and travelling back home. But then after about two or three weeks, post Comrades depression strikes!
Post Comrades depression is when you wake up one morning and realise that you have nothing to look forward to. For months you have have had the Comrades on your mind, and it was a big thing in your life. Your first thought when you woke up was of the Comrades, and your last thought before falling asleep at night was of the Comrades. But with the Comrades done and dusted, suddenly you may no longer feel motivated, especially as we are in the winter here in South Africa.
Create new goals after the Comrades marathon
This is when it is time to create your new goals, and get running again, so that you don’t waste all the hard training that you did before the Comrades. A good strategy is to work on your speed through the winter, as these sessions are shorter and that helps with the shorter daylight hours.
Most of my Comrades runners will do this, and then start to build up for an early marathon qualifier between September – November this year for the Comrades marathon.
There are several marathon options such as:
- aQuella Zone 3 marathon on September 6
- Rand Water Vaal River City marathon on September 13
- eMalahleni marathon on September 19
- Jeppe marathon on September 20
- Midvaal MadMac marathon on October 4.
- Intercare Blouberg marathon on October 3/4
- Fancourt marathon in George on October 17
- Nelson Mandela marathon in Cape Town on October 18.
- Jacaranda City marathon in Pretoria on October 24
- Pam Golding Hangklip marathon on October 25
- Sportsman Warehouse marathon in Stellenbosch on November 7
- Kaapsehoop marathon on November 7
Avoid this mistake after the Comrades marathon
The biggest mistake that runners sometimes make after the Comrades is to either try start running too soon, or be lazy and not run for months. Some runners will start running already in the first week after the race, and all that this does is compound the muscle damage and prolong the recovery.
Others will be lazy and struggle to get started again, and the winter makes it hard. But these runners will regret it when Spring comes and they start running again, and have to start all over again, while some will have also gained unwanted weight.
How to recover well after the Comrades marathon
The ideal rest phase after the Comrades is 2-3 weeks, as that is long enough to help the legs to recover, yet short enough that you don’t lose fitness.
The first week after the Comrades marathon
- Rest, although light walking is fine
- Eat well and sleep well
- After a few days, you can start with light stretching
- Boost your immune system, as runners sometimes become sick shortly after the Comrades
- A light sports massage after about 4 or 5 days is good.
The second week after the Comrades marathon
- Try get a sports massage
- If you have an injury from the Comrades, try see a physio
- Do regular stretching
- Walking is fine, and you can try a light jog of 4-5km on the weekend
- Avoid doing strength work on the legs, but core work and upper body is fine
The third week after the Comrades marathon
- Some runners will still rest, others can start with light runs
- Avoid speed work in this week
- If doing strength work, you can get back into this.
The months after the Comrades marathon
- This is a good time to sort out any injury issues, and it can be worth seeing either a physio for this, or a chiro if you have alignment issues. It is always useful seeing a Bio for an assessment to check for any muscle imbalances or weakness.
- This is a good time to start doing strength work, especially if you are new to this.
- This is a good time to work on your 10km and 21km speed. The sessions are short, fun and challenging. Improving your speed will pay off later on for when you run a marathon and Comrades.
Planning for the 2027 Comrades marathon
The 2027 Comrades will be the 100th running of this event, and it it will be very special. Planning for the Comrades marathon is important, and my Road Map to Success in the Comrades marathon explains the plan month to month, what is important and when it important.
