Today’s #FastFriday goes to the Cinderella of South African Road Running: Caroline Wostmann.
For the bigger picture, read my complete guide to Comrades Marathon training.
It is amazing how well Caroline has recovered from her Two Oceans and Comrades Double, considering that most of the experts (including me) frown upon such folly.
This really does pay testament to just how seriously Caroline takes her recovery. I will get to her latest incredible achievement in a bit, but today I want to focus on how well Caroline looks after her body and the role that plays in her success.
Strong legs are what get you up the hills and still working on the long descents. My free Comrades strength training plan is one session a week, done at home with no expensive gym equipment, and every exercise comes with the reps and a short demo video.
For a start, Caroline plans her life very well to ensure she gets plenty of sleep, as a full time mother of 2 (do you get anything else?) and in demand public speaker, Caroline must get enough sleep at night. She does not have the luxury of a kip in the day. 2ndly she is very good about eating well (Thanks in the main to husband Haiko) and ensuring she has the right recovery drinks on hand after her long runs and intensive work outs. Sleep and nutrition are non-negotiable if you want to stay healthy as an athlete.
Recovery is key to Caroline’s running success
Caroline then makes full use of every recovery modality available to her. Self-massage after every run, a weekly deep tissue massage with JP Du Plessis at the hpc, a weekly session with one of the hpc physios to iron out any issues before they arise and plenty of ice baths (also courtesy of the hpc). You can see that there is more to being successful and an athlete to just training hard…
Finally we get to the latest of Caroline string of successes:
On Sunday the 20th of September, Caroline lined up at the Sanlam Cape Town Peace Run which formed part of the Cape Town Marathon weekend. We knew she had trained well, but the unknown is always how we will react to the change from altitude to sea level (always positive, but how much so?) and what the weather would hold in store.
Fortunately the weather played ball and Caroline had a fantastic run, knocking over a minute off her previous PB and clocking a 35:27. With her focus on the NY Marathon and lack of experience racing over the 10km, this was an outstanding result and clear indicator that she will very soon join the sub 35min Club.
If you’re serious about getting to the Comrades finish line, my Comrades Marathon Roadmap gives you a structured plan all the way to race day.
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