Field notes · Barbell Empowered
Strength, running, and the integration problem.
Notes on strength coaching for masters runners and Comrades Marathon preparation. Force production, connective-tissue timelines, the novice window, Down Run strategy, and why the programme most runners are following was never designed for the body they are running in.
The Ultimate Guide to the Centenary Comrades Marathon: Entry Secrets and Down Run Mastery
Prepare for the 100th Comrades Marathon in 2027. Discover entry dates, qualification rules, Down Run strategy and essential training tips for the centenary.
Read the essay →First Time Comrades: The Ultimate Novice Survival Checklist
Running your first Comrades Marathon Down Run? Use this novice survival checklist to master the course profile, race day rules, tapering and start logistics.
Read the essay →The Comrades Peak Long Run: Your Down Run Dress Rehearsal
Master your Comrades peak long run. Learn distance caps, gut training, pacing rules, gear testing and taper timing for the Down Run.
Read the essay →Comrades Down Run Strategy: Mastering the 3 Elevation Segments
Master your Comrades Down Run strategy. Learn how to pace the 3 elevation segments, conquer Fields Hill, avoid the climbing trap and secure a negative split.
Read the essay →Comrades Training Consistency: The 80% Rule for Success
Discover why Comrades training consistency matters more than volume. Learn the 80% rule, the cramming prohibition and how to avoid injury.
Read the essay →The Rule of Individualisation: Choosing Your Comrades Training Plan
Choose the right Comrades training plan using the rule of individualisation. Learn long run caps, run walk strategies and core training principles.
Read the essay →Comrades Marathon Training: 5 Core Principles for the Down Run
Master your Comrades Marathon Down Run with these 5 evidence-based training principles. Learn the 68% injury rule, long run caps, tapering and more.
Read the essay →Masters Runners Don't Fail Programmes. Programmes Fail Masters Runners.
Why a fixed programme cannot integrate strength work with a masters runner's running load, and what a coaching methodology reads that a document cannot.
Read the essay →The Five Laws Every Runner's Strength Programme Ignores
Force, disruption, specificity, recovery, time. The five laws every strength programme for runners must obey. Most get one or two right.
Read the essay →Your Training Plan Was Built for a Body You No Longer Have
The masters plateau is not a fitness problem. It is an architecture mismatch. Why more running feeds a system already failing at the mechanical level.
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