Nervous about Comrades

Yes, I am going to run Comrades this year.. after much dillydallying,  made up my mind to take my chance..

But, I am far from 'ready' for this challenging run.  I have been talking to few folks who have run Comrades before and all of them uniformly term the course as 'challenging'.  This includes a veteran of the course who has run the course more than 20 times.

It is down run at Comrades this year which basically consists of five hills.. and the website warns the runners of 'foolhardy exuberance' at the start which will be "paid many times" as we reach Durban.

This chart is for uphill (Durban to Pietermaritsburg), but this year it is downhill so read this chart from right to left.

My strategy is quite simple.. start slow and keep a steady pace around 9k an hour.  This gives me two hours of buffer which I am hoping should see me through.. unless of course I get cramped and fall flat on the road en-route to Durban.

Regardless of the outcome.. I am running Comrades.. Wish me good luck.. need lots of it..