Gerda Steyn, preparing for her seventh consecutive Two Oceans Marathon title quest, emphasises the importance of fitness testing, inspired by Bruce Fordyce’s strategy, to gauge readiness and set an appropriate race pace. Picture: Gerda Steyn/SMacPix
Image: Gerda Steyn/SMacPix
There’s little dispute that Gerda Steyn’s ‘secret’ to her success is the incredible training she puts in for her races, and this year it seems that Smiling Assassin is also following a bit of sage advice from Comrades Marathon legend Bruce Fordyce.
Fordyce himself was no stranger to logging incredible mileage, which led to his nine Comrades Marathon titles (eight consecutive).
Steyn, who spreads her annual training between South Africa and abroad, is putting in the final preparations for the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on April 11, where she will line up as the heavy favourite.
As Steyn will be hunting her seventh Two Oceans Marathon title in a row, she revealed one of the philosophies she shares with Fordyce.
“Every year, Bruce Fordyce used to do a fitness test (time trial) before race day, and I think we can all take lessons from that. Going into a race, it is so important to know where your fitness is, because that will give you an indication of what to expect as well as what pace to set out at,” said Steyn in a Facebook post.
"Running is not linear, I know, and a race won’t necessarily go the same as it looks on paper, but knowing your body is a massive tool.”
Though Steyn was not specific, it was clear that even a hard 5k run could suffice for runners to test their fitness levels a couple of weeks out from a big race.
“A “test” can be very personal, like a specific workout, or a time trial, or even a shorter distance race.
“Collecting the data (with notes) over the years can save a lot of guesswork… Give it a go! Got mine done today. Data collected. Analysis loading.”