The
City2Surf kicks off in Sydney on Sunday, August 12. Michelle Bridges spoke to
madison about how to get prepared for this iconic 14km run. See her tips below.
*One month prior to the race:
Food
Don’t fall into the trap of eating more because you're exercising more. Yes, you may feel a little hungrier on the days after a big session, but if you are aiming to shift a few kilos, keep your portion sizes down and curb your cravings with a piece of fruit, a cup of tea or even a small low fat yoghurt. Some essential nutrients you may want to ensure are in your diet are;
omega 3 (found in oily fish), which helps to lubricate joints,
low GI carbs (dark green leafies, grainy bread) to give you sustained energy, and
protein (e.g. meat, legumes, dairy) to help build some lean, mean muscle.
Exercise
It’s all about
building up your distance to the big one four – do one “long” run per week,
each week increasing that distance by about 1-2kms. In my online
12 Week Body Transformation program, I put my members on a training plan that incorporates short interval sprints on one day, a tempo run on another, and a weekly long run on the third day.
A month out your long run should be around 8-12km.
*One week prior to the race:
Food
It is important to pre-hydrate this week, so make sure you drink at least 30mls for every kilo you weigh, per day – that’s 2.1 litres for a 70kg person. Sorry guys,
no need to carb load for an event like this – a maratho,n maybe, but not our beloved
City2Surf!
Exercise
Don’t start your training now! This is not the week to suddenly run like a demon! In fact most athletes taper their training in the lead up to the big event.
Your last long run should be approximately 5-7 days before the event, not any closer.
*On the day of the race:
Food
Have a
light breakfast about 1.5-2 hours before. I usually have half a banana. If you've
pre hydrated well you won’t have to drink much before the race (be sure to leave some time to visit the loos for a nervous wee!).
Exercise
Today is a
celebration of hopefully some decent training and the fact that you are
fit enough to run 14km! That is no mean feat and you should be really proud of what you have achieved. A few pre race nerves are normal, but try and turn this into excitement and remember that this is a fun run. When you turn that corner on Campbell Parade at that roundabout,
no matter how sad and sorry you feel – lift your chest, open up your stride and
bolt to that finish line! After all, there is a huge crowd cheering you on, why not show ’em what you’ve got left in the tank!
Michelle Bridges runs an online 12 Week Body Transformation with specific training and nutrition programs for people preparing for runs from 10km in distance, to half marathons. Visit 12wbt.com for more information.