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Preparation for C2S landscape

Posted by on 30 May 2010 | 1 Comments

Many people have not entered a large running event before. The preparation for the actual race landscape is just as critical as the run itself. The C2S is like no other event. It's crowded, there is little space to warm up, adrenaline is high and you have to fight to get to the finish line. Here's some activities that you need to consider and start preparing for. 1. WARM UP With all the bustle of the start you will need to line up for a long period of time, squeezed in amongst thousands of people and you will have little space to warm up. You may stand there for 20 minutes. However you must prepare yourself to reduce the risk of injury and to complete a good run. Whilst on the spot you can do static stretches, fast feet, small jogs, low knees up, hip flexor swings, bounce on your toes and so on. To keep moving is the trick to get the blood flow going and to ensure that you don't have tight, cold muscles when the race eventually starts. Practice some of these before you do a run of your own. 2. TRY OUT TERRAINS You will run on all terrain. The race is primarily a road race and whilst bitumen is the worst for impact it is a good idea to practice running on the road, as we do in C2S training. You will need to run around people and up and down gutters so practice this in your runs. Run up on the footpath and down again, do a mixture of grass (which results in slower running speeds at times) and bitumen. practice jumping off gutters as you run, and run side to side movements as if you are dodging people. The more you are aware that you need to do this and can get used to the moves, the better off you will be. 3. WORK ON YOUR STRENGTHS If hills are your nemesis and they slow you down then work on your flat run training. If you feel you will never conquer hills then aim to make up your times by running the flat sections at a faster pace. Practice striding out with a longer stride or improving your technique for speed when running downhill. I personally find any inclines a challenge so I go at a faster pace on the downhill or flat sections of runs to pick up any lost speed. 4. WORK ON YOUR CHALLENGES If hills are your nemisis (sound familiar?!) then work on them. Do hill training or do a lot of runs with hills incorporated into the run. Get better at them so they are not daunting on race day. Use smaller steps to keep moving up a hill slowly rather than walking them. Practice, practice, practice. Hills are good for leg strength so make sure that you include some in your training. 5. ENTER SMALLER EVENTS This will help you to get a feel for the real thing, on a smaller scale. Get used to the idea of running around people and across different terrains. 6. KNOW THE ENDING Understand that around the last 2km of the City 2 Surf event will be like a funnel with thousands of people coming from a broad stretch of road into a small stretch of road leading to the finish line. This will slow you down tremendously. Participants are hard to dodge during this section and it seemingly goes on forever. You may lose time here. You will also be tired so this is the struggle point. 7. DEVELOP A PLAN!!! Are you going to aim for a certain number of km's per minute? Are you going to try to get to 12km's by a certain point and allow a buffer for the last 2 kms for the funnel at the end? Will you take the hills slowly and steadily and run the flat as fast as you can? Will you power up the hills and catch your breath and cruise on the flat for recovery? What happens if an episode occurs during the event and thows out your plan? Last year an ambulance went through the blue group at the beginning of the race resulting in the whole crowd having to slow down and merge! Think through your strategy so you remain on track throughout the event. It is not enough to just think that you must get to x mins by the end of 14km. Having a strategy will get you through the event far more successfully. 8. DRIVE OR WALK THE COURSE Understand what you are up against. It was much easier when I knew the course the second year around I knew what to expect and what I needed to do. 9. TAPER OFF BEFORE RACE WEEK Do not undertake any long runs the week prior to the event or do any painful exercise classes. You do not want to be sore or tired going onto race day so take it easy and conserve your strength and energy.