…good luck and have fun. Whether you’re doing it for yourself, or raising money for a charity, experienced runner or new, just enjoy the challenge and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
The idea is that individuals will find their own 14km-long running routes for the day. What I feel is more likely to happen is that people will congregate to all the popular venues for running (e.g. Sydney's 7km Bay Run or all the routes that are typically utilised for Park Run) and hundreds of people will be huffing and puffing as they run past each other.
Maybe it's the pessimist in me typing here. I'm a runner who's been trying to encourage others to exercise at home and only run outside when no one is around since March. Maybe the "turnout" will be low enough that it won't be a problem (we won't see the normal increase in participation from international runners and there will be many who may not see it as a good idea).
What do you all think? Will you be participating?
I will be doing c2s this year for the first time and was planning to take it seriously and try to do a good time. However I've seen that a lot of people is taking part (about 80k!) and maybe there won't be much room to get into a good pace. People who have run it, what should I expect? I'm very excited!
It's that time of the year and we are just 5 days out from the biggest fun run in the world! Personally, it will be my first c2s but I am keen to give the run a good crack.
Just wanted to start a discussion with ya'll (because I am that excited)!
How has your training been going?
What is your goal time?
Any tips for heartbreak hill?
Your race strategy? Etc
KEEN
Race Information
- Name: City2Surf
- Date: Sunday 11 August 2019
- Distance: 14km
- Location: Sydney, Australia
- Time: 1.08.20
Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Sub 70min | Yes |
| B | New PB (sub 72min) | Yes |
Splits
| Kilometer | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4:46 |
| 2 | 4:34 |
| 3 | 4:47 |
| 4 | 4:58 |
| 5 | 4:32 |
| 6 | 4:50 |
| 7 | 5:32 |
| 8 | 5:27 |
| 9 | 4:54 |
| 10 | 4:59 |
| 11 | 5:08 |
| 12 | 4:39 |
| 13 | 4:19 |
| 14 | 4:37 |
Training
My main current training focus is for the Sydney Blackmores Half Marathon in 5 weeks (aiming for <1:45), so the timing for this run isn't particularly great. BUT the City2Surf is virtually Christmas for runners in Sydney - there were 80,000+ people doing it this year and it seemed like everyone either was running it or knew of someone doing it. I was pretty devastated that I missed out on it last year due to injury, so signing up for this was non-negotiable.
Pre-race
I normally don't eat anything before shorter races, however I forced myself to eat a slice of toast and peanut butter as I'm experimenting with race day nutrition as part of my half marathon training.
I was dreading the wait at the start line due to the chilly winds we've had since Friday and was forecasted to continue until today. Normally I suck it up and brave the cold, but luckily my office is a block away from the start line so I wimped out in there until 7:30. I was in the first starting group at 7:55 (where a pre-qualifying time for a race 10km+ is required) - I was a bit apprehensive starting in this group as I didn't want to get caught up with everyone else at the beginning and go out too fast, but starting in a later group meant that I would have to spend 14km zig zagging through huge groups of walkers.
Race
The first 6km seemed to go by very quickly - in the back of my mind I felt I was going a little too fast as I got caught up with everyone else zooming off and the live entertainment throughout the course, but I was absolutely determined to get under 70 minutes and knew that I would lose some precious time in the various hills later in the race.
As per my splits, I suffered through kilometres 7 and 8 big time due to Heartbreak Hill and then a bit of time required for my legs and lungs to recover from said hill in order to power through the rest of the run. Up until the 12k mark, there are a few smaller inclines (for which the last one almost destroyed me as
... keep reading on reddit ➡- What? City2Surf
- When? Sunday 24th March
- How far? 14km (8.7 miles)
- Where? Christchurch, New Zealand
- Finish time: 1:41:17
Goals
| Goal | Completed |
|---|---|
| Finish <2hrs | Yes |
| Finish <1hr 45min | Yes |
| Run for the whole 14k (injury permitting) | Yes |
Backstory
The City2Surf gets its name because you start in the city and end near the beach. It has a 14k (8.7 miles) and 6k (3.7mile) option. I did the 6k last year and had great fun, so this year I decided to sign up for the 14k as a practice race before I (hopefully!) complete my first half marathon in June.
I'll preface this by saying I am not a fast runner! My usual pace is somewhere between 7:00-7:20/km. In my training I have been doing 2x 4-5k runs, adding in some sprint-run-walk intervals and race pace runs when the mood takes me, and 1x long run per week. I have been steadily increasing my long runs from 7k to 12.6k the weekend before the race. After my last long run, I was feeling excited and ready to take on the 14k - the longest distance I have ever run!
On the Wednesday before the race, I was struck with mystery foot pain while walking between classes. I promptly booked a physio appointment for the next day, determined to still do the race if I could as I knew I was ready for it. The physio thought it was a loading issue with my 5th metatarsal, so he massaged it, taped it up and advised having a break and seeing a podiatrist after the race. I tried to rest and ice my foot as much as possible, and the pain had noticeably decreased by race day, so I adjusted my initial goal of a 1h45m to finishing within 2 hours.
Pre-race
The race started at 9am, so I woke up at 7am in order to get changed, have breakfast, and have enough time to drive across town and find a parking space. My pre-race breakfast was hot chocolate, porridge with nectarine slices and a couple of glasses of water. I packed a couple of gels into my FlipBelt and made up a drink bottle with my favourite pineapple electrolyte powder.
I arrived at the start line and took a black armband which the organisers were handing out to acknowledge the mosque terrorist attack victims from last week. The start line was organised as runners, joggers then walkers, so I popped myself in the middle of the joggers. We had a minutes silence before the starting horn, then we were off!
During
1k-4k: I purposefully ran the first km quite slow (7:22) in order to gauge how my foot was holding up. So far so g
... keep reading on reddit ➡I didn't actually do it this year but well done to all those who did!
Tonight's topic can be the most annoying road habit you observe in other drivers.
Background and Motivation for Running: I got into running about a year ago after I had a debilitating stroke that resulted in the loss of use of my left hand and arm, although my whole left side was affected to a lesser degree, including my lower body. I had to take three months off work to rehabilitate, and almost thought I would lose my job, but luckily the rehabilitation was successful enough to allow me to stay on (I'm a transcriptionist). As I was a 27 year old female who wasn't overweight, it took them over two weeks to diagnose my stroke properly. A rare congenital disease was probably the main contributor, but my sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle didn't help. The stroke was a good wake up call that had me take my health into my own hands, including fixing up my diet and getting into a disciplined program of running and strength training.
The ongoing effects of the stroke has continually worked to hinder my progress, because it means I can injure faster than able-bodied people. Combined with my failure to adhere to the precept of not running too fast, too much, too quickly, I've sustained two overuse injuries to the ankle/foot, one PPFS injury and one rotator cuff injury. On the other hand, my stroke has made me hyper aware of the importance of performing regular strengthening and rehab exercises, where many runners wouldn't bother. I am an adherent to Jason Fitzgerald's injury prevention program. I also find that having to recover from a stroke has trained some grit and determination into me that goes above and beyond that of many other people.
Previous PB: City2Surf 2018 was my third official race in which I have run. My previous PB was achieved in the 10km Sun Run, 56 minutes, qualifying for Green Start (sub-90 minutes) in C2S.
Training for C2S: My average weekly mileage was not high this year, anywhere from 10km to 30km per week. The fact that I'm injury prone means I listen to my body carefully now, and don't run more than 2 or 3 days in a row or when I feel on the cusp of an injury. My average run distance was probably something like 8km, with a good mixture of flat and hill running. I used to live in a hilly area, with no choice but to run hills every time I ran, but recently moved to the inner city, where I have a wider variety in terrain to run. I did two practice runs for C2S, one in February achieving 92 minutes and August achieving 80 minutes. For hard runs, I favoured tempo/lactate over interval training. I normally do o
... keep reading on reddit ➡How did everyone do? Was it your first time or are you a veteran? I did approx 1:10, which is better than I was expecting!
