City to Bay - Tips for the big day

CITY TO BAY 2010

So for those of you competing in this years City to Bay here are a few tips that should help you get the best out of your performance. These tips come from my years of experience in running and competing in sport. They may or may not work for you but they can make big difference on the day!

THE DAY BEFORE
Hydrate well and eat a balanced diet. At least 2 litres of water, no alcohol & a nice big bowl of pasta the night before. Also get an early night and stay well rested throughout the day. Stretch if required.

IN THE MORNING
STAY HYDRATED: About 250 - 500ml of water in morning should do the trick
EATING: only eat if you normally do. Something light in the morning should be consumed if you feel like. Do not force feed yourself if you are not used to eating before a run as it will repeat on you and inhibit your performance. A banana, Up & go, muesli bar etc should do the trick.
DO NOT BRUSH YOUR TEETH: by all means scrub your teeth and have a chewy but do not brush your teeth with tooth paste as it will dry your mouth out when you are running. There is not much worse than running with a dry mouth.
WARM UP: Light stretching & a light jog of about 500 meters about 30 minutes before the run should be more than enough.

CLOTHING, MUSIC ETC...
CLOTHING: Do not wear new clothing! Wash everything before you run in it and wear it at least once before. New clothes will not be fitted to your body and not breathe as well as something that has been worn and washed. Also you need to wear it / run in it before Sunday to see if it is comfortable or not.
MUSIC: If you run with music then prepare a song list of good running music so you don't have to shuffle around trying to find a good song and stuffing up your rhythm. if you don't normally run with music then go for a run and try it before you decide to use it on the big day.
GEAR: If you don't run with a hat and sunglasses then don't wear them on the on the day. Always test something out in training before hand to see if it is comfortable or not and helps or inhibits your run.

DURING THE RUN
KING WILLIAM STREET: Stick to the left hand side and if you can run on the closed part of KWS. A much clearer run.
DON'T WASTE ENERGY: Don' waste energy zig zagging around people in the 1st 2 kms, you will tire yourself out, not be able to settle into a good rhythm and end up running further than you need to. Try and find a clear path and if need be slow down for 2 seconds to get a nice clear and settled run. It will pay off over the whole 12kms.
DRINK BREAKS FOR RUNNERS (NOT WALKERS): we haven't trained with drinks breaks so don't start now! They are time and rhythm killers. Avoid them at all costs and only grab a drink if you really, really, really need it! If you are going to grab one then head to the back of the table where it is less busy and only take a sip of water as a full cup load will sit in your stomach and not feel to great.

AFTER THE RUN
HYDRATE, STRETCH, MASSAGE & EAT... In that order and make sure you hydrate really well and stretch or you will not be in the club until Thursday as you will be to sore to walk!

The main thing with the city to bay is to prepare well, get in a good rhythm and do what works for YOU! If you don't like eating before then don't, if you don't like running with music then don't. Do what works for you, stay positive and make sure you run as hard as you can. Always have a goal in mind and stick with it. Get a watch and work out at what point you need to be at each kilometer marker. This will help with you running at a good speed and push you along without the help of Coach G. The point where most people struggle is from 7kms - 10kms so make sure you work really hard through that quarter of the race and never give up. Do me proud kids and I will see you at the finish line.

GOOD LUCK!!!

COACH G