Final preparations for the Sun Run & Cole Classic
In just over two weeks time, the Sydney Morning Herald Sun Run & Cole Classic kicks off again just across the road from your friendly neighbourhood Dee Why Physio. Let’s hope the Northern Beaches has a little less in common with the surface of the sun by then. Started in 1983 at Bondi Beach by the keen ocean swimmer, Graham Cole after returning from competing in Hawaii at the Waikiki Roughwater, the event has grown into a weekend starting with a 10km run. With its roots heavily invested in the belief that anyone could train and challenge themselves with dedication to swim a reasonable distance through the surf, the Cole Classic swim rewards each finisher with a memento of their achievement.[1]
Today the event is also a huge contributor to fundraising for a host of charitable causes such as, Kids Cancer Project, Cure Brain Cancer Foundation and Beyond Blue. As of today they have raised $65,000 of their target of $200,000 for 1100 different charities! Congrats guys and gals!!
Over to you. Hopefully you’re putting the final touches on your training regime and preparing yourself for the races, physically and mentally. But, I won’t judge if you’ve left your prep a little late… Being a Northern Beaches physio, I’ve seen it all when it comes to preparations and mis-preparations for runs, swims and everything in between. Don’t get caught out by failing to prepare, especially when extreme heat is involved. Follow these tips below to help prepare, and make sure your Sun Run is a fun run without any sink in your swim.
10 kilometres isn’t that far when you think about it
Ideally you want 12 weeks to prepare for a 10km run, but if you’ve only got 2 weeks… well damn, that’ll do! I know what you’re thinking: “how can I pack 12 weeks’ worth of training into two”? The answer is… don’t. No seriously, ask my cousin who decided to run a marathon without any prep. He was cactus for months afterwards. Going hell for leather is a quick way to end up with all kinds of overtraining injuries that you’d be on your way to your musculoskeletal physiotherapist to sort out. To avoid being fatigued and sore on the day of the run, don’t do any more than a handful of full length runs at race pace. Ease into your longer runs and focus on your breathing, technique and intervals of race pace running without overdoing it.
Undergo a biomechanical assessment with your physio
This is doubly important if you are starting from relative scratch. Having a musculoskeletal physiotherapist go through your body’s movements in depth will pick up on any areas of weakness that may indicate an injury is more likely. A further benefit of undergoing an assessment with your physio is that they will be able to assess your running and swimming style to help you get the most efficiency out of each movement.
Time to taper
If you’re not part of the “how can I prepare for a 10km race in 2 weeks” crew, it’s time to taper off from all that awesome training you’ve been doing. As a general rule runners should look to decrease their workload by 30-50% in the last 7 days before a race. Avoid throwing in any crazy new exercises to your routine too. If you haven’t been taking jazzercise classes and doing Romanian deadlifts daily, now is not the time to start. Don’t stop moving altogether though, keep up the light runs and stretching to keep your body active and moving.
Break up your training swim distances
You don’t need to swim 5km every training session. In fact, swimming this distance a few times in the safe environment of a pool will likely be all the confidence you will need to know in yourself that you can swim that distance on the day. Swimming 5km can be boring and repetitive, not to mention a great way to cause yourself a rotator cuff injury if you’re not used to it. Break up your training swims into more manageable pieces; a 1km swim session can be completed in 10x100m, 5x200m, 500m+200m+200m+100m… you get my drift.
Use the RICER method if you are feeling some soreness post race
Rest properly, but please resist the temptation to down too many celebratory alcoholic beverages. If you must go out, keep hydrating, don’t party too hard because you need to let your body recover.
Ice – this will help constrict the blood flow to sore areas and help to reduce inflammation and soreness. If you feel up to it, you can always take an ice bath.
Compression of the legs and arms will help flush out the lactic acid that has accumulated. Wearing compression gear will work great for this. Pairing compression and icing will ensure they work symbiotically and will shorten your recovery period.
Elevate your legs as you lie in bed thinking about how accomplished you feel.
Referral to your local sports injury expert if the soreness is over 5/10 or if the pain last more than 3 days (hint: you are on their website 😉)
The main thing is to make sure that you are comfortable, confident and prepared for whichever race you are participating in. Seeking the advice of a Dee Why physio with expert knowledge in preparation and recovery for these types of events is the best way to make sure you’re going in full armed with everything you need to crush your goals on race day.
[1] https://sunruncoleclassic.com.au/history/