City to Surf – Before, During and After

There are now just 10 days before the City to Surf. Hopefully you’ve got time set aside for one more long training session to prepare you for the day. Here are a few tips to help you before, during and after the big day.

The Day/Night Before the Run

To ensure that you have enough energy to get you through the race, it is recommended that you eat a low-fat, carbohydrate-rich meal the night before. You can’t really go wrong with pasta with tomato-based sauce. And definitely NO ALCOHOL!!

Make sure you drink enough water so that your urine is pale to clear throughout the day.

The Morning of the Run

Get up early to eat (at least 2 hours before your starting time) and maintain your hydration. Examples of a good breakfast include:

• Cereal or porridge with low-fat milk and fruit.
• Toast or muffin with honey, jam, marmalade or Vegemite.
• Sandwich with banana and honey.
• Smoothie with low-fat milk, low-fat yoghurt and fruit.
• Low-fat cereal or sports bar.
• Fresh fruit salad with low-fat yoghurt.

Wear some old clothes to keep warm and then you can discard them before the start. They will be collected and given to charity.


During the Run

Have at least one drink at each of the 6 drink stations spread out over the 14 km course:

• Station 1 (water only) – Cranebrook Rose Bay (at about the 3.5 km mark).
• Station 2 (water & Gatorade) – Lyne Park Rose Bay (just after the 5 km mark).
• Station 3 (water & Gatorade) – Vaucluse (at about the 7.5 km mark).
• Station 4 (water only) – Kimberley Reserve Vaucluse (at about the 9 km mark).
• Station 5 (water & Gatorade) – Dudley Page Reserve Dover Heights (at about the 10 km mark).
• Station 6 (water only) – North Bondi opposite golf course (just after the 12 km mark).

While Heartbreak Hill gets all the attention, don’t forget about the rise up through Edgecliff and the incline not long after Heartbreak Hill. When you run up hills keep upright, do not bend over at the waist thinking that you are leaning in to the hill. Make sure you run with your shoulders relaxed, chest up, pushing your hips through, this will allow your hips to get full extension and get better leg drive.

After the Run

Stretch, re-hydrate and eat (this does not mean sit on beach, alcohol and McDonalds). To help your recovery, jump in the surf to “ice” the legs. This will constrict blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once out of the surf the underlying tissues will warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the by-products of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body.

Most Important Tip

Have fun – it is a FUN RUN, so soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the day!!

City to Surf – What to Eat

There are now less four weeks to the City to Surf. How is your training going?

Less than 4 weeks to go now.

So far we’ve covered how to get started and training for Heartbreak Hill. Another important part of your preparation is what you eat before and after your training. Running is a fantastic way to shed some unwanted kilos – you can burn between 2,000 and 3,500 kilojoules (kJ) per hour, depending on a number of factors such as your weight, sex and pace.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of your training.

1. If you’re planning to train before breakfast, you need to eat some carbohydrates the night before. There’s been a lot written about carbohydrates but your body needs carbohydrates for energy, especially if you are training for the City to Surf. You can get away with a low-carbohydrate diet if you are sitting in front of a computer or TV all day, but not if you are exercising.
2. To stay hydrated, water is your best option. You don’t really need sports drinks, energy drinks, vitamin water, soft drinks or fruit juices, especially if you’re trying to watch your weight. A bottle of Powerade (600 ml) has around 800 kJ, Red Bull (250 ml can) has 500 kJ, Lucozade (300 ml bottle) has 880 kJ, Coke (375 ml can) has 680 kJ and Boost Juice (450 ml cup) has 545-880 kJ.
3. After your training session, you will need to re-hydrate your body. Weigh yourself before and after your session and for every kilogram of weight loss, drink that amount in litres as a minimum (1.5 times is optimal).
4. Some research has shown that combining carbohydrates with protein in the proportion of 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate to one gram of protein) and within 30 minutes post exercise is critical to recovery and improves your ability to train consistently. Protein provides the amino acids needed to rebuild muscle tissue. Some quick and easy recovery snacks include: low fat chocolate milk; small tub of yoghurt; poached egg on wholegrain toast; peanut butter sandwich with wholegrain bread; sushi roll.

City to Surf Training

Whether you’re walking, jogging or running the City to Surf, hopefully you’re well into your training as there are now less than 6 weeks to go. As mentioned in our newsletter last month, interval training is one of the best ways to increase your fitness. Set yourself targets to achieve in each training session and train with a friend to make it easier to stay motivated.

Don't forget to train for Heartbreak Hill

For most people, the hardest part of the City to Surf is the 2 km ascent from Rose Bay to Vaucluse, otherwise known as “Heartbreak Hill”. To best prepare yourself for this, you should incorporate some hill training. If you’re training outdoors, choose a route with 1 or 2 challenging hills. If you’re training on a treadmill, set the incline at around 5%.

Don’t forget to take it easy when you’re starting off as hill training can be hard on your calf muscles. Then gradually build up to longer durations as you get fitter.

Food For Thought – Morning Tea

There are many foods that you come across everyday which you know taste great but are probably on the “naughty” side. You’ve got the choice to eat it or if your will power is strong enough, say “NO” and choose healthier options. Hopefully if you choose to eat it, you do so in moderation.

Below is a table showing the amount of energy in each food item that you may come across at morning tea and the approximate amount of time you need to walk or run to burn it off.

You’re more likely to say “NO” to the above foods if you think about the amount of exercise you will need to do to burn it off . Some healthier options for morning tea include: fruit, small tub of low-fat yoghurt, nuts (small handful only), dried fruit.

Healthy Numbers

Our lives are constantly surrounded by numbers such as phone numbers, PINs, credit card numbers, prices of good and services, post codes and date of birth.

We all know that there are 206 bones in the human body but the numbers that matter most are the ones that you should aim for to achieve or maintain a healthy body.

120/80

Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. A blood pressure reading below 120/80 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) is considered normal. High blood pressure is often called the silent killer because it usually has no symptoms. Some people may not find out they have it until they have trouble with their heart, brain or kidneys. Therefore it is important to have regular check-ups of your blood pressure. High blood pressure over a period of time can contribute to many illnesses, including heart attack, kidney failure or stroke.


0.8 and 0.9

The waist to hip ratio (WHR) looks at the proportion of fat stored on your body around your waist and hips and is a simple but useful measure of fat distribution. Most people store their body fat in two distinct areas: around their waist and around their hips. Women should aim for a WHR of 0.8 or less, while men should aim for a WHR of 0.9 or less. If you have more fat around your waist you have a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure than those with weight around their hips and thighs.


80 and 94

As mentioned above, if you have more fat around your waist you have a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases. If the measurement around your waist is more than 80 centimetres for women or 94 centimetres for men, it is time for you to take action. You are in a high risk category if your waist is more than 88 centimetres for women, or more than 102 centimetres for men. For more information, go to measureup.gov.au.


30

For optimal health, everyone should exercise or be active for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. If you’re trying to shrink your waistline, you will need to increase the duration (to at least 60) and intensity of your physical activity. As a rough guide, when you’re exercising your heart rate should be between 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is approximately 220 minus your age.


2 and 5

Most Australians eat only half the amount of fruit and vegetables recommended for good health. Adults need to eat at least 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day. As a guide a serve of fruit is 150 grams (a medium-sized apple, 2 apricots or a cup of chopped fruit) and a serve of vegetable is 75 grams (1/2 cup of cooked vegetables, a medium potato or 1 cup of salad). For more information, go to gofor2and5.com.au.


2

Our body is made up of 60% to 75% water. We can last weeks without food, but only days without water. If you regularly don’t drink enough water there is some increased risk of kidney stones and, in women, urinary tract infections. Around 2 litres of water should be consumed each day, and more if you are exercising, living in hot or humid environments or breastfeeding (for women).


0

Cigarettes – you should not be smoking!!

Vegetarian Diets

People practice a vegetarian lifestyle for various reasons. The four main types of vegetarians are:

• Strict vegetarian or vegan – excludes all animal products such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products.
• Lacto-vegetarian – excludes meat, poultry, fish and eggs but includes dairy products.
• Lacto-ovovegetarian – excludes meat, poultry and fish but includes eggs and dairy products.
• Flexitarian – a semi-vegetarian diet with a focus on vegetarian food but will occasionally eat meat.

It doesn’t matter which category of vegetarian you fall into, or if you are considering becoming a vegetarian, to maintain a healthy diet you need to choose a variety of foods which include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. This is because some important nutrients and vitamins (see below) found in animal products may be missing from your diet.

• Iron - Good sources of iron include dark green vegetables (like spinach), broccoli, dried fruits, prune juice, oatmeal, nuts and potatoes (eaten with skin). Eating foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, orange juice, tomatoes, broccoli, capsicum, strawberries) at each meal increases iron absorption.
• Vitamin B12 – This vitamin is found in animal foods (including eggs and diary products), which normally is not a concern for vegetarians who eat some dairy products or eggs. However, strict vegetarians or vegans may need to take a vitamin B12 (cobalamin) supplement.
• Calcium - If dairy products are not included in your diet, adequate amounts of calcium can be obtained from plant foods, such as leafy green vegetables, broccoli, beans, tofu, almonds, sesame seeds and sesame butter (tahini), figs, rice milk, soy milk.
• Protein - Protein is found in most plant foods as well as animal foods. Good sources of protein include beans, whole grains, soy products, nuts and seeds, quinoa, dairy products, eggs.

So, if you are or are considering becoming a vegetarian, keep in mind to maintain a healthy diet.

One Kilogram of Fat

We eat food to fuel our bodies for energy, growth and repair. However, when we regularly eat more energy than our body needs, the excess is stored inside fat cells. There are roughly 37,000 kilojoules (kJ) in one kilogram of fat.

To lose a kilogram of body fat in a week, you would need to cut back your food intake and/or work off 37,000 kJ, or around 5,000 kJ a day.

Physical Activity

Physical activity not only burns up stored energy but can also help increase muscle development (in particular resistance or weight training) and the more muscle tissue you have, the more kilojoules you can burn.

The amount of kilojoules you burn will depend on number of factors such as your age, sex, body type, exercise intensity and duration. The average man can burn around 1,100 kJ/hour walking and 3,000 kJ/hour running while the average woman can burn 825 kJ/hour walking and 2,250 kJ/hour running.

Food Intake

What you put in your mouth is in fact more important than the amount of physical activity you partake. As noted in our previous blog post, The 70-30 Rule, 70% of your fat loss effort should be spent on nutrition and 30% on exercise. For most people it’s the 70% that’s the hardest. If you eat a large serving of creamy pasta and wash it down with a couple glasses of wine after your run, you will actually be eating more kilojoules than you burned off.

The keys to healthy eating are to eat more vegetables and whole grains, watch the portion sizes, be careful of what you drink (especially alcohol) and everything in moderation.

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Reasonable and healthy weight loss should be between 0.5 to 1.0 kg per week for most people. By increasing your level of physical activity and reducing your overall kilojoule intake, you will be able to lose those 37,000 kJ without much trouble. Stay focused, motivated and you should be able to shed that kilogram of body fat in no time.