August is nearly upon us for another year, and that means the Sun-Herald City2Surf is only two weeks away. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or attempting to tackle Heartbreak Hill for the first time, we asked Chris Wynne, Lead Physiotherapist at MQ Health Physiotherapy Clinic for his tips on how to  get you to Bondi – hopefully with a smile on your face – and make sure you’re not too sore to tell the tale afterwards.

---

Prepare well

Ideally if you’re planning to run the 14km from William St to Bondi you’ve been building up your distances gradually over the past few months. If not, that’s ok, but don’t try to squeeze in extra sessions to “get the kilometres into the legs”. Research suggests that a sudden spike in training load increases the risk of soft tissue injury by up to five to seven times in elite athletes, which could derail your run before you even begin. Running in the lead up is a great idea, but be sensible with your distance progressions, and give your body adequate time to recover between runs. But prepare to be sore afterwards.

In previous years in the clinic, July was typically a tendinopathy month. Lots of patients presenting with tendon pain in the weeks leading up to the City2Surf as they rapidly increased their training load for the run. If you have been running and you’ve started noticing a few niggles, get them looked at before race day. Often, injuries that have only presented recently can be assessed and addressed by a physiotherapist with simple modifications or exercises and can make your run less sufferable and more enjoyable. It might even mean you make it up Heartbreak Hill instead of breaking down.

Finally, consider some strength work as part of your training routine. While it is too late to make big changes in muscle size and strength before 11 August, throwing in a few simple exercises may reduce the risk of developing hip, knee or ankle pain. Consider side-planks or crab walks to improve hip abductor strength, or calf raises with bent knee and straight knee to improve ankle stability.

Warm-up

Making sure you complete a warm-up will prime the muscles for the running you are about to undertake. In the immediate lead-up to the race don’t prioritise long, static stretching protocols, as they tend to show no benefit in reducing the risk of injuries and may negatively affect performance. A dynamic warm-up is best, aiming for exercises that mimic running and target the key muscles such as the calves, hamstrings, quads and gluteals. Aim for two rounds of 10 repetitions of exercises like high knee skipping, walking lunges, arabesques, squats and ankle jumps to get the heart rate up and get the blood flowing to the big muscle groups in your legs.

Pace yourself

Don’t set out to break any records unless you have prepared well for the day. Run to a speed you feel comfortable with and be sure to keep a bit in the tank for Heartbreak Hill and the sprint to the finish, since that’s where the cameras will be. Consider increasing your speed by increasing your running cadence (or steps per minute) rather than increasing stride length. Shorter steps with a faster turnover reduce the force across the hip and knee joints and may reduce the risk of developing pain in either joint during the run

Post-race recovery strategies

So, you’ve made it to Bondi and now you need to make sure you get back out of there again. Re-hydrating is important in the early stages following the run to replace the fluid lost during the run. The weather on the day will impact on the amount of fluid lost, but with the current Sydney winter weather, you may need to consider a little more fluid post-race. While it may be tempting if you can get near any of the bars in Bondi to “re-hydrate” with an alcoholic beverage or two, remember that alcohol is a diuretic, and may negatively affect your recovery if you over-indulge. Be sure to replenish glycogen stores with a meal with carbohydrates and some protein.

If you’re going to stretch, post-race is the time. While the evidence is limited in terms of stretching’s ability to hasten recovery or prevent injury, post-race is a good time to stretch any muscle groups that have become tight during the run, and generally tend to leave you feeling better for it, but go easy and keep the intensity of the stretch comfortable. Your muscles have just copped a pounding, so be kind. Cold-water immersion may also be a useful option to help with recovery. The jury is out on the effectiveness and a specific temperature or duration of immersion, but depending on the weather, a dip in the ocean might provide some improvement in post-race soreness.

Finally, and this might seem obvious, but a good night’s sleep or afternoon nap could also help with your recovery post-race. During deep sleep is when the highest secretion of growth hormone occurs to aid cellular restoration, and during REM sleep there is a total muscle relaxation and muscle fibre restoration. Not that you’re likely to need an excuse to sleep post-run, but consider it amongst the best things you can do for your recovery post-race.

We’re here to help

Remember, if any issues present on the day then come down to the physiotherapy tent. Our Lead Physiotherapist, Outpatient Services, Chris Wynne will be on hand to deal with any injuries that pop up during the run, and if you do happen to injure yourself during the City2Surf then book an appointment to see the team at MQ Health Physiotherapy. All Macquarie University staff and students receive a 20 per cent discount on their appointment fees, and Health Fund rebates may be available depending on your level of cover.