It’s tempting to go all out when it comes to training for a race, especially when you might have left said training to the last minute. But sports chiropractor, wellness educator and City2Surf Ambassador Tim Robards says there’s a few things you should do before hitting the pavement for your first run.

Start early

Leaving training too late (or not beginning at all) is one of the biggest mistakes you can make and a guaranteed recipe for injury, Tim says.

“Or they go too hard too early, jumping the gun and essentially overtraining too early. If your body is not conditioned you cannot expect it to all of a sudden be able to run 10 km a day for 7 days straight.”

Let the training commence! Stoked I’ll be running @City2Surf again! Join me Sunday 12th August. Registrations have just opened so get involved and sign-up early 4 the biggest and best fun run in the world! It’s a great way to challenge yourself so set some goals and nail the daily habits to achieve them! See you there! #city2surf#spon#ambassador#funrun

A post shared by Dr Tim Robards (@mrtimrobards) on Apr 17, 2018 at 6:29pm PDT

Make a plan

“Start small and build up slowly,” Tim says. “Set realistic goals for yourself and taper them!”

“For most of us a few runs per week should be suffice. I would suggest the first one of the week to be an easy one, with a slower pace and smaller distance, such as six kilometres for example. For the second one I would suggest the same distance but try and up the pace by 10 percent. The third run that week can be a longer run of about 10 kilometres and you should try and keep the pace somewhere between the first two sessions. Then repeat again the next week.”

“Each week you can add a little distance and continue to up the pace a little. The first run of the week should always be just enjoyable with no pressure. For City2Surf in particular, I would recommend introducing hills into your runs also to ensure you start conditioning your body for Heartbreak Hill. The last thing you want is to do all your training on fairly flat ground in the lead up and then have your body give out halfway up the hill.”

Consider seeing a specialist

“It’s worth getting a check from a sports chiro or physio prior to starting your training to make sure your body is firing on all cylinders so to speak and it’s in balance,” Tim says. “If your body is all out of whack from a lack of regular activity then adding in exercise can be a disaster if you’re not starting from a healthy, balanced place.”

Now in it’s 48th year, City2Surf returns to Sydney on Sunday 12th August 2018. Be moved and challenge yourself to register at city2surf.com.au

Source: Read Full Article