When I agreed to do the Sun-Herald City2Surf, presented by Westpac, with five weeks' notice, I thought it would be a walk in the park – or a least a slow run. It’s now getting to the point that the Back of the Pack gorilla suit is looking like the only viable option to get me to the finish line.
Edwina Bartholomew is training for this year’s City2Surf.
Time to find some serious #inspo. Eighty thousand competitors weave their way from the city to Bondi each August but, as they say in the sports pages, there can only be one winner.
Olympian and Commonwealth Games long distance runner, Ben St Lawrence won the City2Surf in 2010 with an official time of 41:05 mins. My afternoon nap takes longer than that.
I should declare at this point that even when it comes to writing about race preparation, I’m taking the lazy way out. Ben and I went to university together in Bathurst. Ben was a really sporty teenager but when he arrived at Charles Sturt University, his running training came a distant second to nights out with the rest of us.
After five years away from running, Ben set himself a new goal. Not only would he start training again, he would make it to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010. He made it and then went one better, competing at the Beijing 2012 Olympics. He does not muck about.
I ask Ben about that elusive runner’s high. What does it feel like and how do I get to that point?
“It feels like being on a travelator," he tells me. “You will get to a point that you are running so fast and so well, you are travelling over the ground and it’s effortless”.
Is it possible to run 14 kilometres with very little training?
“If you have the right genetics and a very sporty background, maybe," Ben says.
That definitely counts me out. If there is a run record for the City2Sheaf I could be in with a shot, but otherwise it’s not looking good.
Australia’s Ben St Lawrence during the final of the men’s 10,000 metres at the 2012 London Olympics.
Ben suggests a Couch to 14 kilometre program. I have to do something every second day, even if it’s not a long run. Start with nine minutes running and then a one minute walk and gradually increase to 30 minutes continuous movement. He says there is no shame in walk/running the entire City2Surf if that’s all I can manage. This is comforting news.
With three weeks to go, I’m probably closer to the couch end of Ben’s program than I should be but he has some further reassurance. “I have been running the City2Surf since I was eight years old and it took me 20 years to win it. The energy of the race will carry you through. You will run faster on the day than you ever will in training," he says.
“Take a moment at the top of William Street to look back and appreciate the massive crowd. Then when you reach Heartbreak Hill, look out over the Harbour and enjoy the incredible views. That is what the City2Surf is all about”.
So time to strap on the running shoes again and get ready for some endurance sightseeing. I’m cancelling the gorilla suit, for now, and I’ve booked in a beer with Ben at the end of the race. Keep it cold for me, mate. I might be a little late.
The City2Surf is on 12 August.
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