Send Help! Our 3 week City2Surf training plan

Training for the City2Surf in Sydney with only three weeks before the race requires a focused and structured approach. Here’s a plan designed to maximize your preparedness in the limited time available. This plan assumes you already have a basic level of fitness.

Week 1: Building a Base

Monday

Rest or Light Cross-Training: 30-45 minutes of cycling, swimming, or yoga.

Tuesday

Tempo Run: 5 km at a comfortably hard pace.

Wednesday

Easy Run: 6 km at a conversational pace.

Thursday

Hill Repeats: Warm-up for 1 km, then do 6 x 200-meter hill sprints with jog back down as recovery, cool down for 1 km.

Friday

Rest or Light Cross-Training: 30-45 minutes of cycling, swimming, or yoga.

Saturday

Long Run: 8 km at an easy, steady pace.

Sunday

Easy Recovery Run: 5 km at a very relaxed pace.

Week 2: Building Endurance

Monday

Rest or Light Cross-Training: 30-45 minutes of cycling, swimming, or yoga.

Tuesday

Interval Training: Warm-up for 1 km, 4 x 800 meters at 5K race pace with 400-meter jog in between, cool down for 1 km.

Wednesday

Easy Run: 7 km at a conversational pace.

Thursday

Fartlek Run: 1 km warm-up, 5 km alternating 1 minute fast, 1 minute easy, 1 km cool down.

Friday

Rest or Light Cross-Training: 30-45 minutes of cycling, swimming, or yoga.

Saturday

Long Run: 10 km at an easy, steady pace.

Sunday

Easy Recovery Run: 5 km at a very relaxed pace.

Race Week

Monday

Easy Run: 5 km at a conversational pace.

Tuesday

Rest or Light Cross-Training: 30 minutes of light activity.

Wednesday

Easy Run: 4 km at a relaxed pace with 4 x 100-meter strides at the end.

Thursday

Rest or Light Cross-Training: 30 minutes of light activity.

Friday

Rest: Full rest day.

Saturday

Rest: Full rest day, prepare for race day. Focus on consuming lots of fluids and don’t overeat.

Sunday

Race Day: Run the City2Surf, aiming to start conservatively and pick up the pace in the second half after Heartbreak Hill if you feel strong.

Tips:

Hydration and Nutrition: Ensure you are well-hydrated and fueled, especially on long run days and before the race.

Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to aid recovery.

Listen to Your Body: If you feel overly fatigued or notice any pain, take extra rest to avoid injury.

Good luck with your race!