Swim Run Australia 2019 by Lisa Sherman

Getting the swimrun bug

By Lisa Sherman

In late April 2018, my husband Grant and I headed down to Woollahra Sailing Club to cheer on coach Greta and a couple of friends who were taking part in Swimrun Australia. We were in awe of these teams of two that were swimming and running around 17+ kms from the sailing club up through Vaucluse, Watson’s Bay, and Camp Cove before turning around at South Head and doing it all back again. Whatever you were wearing you had to swim in and run in (shoes, wetsuits, pull buoys etc) and we just thought there was no way we would be able to take on a challenge like that…

Fast forward to early October 2018 on our last day at the Rejoov Clare Valley camp, and along with Greta, I found myself frantically trying to register for this years event as it sells out quickly. The 2019 event sold out within five hours but we were able to secure our spot. Great - we were registered, but now we had to work out how we were going to actually do this! I’ve been a swimmer for awhile, using it as great cross training or when recovering from an injury, and had recently overcome my fear of swimming in open water, so I wasn’t too daunted by the swimming but Grant wasn’t into swimming - this was going to be a challenge for us, especially the constant transitioning from running to swimming to running and so on.

But like all challenges, if you have a plan you can make it work. We got to know the course over the summer months, spending our Saturday’s doing swimrun sessions around Vaucluse, Watson’s Bay and Camp Cove, similar to the event course. We trialled different options for carrying pull buoys or having them on a belt and worked out the best shoes to run and swim in. We sorted out our nutrition and what’s best to carry when you are going in and out of the water and did a couple of smaller events including 3 Bays Challenge with a big gang of fellow Rejoovers in mid November 2018 and then a SwimRun Splash event in Wollongong in early March. Grant got over his dislike of getting in the pool and upped his swim mileage, mainly in the harbour around Shark Bay, Nelson’s Park - but than, how can you not love swimming when you have the gorgeous Sydney Harbour as your backdrop?

As the event drew closer, it was great to find out there were going to be some other Rejoov teams taking on the Swimrun challenge - Michael and Nadine, Fran and Cathy, Claire and Susan, and of course coach Greta trying the mixed teams with young speedster Jack McPhee. Some of us trained together which was awesome and that’s one of the best things about event’s like these and being part of a fantastic group like Rejoov - it’s the people you get to meet, train with and help each other to achieve these goals we set for ourselves.

This year’s SwimRun event was held on 27 April 2019 and what a cracker of a day! The buzz before the event was evident and the time flew by, before we knew it we were off, racing over sand and into the water. The first ‘swim’ ended up mainly being a “dolpining” wade as the tide was so low but this is what makes Swimrun so enjoyable - you really don’t know what the course will be like as it’s so dependent on conditions. The banter on the course was great, and being a team event (teams of two and you must stay within 10m of each other at all times), there was always someone to chat with. With so many transitions in/out of the water (there are 27 transitions for this event in total), the time flies with swumrun - before you know it you’re at the half way turning point, a run for the same length of time never seems to go as quick LOL.

A massive high during the event was seeing so many fellow Rejoovers out cheering us on - Emma and Mila at Nelson Park, Saorla at Watson’s Bay, coach Chris at various points - there really is nothing like having people on the course cheering you on. And they took some cracking photos too which is always good!

Lisa and Grant stoked with their debut 2hrs 18mins!!

Rejoov teams nervous before the start!!

Mixed teams 1st and 2nd battling it out from the get go

Canberra Marathon by Dom Bullock

Australian Running Festival - debut marathon 2:40:17 smashing his 2.50 target

by Dominic Bullock (24 years old, he also ran the Sydney 10k 4/5/19 just 3 weeks post marathon, in a NEW PB 33.44, 50 secs quicker than his 34.34 PB from the same event a year ago. Next up is the Sydney Harbour 10k late July, City to Surf, Blackmores half marathon, then possibly Melbourne Marathon)

33:44 PB Sydney 10k 4/5/19 Dom Bullock coming onto the track sprint finish off of the road course, about to overtake Brendan Fehon in black

After taking a 6 month break from running, having previously trained for the 800m for the past three years. I was keen for a new challenge but wanted a break from the lactic headaches and hobbling that middle-distance training entailed. The marathon became quite appealing, an event where just getting out the door as often as possible with a few tempos thrown in should be enough, quite a contrast from the brutal speed and endurance work I had previously trained for.

Three months out from Canberra I set the goal of running under 2hours and 50minutes thinking that 4minutes per km seemed like a very respectable but, challenging time for me. I was very nervous stepping up for to the marathon hearing horror stories of people crawling in the last few kms. This kept me quite motivated however, and I ran 30km every Sunday a good 20+km tempo each fortnight.

With 1 month to go I joined Rejoov looking to start working a little harder through training with a squad and getting the guidance of a coach. Running with Rejoov kept me motivated and I actual began to enjoy getting up early to grind out a tough tempo session. These tempo sessions gave me confidence in my running that would be crucial come race day.

Before I knew it race day was here. It was perfect running conditions in the nation’s Capital, cool temperate around 10-15 degrees with not a buff of wind. I felt strangely relaxed on the start line thinking about the long tempos and early mornings I had sacrificed to be here. When the gun went I settled into 4min/km pace however, after 1km felt like I had more to give. I stepped up the pace until I reach a speed similar to how I felt in my tempos. I ran past a few other runner until reaching a pack of 2 other runner.

We worked together rotating the lead for the first half of the race. We crossed the half way mark and I looked at my watch – 1:18:00 – I had just run a half marathon PB. A little panic came over me thinking this could become the nightmare race I had feared. One of the runners in the pack dropped off the pace. It was now just me and one other runner tapping away for the next 20kms. I lead until 34km, I was entering new territory now I had never ran this far before. I could feel the stress of the race catching up to me now and I was began to strain to keep pace. I can remember shouting encouragement to the runner accompanying me and we made a pact we would do our best to shoot for 2hour 40minutes.

At 36km I began to enter a bad batch. I slowed about 20 seconds off the pace I had set out at and every negative thought seemed to be heightened in this venerable emotional state. I saw my family standing on the corner of a hair pin turn cheering me as I came down to the turn. I was so glad to see them, and my spirits began to lift again. I held this slower pace and tried my best to keep up with the other runner for the final 6km in the end he slowly starting drifting away from me but, the hard work had already been done.

Sprinting into the finishing straight I saw the clock it over to 2:40:17. I had smashed my goal! And achieve something I thought was way beyond me. It got me thinking what next and has excited me to see what else I’ll be capable of achieving with the as a member of the Rejoov community!

Dom staying ahead of Athletics NSW co-ordinator James Constantine. Epic race post marathon!!

Fuel during runs

Blog for Rejoov Runners By Lisa Sherman, Nutritionist

Mobile 0413 580 608

Email:  wholelifenutrition1@gmail.com

Website: wholelifenutrition.net.au

Fuel during runs

An important but sometimes overlooked part of training is your nutrition during long sessions. Runners often want to know how much they need to eat during a long run, or what type of food works best. There are general guidelines around amount of energy you need to consume depending on length of session or event and I discuss these in more detail below. But in terms of what food works best – the simple answer is what works best for you and what you have tried in training.

During your long training sessions, you want to experiment with various foods and fuel sources and determine what works best for you to replenish your energy stores, keep you moving, and importantly doesn’t cause a stomach or other digestive upset. You want to aim for energy sources that are easily absorbed, low fibre and low fat foods in the form of carbohydrate to provide quick energy, and a small amount of protein can be helpful to assist with recovery and muscle health.

During my summer training for both swimrun and run events, I’ve experimented with a range of different foods from mashed sweet potato carried in easy to tear open ziplock pouches, dried dates and figs and a range of different gels and chews. It’s always good to have a few different options that work for you so that you can mix it up depending on your session, or if you can’t get your preferred energy source on event day.

As mentioned, the amount of energy or fuel required and when, depends on the length of your session or event. It also varies of course depending on the individual and some prolonged sessions may require more fuel to maximise performance. But as a general guide:

·       Less than 75mins, no fuel needed

·       75mins to 3 hours, 30-60g carbohydrate per hour

·       More than 3 hours, 30-90g carbohydrate per hour

So what does 30g carbohydrate look like? Below are some ideas that you might want to try on your next training session.

·       Small banana or ¼ cup raisins/sultanas (small packet) – 30g

·       3 medjool dates – 30g

·       10 halves dried apricots – 30g

·       4 medium dried figs – 30g

·       1 applesauce squeeze packet – 20-25g

·       1 small or half a large potato (salted boiled or sweet potato) – 30g

·       1 slice white bread with 2 tablespoons honey/jam – 45g

·       2 tablespoons honey – 30g

·       Packaged concentrated gels such as Huma gels (made from chia seeds), Endura, Gu, Tailwind etc. Definitely need to trial these prior to event day as they are a variety of flavours, some have caffeine or additional sodium to help replenish what is lost during exercise.

·       High-carbohydrate sports bars – varies (check label)

·       10 jelly beans – 30g (check label)

You will also need to ensure you are taking on regular and adequate fluid in the form of water and electrolytes. Some runners may also find it helpful to consume a light meal 30-60mins prior to the session or event (depending on what works best for you and what you have tried in the past). Some good options for pre-session energy boost are a small banana,  slice of bread with peanut or nut butter, honey or jam.

And always remember the golden rule for an event – don’t try anything new or that you haven’t tried in training!

Swim Run Australia mixed teams start 2019

Swim Run Australia debut - Lisa and Grant smashed it!