We had visitors coming for dinner on Saturday night, so in the morning, we decided to go to the markets to get some fresh produce. Normally we would have gone to the supermarket but these are friends who like their food, so this time we decided to go to the Farmer’s Market.

As we entered the Capital Region Farmer’s Market, we were swept up in the experience. This market is run by one of the local Rotary Clubs and the place was a buzz with activity.

This was done well… really well. Apart from the giant farmer and the guy in the cherry suit, the first thing I became aware of was the friendly banter. Like a true farmers market should be, all of the stallholders are the people who grow or make the produce, and many of the customers are regulars, so there is a real community atmosphere as customers and sellers chat.

There is an honest, wholesome feel about the whole experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed going to a supermarket.

Where we live we have three choices; buy from the supermarket, buy from the daily markets (second best alternative), or go to one of these farmer’s markets, where you can talk with the person who actually produces the stuff.

How fresh is the food you buy?

It occurred to me that in today’s world, most people don’t even know if the fruit and vegetables they are buying are in season or not. If you buy from a farmer’s market, you know it is in season and you know it is fresh.

Our farmer’s markets are on every a Saturday morning, and this is definitely the way to go for me from now on. Buggered if I’m going to buy fruit and vegetables in a sterile retail environment where I even have to weigh and scan the stuff myself. Not when the alternative is to talk to the guy who picked it the day before.

More of my photos of the Capital Region Farmer’s Market on Picasa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptsec1meCe4

This was a personal milestone for me – my 40th City2Surf – and it just gets bigger and better every year without loosing any of it’s character.

The City2Surf is an ‘all in group fitness challenge’ and I know many people (myself included) use this event as a focal point to help them keep fit over the winter months.

Like me, thousands converge on Sydney to test their fitness, meet up with friends and enjoy a sunny afternoon relaxing on Bondi Beach.

This year a torn calf frustrated me six weeks prior to the event and with three weeks to go, it was still causing a problem, so I decided to rest it until the day. Unfortunately my conditioning suffered, but I basically came through unscathed. Under the circumstances I’m just glad I managed to do it in under 90 minutes.

I took my phone along and captured the day on video as I experienced it. Love to hear your stories too.

My First City2Surf in 1971

The City2Surf Route

How to avoid the Vindaloo Line

I just made that up’¦ (I had a particularly hot vindaloo last night, and I know you don’t want to feel like I did first thing this morning!). The Vindaloo Line is what I call (as of now) all those people who line up at the port-a-loos at the start and along the run. This untimely stop can cost you many minutes.
There are only two reasons you’ll need to stop, (lets call them ‘no.1′ and ‘no.2!’)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8UOUbPILkw

How to avoid no.1

The trick to managing no.1 is to fully hydrate yourself the day before. Don’t be one of those people who skull water before the event ‘“ believe me; it will want to come out just as quickly as it went in.

Your body can’t absorb water at that rate, it will just fill your gut and if it doesn’t make you feel that you want to go, it will hang in your gut and weigh you down. Remember, 1 litre of water weighs 1 kilogram.

It takes time for your body to absorb water. You should drink a minimum of 2 litres the day before the event, and drink it in small sips throughout the day so your body can fully absorb it into your cells. (We should be doing this all the time anyway… but how many people actually do!)

If you are fully hydrated at the start, you can easily make it to the first drink stop. And there are drink stops all along the route. If you take a small amount of fluid at each drink station, you’ll be fine. After the run you can skull what ever you like.

How to avoid no.2

This is the big one, (a bad pun I know, but apt!). Learning to time your no.2s can be a little harder (you can’t avoid puns here ‘“ that was unintentional).

What works for me is to eat early the night before and top up with a light breakfast on Sunday morning. I find dinner at around 5pm to 6pm at the latest on the Saturday night produces the result you want when you get up.

Don’t eat too much for dinner or for breakfast. If you are like me and travel interstate to get to the event, there is a tendency to meet up with friends at a nice Sydney restaurant and then one thing can lead to another and the next thing you know you are full. You don’t want to feel ‘full’, but rather simply adequately satisfied.

Italian restaurants are particularly popular in Sydney on the night before the City2Surf so you may need to book early.

Have a great day

The most important thing is to have a great day, enjoy the festival atmosphere. Maybe we’ll catch up after the run. Good Luck.

Related Articles

View this training schedule on Google Calendars
or download it and add to your computer’s calendar.

City2Surf Training Plan – Lifting Your Game – Overview

• City2Surf Training Plan Stage One
• City2Surf training plan ‘“ Stage Two
• City2Surf training plan ‘“ Stage Three

• Week 11 – Introduction to a routine (Rest Day) (First gym day)
• Week 10 – Start off Nice and Easy
• Week 9 – Continue at an easy pace
• Week 8 -  Noticing changes in yourself
  Jogging and Running : what’s the difference?
• Week 7 – Step it up a notch
  Calculating your Ideal Training Level
• Week 6 – Focus on Breathing
• Week 5 – Arm Power
• Week 4 – High Effort
• Week 3 – Steady as She Goes
• Week 2 – Focus on Endurance
• Week 1 – How to Cut minutes of your City2Surf time with 24 Hours to go
• City to Surf 2009 – We are off

If you have been able to stick to the training plan, you are now about as ready as you are going to be, so this last week is a relaxing one.

That doesn’t mean you do nothing, it just means you do a light workout every second day. If you are to perform at your best next Sunday, you don’t want to stress your body too much this week, but rather give yourself time to fully recharge.

I recommend short runs on Tuesday and Thursday, and then give yourself a full two days rest before your 14km on Sunday morning.

Have a great week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awiGfpFCp0c

If you are just starting out on a fitness routine and planning to either walk or perhaps jog some parts of the event, now that we are starting to use a bit more effort, it is time to pay attention to your fast walking or jogging style.

If you are getting sore ankles, feet, knees or even hips, the chances are that you have either poorly fitting or worn out shoes or you are moving with an ungainly action ‘“ or possibly both!

Pain is a good indicator that something is not right, so don’t carry on and hope it will go away, because it probably won’t. If you have physical pain, you should see a physiotherapist as soon as possible for corrective advice.

In my experience, most of these types of pain can be alleviated or eliminated after taking a careful look at how your feet come in contact with the ground. One of the things I do is jog on different surfaces such as on the grass or the beach. The beach is fantastic because the sand absorbs most of the impact of each step.

With 7 weeks to go, it is time to introduce some interval work. For those of you who plan to walk the City2Surf, your goal should be to walk as fast as you can or to jog for a minute, then continue at a relaxed pace, then repeat this 3 or 4 times with each walking session.

The most important thing at this stage is to stick to your commitment to get outside and keep up the training. Staying focused on your goal is one of the hardest things to achieve on your own.

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