Olympians Eloise Wellings and Victoria Mitchell share running tips ahead of Sydney Running Festival

VICTORIA Mitchell has won the Sydney Bridge Run for the last two years. With a week until this year’s Sydney Running Festival, we get some top tips from her and running sensation Eloise Wellings.

Olympian Victoria Mitchell will be looking to make it three-in-a-row at the Sydney Running Festival. Picture: AFP/Olivier Morin

IF there’s one person you want to be taking running tips from, it’s Olympian Victoria Mitchell.

The 34-year-old has won the 9km Sydney Running Festival Bridge Run for the last two years, and now she’s gearing up to make it three in a row.

In 2014, she won in a time of 32:01, and last year zipped through the course in 30:45.

But this year her preparations have been a little bit different, with Mitchell heading into the run just weeks after competing in the 3000m steeplechase at the Rio Olympic Games.

“Rio was one of my best experiences at a major champs,” she said.

“It was a game-changer in many ways as I feel like I belong at the top and know what I need to do to mix it with the best.

“I was reminded of the power of self-belief; that it needs to be part of every race regardless of external circumstances or your preparation.”

Victoria Mitchell gave her all in Rio. Picture: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

She loves to compete. Picture: AFP/Franck Fife

With 16,000 Sydneysiders expected to take on the Bridge run, as well as thousands of other competitors in the half and full marathon and family run events, Mitchell said she likes to think that Aussie Olympians act as inspiration for those looking to get fitter, complete new challenges, or just get out and get active and have some fun.

“I think all Australians are inspired by the Olympics in some way,” she said.

“This would definitely be reflected and transpire into the lives and sporting ambitions of all Australians.

“There are bound to be runners and budding runners taking to the streets with more motivation and determination than they’ve had before.

“That’s the wonderful thing about the Olympic Games, it fosters all types of dreams, potentials and hope within people.”

Victoria Mitchell's tips for Bridge Runners

1. Plan your morning and allow plenty of time. You don't want to be stressed before you arrive.
2. Stick to your usual routine for warm up etc.
3. Wear gear you're already familiar with, and use supplements you’ve used before. I’ll be wearing Saucony trainers and sticking to my pre-workout fuel from IsoWhey Sports
4. Don't get over-zealous at the start with the buzz of the race; stick to your race plan
5. Be prepared to battle yourself! Stay positive and talk yourself into running well, rather than giving in to the pain and fatigue

As a two-time winner, Mitchell has plenty of tips for preparing for the race, but mostly she says to just keep it simple, and stick to what you know.

“I have won the Bridge Run consecutively for the past couple of years (2015 and 2014),” she said.

“I enjoy the course, going over the bridge and highway that’s usually reserved for cars.

“I like that it is from point-to-point too with a great finish area.”

While Mitchell encourages everyone to get involved and reach their potential on September 18, she only has one objective of her own.

“I want to win,” she said.

Victoria Mitchell will be in it to win it on September 18.

ELOISE WELLINGS GIVES HER TIPS AHEAD OF THE BRIDGE RUN

Rio Olympic Games finalist Eloise Wellings will not be contesting the Sydney Running Festival events, but she spoke with Swoop about what she had learned from her breakthrough performances in Rio.

Eloise Wellings' Seven Secret Tips

1. It's an early start so to wake you up and get focussed, consider having a coffee or better yet a Revvies Energy Strip (a caffeine hit without the water) before the gun goes off. I'll also have a isowhey sports gel about 30 minutes before the start for an extra hit of glucose in my muscles which will help through the final stages of the race. If you haven't experimented with caffeine, Revvies stips or gels before, try it out before a training run in the next few days.

2. Carb load for at least the day or two before ... Preferably three days before the marathon.This is my favourite tip and one of my favourite things to do before a race is to find the nearest Jaime's Italian and load up. The day or two before you should go for foods like bread, pasta rice, potatoes or muesli.

3. Set a goal. Work out what time you'd like to finish the race in ... Or if it's your first half-marathon, just finishing is a huge feat ... But, whatever your ability, set a goal, work out your per km pace you'll need to run and or find one of the many pacemakers that will be provided in the race. The pace makers are there for YOU! Use them to help you along and to keep a steady, even pace. If you get behind your goal pace don't panic, the more you tense up, the more likely you are to slow down and lose more time. Try and relax as much as possible and think about running just 1km at a time until you reach the finish line! Make a commitment to NEVER GIVE UP.

4. Don't go out too hard!
5. It's really common in your first marathon or fun run to misjudge your pace at the beginning, you'll be feeling really fresh at the start so don't go too crazy from the gun, just try and get into a nice rhythm from the start in order to be able to finish strong, remember, it's a long way ... There's plenty of time to make up time at the back end of the race but there's not much you can do if you go out too hard and the family of bears jump on your back! Soak up the atmosphere and energy from the people running around you and embrace the cheering from the crowds throughout the course.
6. Have a mental game plan, back yourself and run with purpose!
7. Have a mental plan of what you're going to think about when your body starts screaming so that you can push through the pain barrier and nail your goal. Now is not the time to start sabotaging your effort by allowing negative thoughts or doubt creep in, remind yourself of why you're running. You might be running for a specific person or people group or you're just running to show yourself that you're strong and capable of doing something you've never done before - there's power in running for a purpose.

“I think my biggest lesson in the build up to Rio was just to focus on the process,” she said.

“The Olympics is a big deal, there’s a lot of pressure from outside factors and then there’s the pressure that I put on myself to get the most out of myself — but focusing on the process and just going through the motions each day, trying to get the most out of my mind and my body and trying to execute these little things with excellence was key to keeping me calm and excited about the challenge of Rio.”

What a competitor! Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Wellings created headlines with her running efforts in Rio, and she hopes that some of that hype will filter down to more people getting involved in running in Australia.

“I hope that in some way, our results in Rio have inspired the everyday Aussie runners out there,” she said.

“It’s the biggest thing I love about our sport is that the elite runners go through all of the same

challenges, mental and physical (self-doubt and injuries for example) as recreational runners.

“It’s the beauty of events like Blackmores too is that a first time runner or recreational runner can stand on the starting line with an Olympian and they can both be inspired by each other.

“I’m genuinely so inspired by people that find running really hard but do it anyway because they want to challenge themselves and reach a running goal that they never thought was possible.”

Many Olympians think about retiring after a major event but for Wellings Rio has only spurred her on to train harder and smarter.

“I am really happy with my results at the Olympics,” she said.

“I felt like I executed each race exactly how I wanted to run and I left nothing out on the track.

I still believe I’m capable of more in the future, including a higher place at the next Games which is why I’ll be going another four years to Tokyo.

“I really believe my best years are still ahead. For the next four years my focus will be on building on the strength I have in the gym and improving little things in my day to day life like nutrition, I have recently started taking a Ubiquinol supplement which helps makes the most of the energy in the food we eat on a cellular level.”

Australia’s Eloise Wellings (left) is already thinking about Tokyo. Picture: Brett Costello

Wellings said that if she had one final tip, it would be to not make a rookie mistake to not hydrate properly, like she once did.

“I didn’t hydrate enough before the world cross country trials in Ballarat in 2002,” she said.

“I passed out with about 400m to go of the 6km course.

“Cathy Freeman’s coach Peter Fortune drove me to the hospital in his Porsche and I vomited in the front seat on the way there.

“We still talk about it and laugh about it when we see each other.

“This was a massive lesson on dehydration and how quickly your body can malfunction if not hydrated well enough in the days before a race.

“Electrolytes are key for hydration pre and post-events.” 

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Originally published as Olympians Eloise Wellings and Victoria Mitchell share running tips ahead of Sydney Running Festival