Sydney Marathon Unveiled: A World Major in the Making with Heather Jensen
This week on Cook Eat Run, Charlie is joined by her friend Heather Jensen to discuss the Sydney Marathon, which is set to become a World Marathon Major in 2025. Heather shares her experience running this as part of the World Age Group Championships, spilling the beans on the course, the Expo, and her personal journey to the finish line at the Sydney Opera House!
Sydney Marathon: A New Major
Heather talks about the excitement surrounding Sydney's upcoming status as a World Marathon Major and reflects on her own experience running the race. She shares her journey from receiving the invitation to participate in the Age Group World Championship to crossing the finish line.
The Sydney Expo Experience
While the race itself was phenomenal, Heather notes the Expo could use a few improvements! She shares her insights on what to expect and offers advice for future participants on timing their visit to the Expo to snag the best merchandise.
The Course and Challenges
Heather describes the Sydney Marathon course as challenging, and compares it to other majors like Boston and New York, offering tips on how to prepare for the unique demands of the race.
Fueling and Nutrition Strategies
Heather discusses her fueling strategy, including the use of Goo Energy Labs gels and salt sticks, and how she adapted her nutrition plan for the Sydney Marathon. She emphasises the importance of personalising your fueling strategy to ensure optimal performance.
Top Tips for Sydney Marathon
Heather shares her top tips for running the Sydney Marathon, including training for varied weather conditions and hill workouts. She also stresses the importance of enjoying the city and making the most of the marathon experience.
Follow Heather on Instagram at @tryandrungirl
Got fuelling and nutrition questions? Episode topic suggestions? - find Charlie online @therunnerbeans / www.therunnerbeans.com
Grab a copy of Charlie’s book ‘Cook Eat Run’
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This podcast is proudly produced by Decibelle Creative decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative
Transcript
>> Charlie: Welcome to the Cook Eat Run podcast with X Miles, hosted by
Speaker:me, Charlie Watson. I'm a runner, a mum, an
Speaker:NHS dietitian and author of the recipe
Speaker:book for runners, Cook Eat Run. I'm also
Speaker:a 16 times marathoner and love nothing more than sharing what
Speaker:I've learned along the way through a lot of trial and error.
Speaker:Cook Eat Run is the go to podcast for running,
Speaker:nutrition training tips, marathon debriefs and,
Speaker:more. I'm here to answer all your questions and fuel
Speaker:you with the knowledge you'll need to run faster, further,
Speaker:and actually just to have more fun on the run. So whether
Speaker:you're training for an ultra, want to improve your marathon
Speaker:pb, or simply just get more out of your
Speaker:running, you're in the right place.
Speaker:Hello and welcome back to the Cook Eat Run podcast with X
Speaker:Miles. This week I'm chatting to one of my friends, Heather
Speaker:Jensen, about the Sydney Marathon. In November, it
Speaker:was announced that Sydney would become a world marathon major in
Speaker:2025. And, whilst we're not sure exactly what that will look
Speaker:like, it now means that there are seven stars or marathon
Speaker:majors, including London, Berlin, Tokyo,
Speaker:Chicago, Bost, York and now Sydney.
Speaker:It looks like Cape Town and Shanghai may also join the fold in
Speaker:the coming few years. And, they are all on my bucket list.
Speaker:Sydney Marathon ballot opens on the 10th of December, so I
Speaker:thought it'd be a great time to chat with Heather about her Sydney Marathon
Speaker:experience. I am definitely going to be entering the ballot
Speaker:and keeping everything crossed for a race entry for August
Speaker:2025. Heather is an IFIT
Speaker:trainer, 319 marathoner, mum of three,
Speaker:and just one of the most positive people I know. You can find her
Speaker:online at tryandrungirl, on Instagram, or for those living in
Speaker:Utah, join one of her fitness fitness classes. I took her body
Speaker:pump class a few years ago and I was so sore
Speaker:the next day.
Speaker:So tell me about your experience running the
Speaker:Sydney Marathon. I want to hear everything.
Speaker:Like, how did you get into the race? Because
Speaker:you ran it as part of the
Speaker:World Age Group Championships, right?
Speaker:>> Heather: Yes, yes. And it's so good to talk to you and thanks for having
Speaker:me on. I'm so excited to be here. and yeah,
Speaker:Sydney was a dream. Oh my goodness. I remember I
Speaker:got the email, I think in February or
Speaker:March, like really early spring, and it was like
Speaker:due to your fantastic performance at
Speaker:Chicago, maybe, and Boston. It was definitely
Speaker:Chicago because I ran Chicago and BQ
Speaker:there and it said, we would like to extend you an
Speaker:opportunity to run for the Age group World Championship in
Speaker:Sydney, Australia. And I was like, this is a joke.
Speaker:Like, I'm like, there's no way. Like,
Speaker:I'm like, I'm a decently faster, but I'm not like,
Speaker:an elite runner by fast.
Speaker:I. I've worked really hard to get faster and I
Speaker:appreciate that and I definitely take, you know, what I can get. But, you
Speaker:know, I was like, no, this is funny, but I
Speaker:do have to remember that I'm 41 and I'm in
Speaker:the Masters. And so that is a really
Speaker:fun kind of, like, new era of running
Speaker:for me that I really enjoyed. So I. So, yeah, so I got the
Speaker:email and I kind of, like, just sat on it
Speaker:for a few days and I told my family and I was like, oh, my
Speaker:gosh, this is so cool. And kind
Speaker:of floated the idea to my husband, Trevor, and I was like,
Speaker:we should go. Like, you know, and our lives have just been
Speaker:so crazy busy and, you know, we're busy
Speaker:parents of three kids that are all in sports and just,
Speaker:you know, music and all the things and kind of
Speaker:was just like, I don't know if we can swing it, but it would be so fun. And
Speaker:so, anyway, so it was such a. Such a dream
Speaker:come true to go, and it was real. And I got my, you
Speaker:know, email with my dib and I was like, okay, this is happening. And I've
Speaker:never flown that far away ever, anywhere in my entire
Speaker:life. Like, I definitely travelled and filmed in really
Speaker:cool places with IFIT as an IFIT trainer.
Speaker:And, you know, definitely done some, like, big races
Speaker:like Boston with you and New York and,
Speaker:you know, other fun races. But, this was a huge,
Speaker:like, adventure to fly halfway across the world, go
Speaker:to Australia and then run a world major.
Speaker:So, very, very a cool
Speaker:experience. And, I can definitely tell you more about the race if you had, like,
Speaker:specific questions about it. But it was, it was pretty
Speaker:incredible, the whole thing.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah, I mean, I can only imagine getting that, that email
Speaker:and being like, oh, my goodness, this is
Speaker:an incredible experience. I have to go for it.
Speaker:But balancing up that it's far,
Speaker:it's not cheap to travel to Australia. You've got three
Speaker:kids. Like, exactly.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, it would. It was crazy, but we made it happen and I
Speaker:have zero regrets. And, you know, everyone was fine when
Speaker:we came home, so we made it work.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So let's start, like, the, kind of beginning bit for,
Speaker:like, races. We go. We go to the
Speaker:Expo. What is, what was the Sydney
Speaker:Expo like compared to kind of say, the other majors
Speaker:that you've done, like Chicago, Boston, New York.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, so I've done all of the
Speaker:United States World Majors. I've done
Speaker:Boston. this will be my seventh time doing Boston
Speaker:in, April of 2025. And then I've done New York
Speaker:three times. And, Chicago was my first time doing
Speaker:it last year and I was actually registered for it this fall, but
Speaker:when Sydney came up, I deferred it to next year because I
Speaker:had a guaranteed entry through, Time qualifier
Speaker:M. So. And then I got another one. So I was like, oh, worst case, I
Speaker:can do Chicago another year. You know, I wasn't super worried
Speaker:about that one. Although they have lowered their times even
Speaker:faster than. Yeah, I don't know if you know that,
Speaker:but for anyone listening that's like, got their eye on that. I'm
Speaker:like, oh, Chicago's the exact same time for my age group as
Speaker:Boston. Like, they're definitely being more competitive
Speaker:with that, which is. It's kind of cool, actually.
Speaker:>> Charlie: It puts it on a kind of even keel, doesn't it?
Speaker:Otherwise, it was like, quite a lot
Speaker:faster in Boston versus Chicago. And London's a bit
Speaker:slower for Brits. And then New York is really
Speaker:fast. And yeah, it's kind of super interesting.
Speaker:>> Heather: Interesting how they do it. But yeah, you're right. Like, it's. Chicago was always the
Speaker:one that was like, you know, kind of the more,
Speaker:attainable, one to qualify for. Which I
Speaker:love that for a lot of people. And now that they've made it even
Speaker:faster, it's like, okay, well, here we go. But.
Speaker:So side mother, if you've got your eye on that. That's an interesting
Speaker:nugget. But,
Speaker:>> Charlie: But yeah, so.
Speaker:>> Heather: So I ran all of the majors in the United States
Speaker:and I actually had a bid for London a
Speaker:couple years ago. And, that's a whole other podcast story is
Speaker:I wasn't able to go. And I was super bummed, but it
Speaker:was the right decision to not go. And so Sydney was just
Speaker:going to be such an adventure. You know, I was like, I've never done an
Speaker:international race. I, like, I said, filmed
Speaker:and travelled internationally, but I've never,
Speaker:like, done, you know, a
Speaker:race, especially like a marathon, you know, where
Speaker:you're like, training really hard, like through the summer heat.
Speaker:That was, like, awful. And I was like, I hate September marathons. Why am I
Speaker:doing this? But it was, you know, it was. It was worth
Speaker:it to kind of heat train and. And we get to
Speaker:the Expo and I will Say
Speaker:I was fully blown away with the entire Sydney
Speaker:Marathon experience. It was fabulous. The one
Speaker:area. And I'm laughing that you asked me about the
Speaker:Expo first, because the one area I think they're lacking in was the Expo. The
Speaker:Expo was not great.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Oh, no, really? Okay. I think we have such
Speaker:high expectations from the other
Speaker:majors. They put on such a show, and
Speaker:I think that's probably stemmed from the
Speaker:Americans doing such a good job. Then it's kind of
Speaker:filtered down a bit. But, I think a lot of people have said
Speaker:that also about Tokyo. They were quite disappointed
Speaker:with the Expo there. So. Yeah, what was.
Speaker:What, what were you. You were obviously
Speaker:expecting something similar to the American majors, but what was the
Speaker:reality exactly?
Speaker:>> Heather: I was kind of expecting just more. The venue was absolutely
Speaker:gorgeous. so we took. So I was with, my husband went with
Speaker:me on the trip. And then our good friends Jenna and Claire were there as well
Speaker:as also age group championship runners.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So, yeah, Jenna and
Speaker:Claire, we love you.
Speaker:>> Heather: Claire runs there. We love you. so
Speaker:they were there with me and you know, we've all done several races
Speaker:together throughout the years. And so I told my husband, I said, I will
Speaker:spare you. You do not need to go to the Expo with us.
Speaker:So, so I went with them over to the Expo and it was a
Speaker:beautiful location and I mean, super cool. Like, it
Speaker:was past this building that huddle with these like, kind of
Speaker:glass doors, and there was like all of these groups of people,
Speaker:like out dancing, like making tiktoks, but they were like
Speaker:professional dancers. Like, that's how we walked into the
Speaker:Expo. I was like, okay, this is going to be so cool. so it was
Speaker:cool, but like, the merchandise and the gear was like
Speaker:pretty much gone and granite. I did go like the second to last day,
Speaker:but I was really surprised. Like, there was like nothing there. They
Speaker:had no jackets in any size smaller. They only
Speaker:had like three medium jackets there. And I need an extra
Speaker:small jacket. So I was like a little bit bummed. I was
Speaker:like, oh, this is a bummer. You know, they don't have any merchandise.
Speaker:And, it was just kind of small. I mean, they definitely had a
Speaker:few good vendors there. But, I think all three of us, you
Speaker:know, respectfully just said, okay, if and when Sydney's made the
Speaker:major, the one thing they'll need to up is probably the Expo, you
Speaker:know.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. But good advice. If anyone is doing it maybe this year,
Speaker:maybe try and go on opening morning
Speaker:to.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, like there was the cutest, like, kind of like A
Speaker:scuba hoodie that said Sydney Marathon on it.
Speaker:And I saw a girl with it and she goes, oh, there was only like 20 of
Speaker:these. And I went, the first hour of the first day of the.
Speaker:I would have bought that. Like, yeah, you know, it's like such a
Speaker:girl thing to be like, oh, my gosh, I got to get the merch. And, you know. But you,
Speaker:like, you. I work really hard to get into these races and
Speaker:it's kind of a big deal. Like, I know some people are like, yeah, I just throw away
Speaker:my, you know, my race shirts or whatever. But for
Speaker:me, I'm like, if I'm going to do a, world major, I want to buy the jacket
Speaker:and have it be a whole experience, because it's a big deal, you know, and
Speaker:it's worth it to celebrate. So I. I definitely think they need to
Speaker:step that up a little bit. But, Oh, yeah. I mean, the
Speaker:whole experience. If we want to skip ahead
Speaker:a little bit to the race, like,
Speaker:they. So the exponent is a little bit of work, but overall
Speaker:an amazing experience. And so what
Speaker:we did was the race morning. They actually took us
Speaker:on. You. You had a couple ways that you could have gotten to the
Speaker:start, but we just took, like, the public transit.
Speaker:And bless her heart, Jenna is so good with direction, so
Speaker:she. I tried to help her as much as I could, but she found
Speaker:our way up there and it wasn't that hard. There was a group of us that went
Speaker:up and they actually started us at the Olympic
Speaker:oval, where the, Ah, the Olympic marathon
Speaker:started when Sydney hosted the Games. And so I'm like,
Speaker:so cool. Yeah, like, it was.
Speaker:It was really phenomenal. Everything was very organised and they had
Speaker:everybody kind of in their little corrals for the age group,
Speaker:so. Extremely organised. Very cool
Speaker:place to start a marathon, in my opinion. the
Speaker:course was very, very hilly.
Speaker:but compared to.
Speaker:>> Charlie: How are we comparing it? Because hilly is
Speaker:it, like Boston hilly is it, New York, hilly
Speaker:is it, I feel like, even comparable.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah. When I was looking with my coach, Ashley Davis.
Speaker:Another shout out to one of our girls, Ashley Davis. Love her. A happy
Speaker:face. we were chatting about it when it was a possibility for me
Speaker:to go, and I said, I don't really know what to compare this course
Speaker:to, but elevation wise, you know, there's definitely
Speaker:hills. It's not as hard as Boston Hills, in my opinion.
Speaker:but maybe similar to, like, overall elevation with, like, a New
Speaker:York, where there's, you know, there's definitely climbing, but what goes up must
Speaker:Come down, kind of a feel, if that makes sense.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: So we would go on these uphills and then these
Speaker:downhills. And after my hip injury, I haven't been able to do,
Speaker:like, a straight downhill marathon, like, anything screaming
Speaker:downhill. So I was a little nervous in the back of my mind being
Speaker:like, okay, there is uphill, there is downhill.
Speaker:You know, we kind of like the day before we got there
Speaker:and we actually rented E bikes because we wanted to go on the, like,
Speaker:famous, like, beach, coastline, and just kind of walk
Speaker:and stuff. And I was like, I don't really want to walk. I know it's a little bit hilly. So
Speaker:we rented E bikes and the E bike was fine. But in the
Speaker:back of my mind, I was like, oh, my gosh, this is probably going to be hilly tomorrow. Like,
Speaker:hillier than I thought, you know?
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: So it definitely had some hills, but I will say
Speaker:I feel like it returned the favour a little bit. But
Speaker:I. I will say I think that was the hardest marathon I ran, as
Speaker:far as the amount of hills and the headwind. It was.
Speaker:For me, it was very challenging marathon, but I also ran
Speaker:it really well, so I knew I was prepared for it. But,
Speaker:yeah, definitely a hard marathon.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So in terms of kind of where they spread
Speaker:out, the hills, I know that Boston is, like, hard,
Speaker:because where the hills are is why it feels so
Speaker:hard. and New York just feels
Speaker:like relentless hills in that, like, with the
Speaker:bridges and then getting Central Park. Were they
Speaker:nicely spread out? Were you, like, did
Speaker:you feel like it was more in the first half, second half, how did that
Speaker:kind of feel?
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, I agree. I. And having run
Speaker:Boston and New York both several times and running them
Speaker:at BQ standard, like, almost every time
Speaker:I ran them, I know what it takes to, like, run
Speaker:up and down the hill and, like, try to hold those paces. I think
Speaker:New York to me isn't as hard as Boston.
Speaker:I don't know why, but I just feel like, like I said, what
Speaker:goes up must come down. So I feel like you get that return in New
Speaker:York. And I live in Utah, where there's a lot of hills. So I'm
Speaker:used to running up and down hills. So for me, New York wasn't.
Speaker:It's definitely our marathon. Don't get me wrong, the bridges are hard. I had five
Speaker:athletes run New York this year, and I was like, okay, be ready for the
Speaker:bridges or cutting. You know, we're going to train
Speaker:on some, you know, hills. So. But with Sydney, I
Speaker:feel like it was, definitely Hills at the beginning, and
Speaker:there is a little bit of that, you know, down, down drop on
Speaker:the hills where some of them are fairly steep. But then
Speaker:you had this beautiful part that ran along
Speaker:the coast, you know, kind of along the wharf where you
Speaker:could see this in the Opera House. And it was flat, and,
Speaker:you know, it was beautiful. So we definitely got rewarded
Speaker:with some nice stretches. But the
Speaker:second half, the last. I want to say the last 10k about
Speaker:was. It felt all uphill. I mean, it was
Speaker:just brutal. Like, brutal. Like,
Speaker:I ran it very strong, and I'm very, very proud of myself. And I looked
Speaker:back at my splits, and I was like, I think that's the strongest 10, last 10k
Speaker:by marathon I've ever ran. And I was passing guys
Speaker:left and right, like, I was flying up those hills, you
Speaker:know, for what I needed to do. And so that told me that my
Speaker:feeling strategy was. Was good and that my training
Speaker:was good. And these were men that were in the age group world
Speaker:championship, too. These were not, like, slow runners. So I felt very,
Speaker:very confident that I ran the last 10k very, very
Speaker:fast. But then when I looked back at the elevation, I was like, oh, yeah, that was
Speaker:extremely hilly.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Like, definitely one that you want to
Speaker:try and not, like, bank time for, because you're going to
Speaker:need that energy at the end.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah. And I didn't know that going into it, you know, I. I didn't go
Speaker:into the race blind by any means, but I am the type of runner
Speaker:where I'm like, the weather's gonna be what it is that day. I'm
Speaker:not gonna stress about it.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: My training is what it is. I'm not gonna stress about it at
Speaker:this point. And I ended up actually running
Speaker:about 30 seconds shy of my
Speaker:personal best, like, ever, that I set, like, six years
Speaker:ago. So I was very happy with that. I wish I would
Speaker:have known I was a little closer to that personal best, or I think I
Speaker:would have tried to get it.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: But it was on a much harder course. Sydney's a harder
Speaker:course than the. My personal best that I've ever ran. we say
Speaker:pr. You know, in the United States, you. So I'm always like,
Speaker:personal best.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. I love that. Well, I mean, that just
Speaker:shows how strong you are, because for
Speaker:those that don't know, Heather had a
Speaker:really nasty car accident.
Speaker:How. When was that? 2021.
Speaker:>> Heather: Was that, October of 2020.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So, yeah, like, car
Speaker:flipped over railings.
Speaker:Bad. Bad accident that
Speaker:you miraculously,
Speaker:like, walked away from, but not without
Speaker:Some trauma that has like, kind of
Speaker:emerged and reemerged over the last
Speaker:few years. So it hasn't been smooth sailing for you in terms
Speaker:of like just building and building and building. It's like
Speaker:you've built back and then had setbacks and then built back again.
Speaker:So it's incredible that you are so close
Speaker:to that PB on a harder course,
Speaker:having been through everything you've been through in the last like four
Speaker:years.
Speaker:>> Heather: Well, thank you. Yeah, I, I felt like it was
Speaker:a huge win. I was very happy with how the run went because
Speaker:it. Oh, it's been, if anybody that
Speaker:listens, follows me on social media knows, I mean it's not
Speaker:been smooth sailing at all and, and I definitely have been
Speaker:blessed to come back and be able to run and, you
Speaker:know, not have lost a limb or anything in this horrific car
Speaker:accident where I could have died. And
Speaker:army crawled out of my car and, you know, was hospitalised.
Speaker:I mean it was, it was absolutely horrific. And I'm,
Speaker:I'm finally at the point where I can kind of talk about it without like,
Speaker:you know, a lot of PTSD and recovery trauma
Speaker:there. But, also just the physical side where I've had
Speaker:so many hip issues ever since. And
Speaker:yeah, it's been a miracle. I've been really grateful I've been able
Speaker:to still run at the paces
Speaker:that I can, especially later. You know, I'm
Speaker:older now as well and so as of right now I'm going the
Speaker:non surgical route with it where I'm trying to work with like a chiropractor and
Speaker:a PT and do my own exercises at home. For anyone
Speaker:that, you know, has been through an injury, you know how it is when you go to the
Speaker:PT and they're like, do these exercises and sometimes you do them, sometimes
Speaker:you don't. And it's like, ah, I am like religiously doing these
Speaker:exercises like pretty much every day just in order to keep
Speaker:running and it's just a lot of behind the scenes and
Speaker:so, yeah, it hasn't been easy and so kind of getting
Speaker:so close to that personal best at Sydney on, I knew it was
Speaker:a harder course. Just felt like such a win. So. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker:It was, it was a good feeling for sure.
Speaker:>> Charlie: And something that you're also really good at is fueling,
Speaker:which must have come into play in that
Speaker:race. So how did you fuel in Sydney? What was on the course? Can
Speaker:you remember? Like, were the aid stations regular? What
Speaker:kind of, what do they offer?
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, so I, I definitely use aid Stations
Speaker:at, World Majors. But I do find like,
Speaker:I know a lot of our friends and I think you still use Martin
Speaker:and I don't use that one. I'm not a huge fan of
Speaker:it. I don't think it's bad, but I just, I like what sits in my
Speaker:stomach.
Speaker:>> Charlie: No, I don't, I don't use it either. It doesn't sit well with
Speaker:me.
Speaker:>> Heather: You've been using what?
Speaker:>> Charlie: have you been using the precision fuel and hydration?
Speaker:>> Heather: That's right.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Which I think Kindle uses as well. This is like a little
Speaker:shout out to all of our little friends.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, seriously. Well, and that's the thing. We all get
Speaker:together and all of us are like, you know, very
Speaker:dedicated runners. If not sub elite. Elite, like
Speaker:coaches, like, multiplying multiple time
Speaker:Boston marathoners. Like we all know what we're doing
Speaker:to an extent. You know, a lot of us are moms and we work and
Speaker:we're busy. But like we are very, very good
Speaker:with our training and our nutrition. But it's so funny.
Speaker:You get us all together, we're all like, oh, I use this. I. No, I don't
Speaker:like that I use this. Everybody has
Speaker:something that they like and that they don't like.
Speaker:And so fueling, so personal. And I tell my
Speaker:athletes this as well. It's like you've got to do what works
Speaker:for you. but for me, I really
Speaker:like just old school Goo
Speaker:gel. Like Goo Energy Labs gel. Like,
Speaker:it's just like my favourite. Like it
Speaker:works. Yeah, I just like, like
Speaker:I tried another gel one time and I didn't
Speaker:love how I felt. It wasn't anything
Speaker:hugely different, but I just kind of was like, yeah, if it ain't
Speaker:broke, don't fix it. Like, I just really like it, you know,
Speaker:so. So I'm usually consuming
Speaker:most of those. as far as like a gel.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Goes on the course, what are your favourite flavours? Mine
Speaker:is salted caramel from the goo range.
Speaker:>> Heather: I do like that one too. I kind of alternate. I'm kind
Speaker:of funny. I actually like lay them out and I'm like, okay,
Speaker:chocolate. And then I'll alternate it with like an orange
Speaker:cream or whatever that flavour is, the orange one. And then
Speaker:I'll alternate it back again to like a salted caramel. And
Speaker:then I'll alternate it again back to like the watermelon, you
Speaker:know, so. And it kind of depends on if I'm doing
Speaker:caffeinated or not caffeinated. And I'll usually bring,
Speaker:oh, probably at least four of the caffeinated and then I
Speaker:will bring a couple of the non caffeinated, just depending on what I feel
Speaker:like I need in that moment. And maybe
Speaker:that's a little scary to some people because they're like, no, no, no. I know exactly
Speaker:what I'm taking at exactly what mile and I do too for the most part.
Speaker:But I do think there is a little bit of
Speaker:like, if you're in tune with your body, there's a little bit of that
Speaker:wiggle room where you're like, no, I want this instead and I have it in
Speaker:my pocket, you know.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. I think that also comes from. You are a very
Speaker:experienced marathoner, you know, like you said, you
Speaker:know that maybe you need a little
Speaker:caffeine boost or maybe you need a different flavour just to get through
Speaker:the kind of monotony of whatever mile that is. So
Speaker:bringing things with to prepare, I think
Speaker:is a great tip. And I mean I, I
Speaker:think I, if I didn't. I have like the two different pockets. I have
Speaker:my caffeinated gels in one pocket and my non calf in the other
Speaker:pocket and I just try and like remember when I'm
Speaker:taking what. And because my,
Speaker:the precision fuel and hydration ones look quite similar
Speaker:and like deep into marathon fatigue I have to
Speaker:know like, right, I need this caffeinated one now
Speaker:because there's no point taking a caffeinated one in your
Speaker:last sort of half an hour because it's going to, the caffeine is going to hit and
Speaker:you're going to have be done and like the
Speaker:jitters as you like walk back to your hotel,
Speaker:so.
Speaker:>> Heather: Exactly. And we've all done that before, right? We've all had kind of
Speaker:a like, whoops, I'm not going to do that again moment in a
Speaker:marathon where you learn like I don't know if you remember
Speaker:Boston 2019 with me. I mean,
Speaker:yeah, that was a rough, I had a rough
Speaker:marathon and I finished fine but like I
Speaker:learned some things that day. So you know, we have those,
Speaker:those days where we, where we do learn and grow from that
Speaker:marathon. And like you said, a fueling is, that's something that
Speaker:we can control so much. And that's one thing that my coach
Speaker:Ashley has taught me is you can control your
Speaker:fueling but you sometimes can't control like, oh, there's going
Speaker:to be a huge headwind, you know, but you can control your
Speaker:fueling and if you stay on top of that and you do kind of what works for
Speaker:you, then you're going to set yourself up for the best possible
Speaker:outcome. so for me, that's goo. And then I also
Speaker:do a handheld, with some carbs
Speaker:and electrolytes and, you know, caffeine in there,
Speaker:and I'll sip on that usually, you know, the beginning of the race.
Speaker:And then I'll also do, salt stick, the
Speaker:real salt stick. And I love those. I'll either bring the
Speaker:chewy ones or the swallow pills and. And
Speaker:just make sure that I'm staying on top of my salt as well. So I think that
Speaker:was really, really nice because I was planning on
Speaker:a hot race and it ended up being actually, like, I would
Speaker:say cold for Australia. Like, it was like 50 with,
Speaker:like, maybe barely 50 with like
Speaker:a headwind and crosswinds, like almost the whole
Speaker:marathon.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah, that. I mean, headwinds not ideal at all, but at
Speaker:least, like, the temperatures weren't. Weren't too hot. I wonder
Speaker:whether is that quite standard to have a headwind on that course or
Speaker:was that. Did people say this is unusual?
Speaker:>> Heather: I don't know. I don't think it was because I remember
Speaker:reading that it was either the previous year or two
Speaker:years before that. It was extremely hill or
Speaker:it's extremely hot.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Oh, okay.
Speaker:>> Heather: So I don't know if we kind of lucked out,
Speaker:but, I mean, that was like. My husband and I were so excited to go to
Speaker:Bondi beach, and it was, you know, it's like one of the most famous
Speaker:beaches in the world. Right. And we're, like, so excited. And the one day that
Speaker:we were able to go, it was like, frigid. And there was like four
Speaker:people in the water and on the beach that day. Like, it was that
Speaker:cold. Like, you know
Speaker:how that wind kind of comes through. And I mean, obviously we were in Australia, so it
Speaker:wasn't like where I live in the winter when it gets to in like the teens at
Speaker:20s, but, like, it was very cold for like a
Speaker:quote unquote beach holiday.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah, I mean, I guess that's.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, we were a little bit lucky.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Your beach holiday weather is not what you want to run a marathon in.
Speaker:So I guess you've got to be like, right, this is a marathon
Speaker:trip.
Speaker:>> Heather: Exactly.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Sunshine is a bonus. Yeah. So I'm, just.
Speaker:>> Heather: I'm just.
Speaker:>> Charlie: I've just had a little look, and it looks like goo was on the
Speaker:course.
Speaker:>> Heather: What? Oh, you know what? I think it might have been. You're right. I'm not
Speaker:sure. So I always pack my own. But
Speaker:yeah, I think it might have Been on the course as well. And I do
Speaker:feel like aid stations were. Were great. I felt like
Speaker:they were. There was plenty of them and I.
Speaker:I usually get two drinks at every aid station. I'll get a Gatorade
Speaker:and a water and just drink both. And that's kind of
Speaker:like my jam usually. Cause then I'm just hydrated
Speaker:and then I get that extra little swallow. I mean, it's. It's not like you're
Speaker:drinking a big cup. I mean, I hope people realise that, like, it's
Speaker:like a gulp, right?
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: So it's that fine balance of getting enough in where you don't feel like you
Speaker:have to also stop and use the restroom, you know?
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. In terms of like
Speaker:bathrooms on course, pre race, were they all
Speaker:okay? I know that lots of races recently have got in trouble
Speaker:for maybe not having enough. Like, Berlin was an
Speaker:absolutely disaster this year.
Speaker:>> Heather: Was it?
Speaker:>> Charlie: yeah, it was. It was chaos.
Speaker:>> Heather: But about that. Did they just not have enough
Speaker:porta Potties?
Speaker:>> Charlie: No, I queued for over an hour
Speaker:and then this is Nova
Speaker:share. But when I got in, I couldn't even go because the smell
Speaker:was so bad. I started retching immediately and basically had to just
Speaker:get out. yeah. And then there was like
Speaker:one extra one when we were getting into our
Speaker:corrals and people were climbing
Speaker:fences because they were so late. And then
Speaker:this one guy was like, I'm going to disqualify anyone that climbs
Speaker:the fence and is like taking photos of people because
Speaker:everyone was so late. Yeah. So
Speaker:it was. I had to go to the bathroom on course,
Speaker:because I was like, I. I wasn't going for
Speaker:like a pb, so I was like, I can't.
Speaker:>> Heather: You would have a better opportunity. On course that.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Hopefully a cleaner situation. because it was
Speaker:honestly one of the worst. You know, when you just get in there and
Speaker:you're like, nope, get out. Just get out.
Speaker:That, is wild. So not ideal.
Speaker:But again, I wasn't going for a pv, whereas people that were. I was
Speaker:like, you need to stay in this line because. Or this
Speaker:queue because it will count as your time. Whereas if
Speaker:you start late, that's like, not as bad.
Speaker:so, yeah, I felt sorry for a lot of people and, you know,
Speaker:you kind of think it was the
Speaker:50th event. They've had 50 years to
Speaker:get these right.
Speaker:>> Heather: Surely surprising at a, at a major world like
Speaker:Berlin that that would be such an issue. Oh, my goodness.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So did you have any situation, like issues at
Speaker:the start area for Sydney?
Speaker:>> Heather: So What I remember, and, we were, like I said,
Speaker:at the age group World championship, so I didn't
Speaker:notice if there was any extras for us or if that was
Speaker:just for everybody. I don't remember.
Speaker:But there was, since this was at like
Speaker:an event, an oval, there was an actual, just like
Speaker:real restroom there with like a sink and everything. So
Speaker:we just waited and used that. It was great. We used it
Speaker:twice before we left, so.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So good.
Speaker:>> Heather: My experience was great. We also did get there, not
Speaker:too super early, but in enough time that we were able to
Speaker:wait in line and use the restroom. And I felt like
Speaker:everybody that was there when we started because we start. I
Speaker:believe we started just a little bit earlier than,
Speaker:I could be wrong, but I think the age group, age groupers went a
Speaker:little bit before the regular group.
Speaker:And I do feel like everybody there was like semi serious
Speaker:and kind of just knew like, hey, we're all here because we've qualified
Speaker:and we're like ready to go. And so people like just kind of use the
Speaker:bathrooms quickly and just, I don't know, it just was very.
Speaker:I feel like it was a pretty lovely, smooth experience to, be
Speaker:honest.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Efficient. That sounds very efficient. Yeah.
Speaker:People in, out, go. Yeah,
Speaker:perfect.
Speaker:>> Heather: And just like respectful and like, that was great.
Speaker:So, yeah, I felt like it was a really, like, well organised
Speaker:race and from pretty much start to finish.
Speaker:>> Charlie: So what were the crowds like on course?
Speaker:>> Heather: Amazing. I mean, I definitely, like, looked up and
Speaker:waved to people and said hi and I knew there was a
Speaker:group from IFIT there, so I was looking for them to say hi
Speaker:and But I definitely like, put my headphones in and kind of like went
Speaker:to work because I was feeling. I wanted to go for a
Speaker:good time and definitely wanted to get a bq
Speaker:and. But I did know that, like, I'd have to kind of grind it a
Speaker:little bit, that I was like, I'll just see how I feel. So I definitely,
Speaker:like, try to take in the experience because I, I really
Speaker:want to enjoy world major marathons. But
Speaker:I also, in the back of my head, I'm like, I also trained really hard for this and
Speaker:it's going to hurt no matter what, so I might as well go, like, run hard, you
Speaker:know, like, yeah, might as well get a BQ while I'm at
Speaker:it. So, But yeah, so the crowds were
Speaker:phenomenal. Not as loud and
Speaker:crazy as New York, I would say, or Boston or
Speaker:Chicago, but I would say very much, a
Speaker:part of the race. The big stretches through the city.
Speaker:There was just a lot of people, like, it
Speaker:was just a really cool experience to see. It
Speaker:definitely felt like a world major, and now
Speaker:Sydney's officially a world major. But at the time we just knew it was a
Speaker:candidate and, like, the leading candidate and
Speaker:everything about it just screamed major. I mean, it was just
Speaker:wonderful support from the city. and like I said, the
Speaker:course was fantastic. Even though it was challenging, the
Speaker:views were beautiful. So there was a few stretches through the city that
Speaker:were a little bit more flat, and that's where we kind
Speaker:of needed, you know, a boost, and that's where the crowds were. So
Speaker:I, again, I thought as far as race,
Speaker:etiquette from the, spectators and just the
Speaker:course, like, it was really, really. Well, it was. It was
Speaker:phenomenal.
Speaker:>> Charlie: And then, I mean, the finish line, I don't think there's a better,
Speaker:ah, finish line.
Speaker:>> Heather: Oh, my gosh, yes. I mean,
Speaker:it's hard to compare anything to Boston, and I think Boston will still
Speaker:be number one. But, yeah, the finish line is the Sydney Opera
Speaker:House. Like, how.
Speaker:Why? Mind blown. Like, I mean,
Speaker:yeah, yeah, it was
Speaker:phenomenal. And that last 10k that I was talking about earlier, that
Speaker:was so hard. You actually run up through the
Speaker:stretch of the Botanical Gardens. Wow.
Speaker:So that was really pretty, too. And I was, of course, very much on
Speaker:the pain cave. And in fact, I. I think I posted on my
Speaker:Instagram there. My husband was so cute. shout out to my
Speaker:husband, Trevor. He was so cute. And he met me on the course,
Speaker:like, I don't know, eight to ten times.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Wow.
Speaker:>> Heather: Just. I know he got a lot of steps in that day, too. He's
Speaker:like, you got ran 16 miles. I'm like, I bet you did,
Speaker:actually, so.
Speaker:>> Charlie: And you can't complain at all about your feet
Speaker:hurting. So.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. But he was so cute.
Speaker:So he actually caught a video of me coming up that last
Speaker:nk where I'm passing this admin, and
Speaker:I'm, like, running up this hill, like, grinding it out, and he's yelling at
Speaker:me, and I'm kind of like, acknowledging he's there, but I'm also, like, kind of
Speaker:ignoring him because I'm like, I'm in so much pain right now. And I'm, like,
Speaker:looking back at the video and I can see the gardens, and I'm like, I kind of wish
Speaker:I would have, like, enjoyed those a little bit more. But, But yeah, it was
Speaker:beautiful. And then, of course, you come around the last stretch to the
Speaker:finish, and there's the Opera House. And it's
Speaker:just, I mean, phenomenal. Like, I
Speaker:don't know what a better word to describe it. I mean, it's like jaw
Speaker:dropping.
Speaker:>> Charlie: It's iconic, isn't it? That's like.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yes.
Speaker:>> Charlie: I mean, I know that Boston is. Is like, very
Speaker:special. And for me, London has that
Speaker:special, like, past Buckingham Palace. But I
Speaker:feel like unless any of those
Speaker:are like, home to you, there's nothing.
Speaker:Nothing is quite as. Like, that is
Speaker:Sydney, isn't it? Everyone in the world would know that that was
Speaker:Sydney. And to be able to finish your marathon there, get your
Speaker:medal, having worked so hard in training
Speaker:and then through 26 miles,
Speaker:that's just well done. Sydney Marathon
Speaker:for, you know, that. That course in terms of, like,
Speaker:cool start point, very, very
Speaker:cool finish line.
Speaker:>> Heather: Absolutely. It was done so well and like I
Speaker:said, so professional, put together so well. Like, I
Speaker:give the biggest shout out to the Sydney Marathon for all that they
Speaker:did. Because, I, mean, you're going there and you're like, how is this not
Speaker:a major? Like, that was my first thought, you know, like,
Speaker:after we finished the race and we actually did a
Speaker:tour of this. Any opera house the day before and got to
Speaker:learn about the architecture and walk through it and,
Speaker:you know, just see all the famous people that have performed there. And
Speaker:it's just the most phenomenal building I think I've ever seen
Speaker:in person in my life. So for that to have,
Speaker:you know, that impact of getting the tour before
Speaker:and of course, just little things like, you know, like famous
Speaker:movies that are filmed right by the opera House. And, you know, my
Speaker:kids are like, you're gonna go where Nepa lives. You know, like,
Speaker:just. It was so cool to have the finish line
Speaker:there and just have so much appreciation for that building and
Speaker:what it took to build it. And then like you said, just to have the most
Speaker:icon, one of the most iconic finishes of any race in the
Speaker:world.
Speaker:>> Charlie: What was the finish like? Do you get your medals straight
Speaker:away? Did you do bag drop? Like, what are the kind
Speaker:of logistics of. Of the finish?
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, so kind of just like your typical, you know, made
Speaker:for world or big marathon. It was, you know, finish, and there was
Speaker:people there with your medals. And then if you were an
Speaker:age group world championship runner, they
Speaker:had an. A separate little area
Speaker:where you could go. And there was like an extra little photo op that
Speaker:said age group world Championship, I think, or Abbott World Majors
Speaker:on the back and they give you a second medal, which
Speaker:was really, really cool. Yeah, so we got a double medal.
Speaker:Because if for those that don't know or those that are
Speaker:maybe like, you know, newer to running or they're
Speaker:just like maybe you're in your 30s and you're thinking about, oh, when I become a
Speaker:master runner, this is something I'm interested in.
Speaker:basically that world major marathon for the age group
Speaker:championship travels to different races. So I believe it's
Speaker:in New York next year and it was in Chicago last
Speaker:year. So if you're at ah, that race and
Speaker:registered and gotten in, then you get that second medal which
Speaker:is very cool at a world marathon because
Speaker:you know they're the most elite runners in the world there. And getting a
Speaker:second medal for a podium or something isn't really in the car
Speaker:for most of us, even though we're good runners.
Speaker:so getting that second medal was actually very, very
Speaker:cool.
Speaker:>> Charlie: It's also just like a nod to
Speaker:like maybe you're not running PBS
Speaker:anymore, but comparatively to people
Speaker:of your age you are
Speaker:still, I mean everyone that runs
Speaker:a marathon is incredible. But it's just a little nod to
Speaker:like you are ah, at that top percentage
Speaker:of the people in your age group. So whilst maybe you
Speaker:aren't able to chase your PBS anymore or you're not going to
Speaker:be as you say on the podium, you are still like
Speaker:percentage wise, incredibly fast.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, it definitely get, makes you feel like, oh, I'm actually
Speaker:pretty good at this running thing. Even though you're like you're, you know,
Speaker:you're not in a sense it's not like you're winning a
Speaker:marathon, but it does, it does make you feel
Speaker:like to see where your percentage is. And then they, they
Speaker:did a couple fun things like they did a boat tour that was
Speaker:complimentary included with your. So you pay for
Speaker:your ab. It's not a free bid but they gave a lot of
Speaker:perks. So they had like extra swag at
Speaker:the expo and then they had a boat tour
Speaker:and then they had an after party. So we went to the after party and they
Speaker:had food and drinks for everybody and
Speaker:then they announced all of the winners in the top three age
Speaker:group. And I mean it was absolutely
Speaker:phenomenal to see. I think there was a
Speaker:gentleman that was maybe 89 or 90 and he ran like a
Speaker:304 marathon and one his age group. I mean it was
Speaker:absolutely phenomenal. It was so
Speaker:unreal. It was just a very cool experience to kind
Speaker:of go see all that. And it, it's, you know, the great, the best runners in
Speaker:the world in your age group. So definitely a cool opportunity
Speaker:for anyone that's looking at doing that, you know, as
Speaker:they reach that kind of masters era of running, there's just
Speaker:so much more to see. It's like a lot of people say, oh, you better run
Speaker:now, because you're not going to be able to run later. And I'm like, I beg to differ.
Speaker:I see all these people doing this, and why not?
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. And actually, yeah, for, people that are
Speaker:in the, like, throws of toddler parenting
Speaker:like I am, it gives you hope that actually
Speaker:maybe when your kids are a little bit older and you can go and do
Speaker:these trips, that running is still there and you can still
Speaker:be competitive in your age group. Not that
Speaker:I'm competitive in my age group at all now, but, you know. You know what
Speaker:I mean? You can, but you can still have big goals.
Speaker:>> Heather: Absolutely. And I mean, bless you. I send prayers every
Speaker:day to my friends with toddlers, because I. My kids are teenagers now,
Speaker:so I get it. It's like my youngest is a 11 and
Speaker:it's a lot, you know, and I kind of did it backwards. I got married
Speaker:very young and had kids very young. And so now I'm in this age where
Speaker:I'm just barely in the masters and my kids
Speaker:are, you know, they don't need diaper changes
Speaker:anymore. And, you know, I can kind of
Speaker:explore that just a little bit more. Even though teenagers are busy
Speaker:and exhausting in their own way, love them, but, you know, it's
Speaker:a, it's a different chapter in parenting. And so, yeah, as
Speaker:you age towards that kind of masters era
Speaker:of running, it's really fun to see these people that
Speaker:are, you know, really still dabbling in this sport that
Speaker:is. It can be really hard on your body, and it's amazing to see people
Speaker:that have figured it out. And, I'm kind of in that era as well
Speaker:after my hip injury where I'm just not pounding as many
Speaker:miles. But I'm still, setting PRs. Like, I set
Speaker:three PRs this summer and I've never done. I haven't done that in
Speaker:years. So I think it's pretty cool to see what our body can
Speaker:do with the right kind of training and patience and,
Speaker:just consistency over time and nutrition.
Speaker:>> Charlie: I mean, this is a nutrition podcast, but yeah,
Speaker:yeah, I think that's, you know, is what I bang
Speaker:on about. It's like, so, like, you
Speaker:can't pour from an empty vessel.
Speaker:Like, you need to be fueling your body before, during, and
Speaker:after all of your runs and workouts and races. So that you
Speaker:can go again and again, which is what you need
Speaker:to be consistent and see improvement. So,
Speaker:yeah, my little pedestal.
Speaker:>> Heather: But I completely agree with that. I think you do have to
Speaker:pay attention to what, you know, obviously, you know, we've got our
Speaker:funny things where it's like we go run 18 miles and you're like, yeah, I want a
Speaker:donut or something, you know, but, like, really, truly,
Speaker:like, we're. When we're trying to fuel our bodies. And I've learned that more
Speaker:as I've gotten older, and a little wiser,
Speaker:hopefully. But, you know, like, we. We want to fuel our bodies
Speaker:correctly. And I do a meal prep company that really
Speaker:helps me just make sure I'm getting the right nutrients in my
Speaker:body as a competitive runner, you know, because you're right. That's something
Speaker:that we can control. And you can kind of get
Speaker:away with it sometimes in your 20s and 30s. That now that I'm in my
Speaker:40s, I'm like, oh, I can't get away with that anymore. I gotta be really
Speaker:careful, you know?
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: So, yeah, definitely kudos to, like, not even just race day
Speaker:fueling, but, you know, proper nutrition and a proper
Speaker:carb load. I think you and I talked about that a lot in Boston about just
Speaker:doing a proper carb load. Like the three to, you
Speaker:know, depending on who you are, three to five to seven days
Speaker:before our table, like.
Speaker:>> Charlie: In the bedroom that I was sharing with some of the
Speaker:girls was literally just like a carb
Speaker:mess. You could just go over there and just like,
Speaker:so many different carb snacks and drinks and
Speaker:sweets and, pretzels and.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, it was, yeah, like, snack, bagel. Bagel. Kindle always
Speaker:says, carry a bagel in your pocket. Just eat.
Speaker:And not that you're being mindless and making yourself sick, but really,
Speaker:truly, when you're trying to hit, you know, I think you and I were both
Speaker:trying to hit, what was it, five, 50 grammes of carbs
Speaker:before Boston, like, the three days leading up to it. Remember, like,
Speaker:we were sitting there at brunch, like, logging our carbs and,
Speaker:like.
Speaker:>> Charlie: You know, get an orange juice.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Which I actually really liked doing
Speaker:orange juice. I hadn't really done orange juice before for carb
Speaker:load. And I highly recommend that. That's. That was a good tip
Speaker:from you. And I think Claire said that as well. So that was a.
Speaker:>> Charlie: It's just an easy way. And it, like, drinks are
Speaker:my top tip for carb load. They're really
Speaker:easy way of getting in extra,
Speaker:like, Just sipping on carbs throughout the day, adding it in,
Speaker:it doesn't make you feel so bloated. especially
Speaker:things like an orange juice. Also just as, like, a nice
Speaker:addition to your breakfast or brunch without feeling
Speaker:like it's. Yeah, exactly. And it's like vitamins. It's one of
Speaker:your five a day. yeah, it's a good little.
Speaker:>> Heather: Absolutely. I think one of my new secret
Speaker:weapons is using orange juice. So everybody that wants a secret
Speaker:weapon drink orange juice. I think it's a good one.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah. What are your three
Speaker:main tips or takeaways from Sydney
Speaker:marathon that you would share with an athlete or anyone
Speaker:listening today?
Speaker:>> Heather: Oh, my goodness. I mean, if you get the opportunity to go to
Speaker:Sydney, do it. I want to say they might have a lottery
Speaker:open right now.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Opens on the 10th, 10th of December, I
Speaker:think. Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: Okay. So, yeah, thank you. I'm glad you knew that. I did get an
Speaker:email and I knew it was coming up soon, but if you get the opportunity
Speaker:to go, like, figure out how to go and get there.
Speaker:Because that was one of the most phenomenal experiences of my
Speaker:life. Like, wonderful that the race went well, but
Speaker:also just a really nice trip for me and my husband. And we also,
Speaker:like, went to the sanctuary and got to pet
Speaker:baby kangaroos and made a koala bear.
Speaker:And, you know, like, we did the Sydney Bridge climb and climbed
Speaker:over the bridge. So just like, this city in general, like, I felt
Speaker:like, really welcome to the marathoners. And of course, it's a huge city. It
Speaker:has a lot of, you know, visitors all the
Speaker:time. But I just felt like it was a, really cool
Speaker:experience for the marathon to kind of
Speaker:show that, hey, we can hang with, like, New York
Speaker:and, you know, London and all these big marathons. Because
Speaker:it really is a city that, you know, it's a
Speaker:once in a lifetime type of trip. At least it was for me. I
Speaker:don't know if anybody listening, you know,
Speaker:lives in Sydney or has visited many times, but I'm hoping I can
Speaker:go get to go back sometime. But, So, yeah, so, I mean, like, just get
Speaker:there. Go and experience the city. Like, obviously go there for the
Speaker:marathon, but take in the city as a whole and just
Speaker:see. I mean, I don't know if you saw or if
Speaker:anybody else listening had seen the prom, the promotional
Speaker:video where they have a drone that flies over the bridge that you get to
Speaker:run over. And it's like, I have, like, literal goosebumps every time I
Speaker:see it. It's just phenomenal. Like,
Speaker:it's just an amazing place to go and have it be a
Speaker:destination race on top of it. So. So, yeah, if you get the
Speaker:opportunity to go, go. Don't. Don't pass it
Speaker:up. As far as the race goes, I would definitely plan
Speaker:on training, in different, you know,
Speaker:hot and cold temperatures as. As best as you can. Kind
Speaker:of like Boston, you know, like, the weather's just volatile
Speaker:and I would imagine, from what I've heard, Sydney's kind of been.
Speaker:Maybe it's. Maybe it's been different over the last 10 to 20 years, but
Speaker:what I've heard is it's been, you know, hot when you're cold, when you're kind of a
Speaker:thing. So, definitely prepare for the weather and the course
Speaker:by running some up and downhill stretches. I think that would
Speaker:be really helpful, for anybody that's prepping for
Speaker:those. They weren't super jarring, but just. There
Speaker:was quite a bit of uphill and downhill. Right. You know?
Speaker:>> Charlie: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Heather: So just.
Speaker:>> Charlie: You want to be mentally prepared for that as well as. Even
Speaker:physically.
Speaker:>> Heather: Exactly. And I think looking at a course map is lovely, but
Speaker:you don't know until you actually run it. But if you can kind of simulate that
Speaker:at home, Even if you're stuck on a treadmill, you know, there's.
Speaker:There's workouts that you can do where you're kind of simulating that
Speaker:uphill, downhill. And I. I definitely think that will.
Speaker:Will help anybody that has been, you know,
Speaker:wanting to practise their course beforehand. I think that's really,
Speaker:really helpful. And I do know I'll. I'm. I'll give a shout out to
Speaker:iFit. They. They did end up filming the race there. I. I
Speaker:wasn't filming it, but one of the local
Speaker:trainers from Sydney filmed it, which is really cool. So
Speaker:if you are an IFIT member and you want to, you know, run Sydney,
Speaker:I. I know that's going to be available on their treadmill, where they could
Speaker:actually practise it, so.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Cool.
Speaker:>> Heather: Yeah. And they'll. They'll mimic the best that they can. The.
Speaker:You know, they get a pretty, pretty accurate
Speaker:idea, of what it's going to be like. And they'll kind of mimic the hill, uphill
Speaker:and downhill, which is pretty cool. So.
Speaker:And then, yeah, just as far as, like, the final tip, I would
Speaker:just say, like, taking the finish line, because I,
Speaker:thought, like, we were just saying, like, no
Speaker:words like mind blown, just enjoying the finish line and
Speaker:take all the pictures and video, all the
Speaker:things, because that was probably the coolest
Speaker:race I've ever ran. Coolest international race for
Speaker:sure. But, yeah, definitely an iconic finish
Speaker:line to be proud of at the end. So,
Speaker:yeah, I just loved everything about it.
Speaker:>> Charlie: Oh, I'm so glad you had such a good time. Well, thank you so much for
Speaker:chatting with us and I'll leave
Speaker:your Instagram links and everything below
Speaker:in the show notes so that people can find you and follow
Speaker:you. And you are running Boston in
Speaker:April. That's your next race, right? Or next
Speaker:marathon?
Speaker:>> Heather: Yes, I am. yeah, Boston will be. Be the next big
Speaker:one. And yeah, I'm excited. It'll be number seven, Boston.
Speaker:And, yeah, it's going to be a party, as always. And yeah, thank
Speaker:you so much for having me on. And for anyone interested in Sydney, I hope it
Speaker:was helpful or just maybe a little bit of marathon strategy and
Speaker:feeling. And, so good to talk to you as always,
Speaker:Charlie.
Speaker:>> Charlie: And we just need to get you over to do London. That's
Speaker:on my list of to dos
Speaker:is get you here, please.
Speaker:>> Heather: Thank you. Me too. Let's find a way to get to London and
Speaker:we'll make that happen and we can run it together. That would be a dream come true.
