The Royal Sutton Fun Run is a fantastic yearly event held in the town of Sutton Coldfield taking in the beautiful Sutton Park en route, with a grandstand finish in the town centre.
The event has raised copious amounts of money for charity since 1981 when it first started.
I have taken part in the event 8 occasions, winning it 5 times in a row in recent years and I’ll be back again for a 9th time this year.
I was first over the line in 2023, in a time of 45 minutes and 20 seconds, you can read the report from Birmingham Live by clicking the link.
As a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Therapist based in Sutton Coldfield I help many people improve their fitness for events like the Sutton Fun Run, so I thought I would share with you some tips on how to prepare in the week leading up to the event regarding Nutrition, training and tackling the 8.5 miles course.
What Training Should I Do The Week Leading Up To The Sutton Fun Run?
1. Recce The Route The Week Before
When I’m out on my usual Sunday morning long run the week before the Sutton Fun Run it’s always fantastic to see so many people out running the course.
This is a great way to get familiar with the route and give you a bit of confidence for the big day. Just make sure you don’t push too hard a week out, so you don’t fatigue yourself for the actual event.
Also make sure, if you do run the route do this 7-8 days out and not 3-4 days, as this would be too close to the event, not allowing you adequate recovery time for the run.
2. The Days Leading Up To The Run
During the week leading up to the Sutton Fun Run, what you do training-wise will not improve your fitness for event day as there isn’t enough time for the training to come through and benefit your performance on race day.
Therefore, try to rest as much as possible in the week leading up to the event. 1 week out it’s fine to do a course recce as mentioned above, but then in the week leading up maybe one short run of around 3 miles just to keep the legs ticking over.
Use the rest of the week to rest, stretch and do a bit of foam rolling if possible. Another good option is to book yourself in for a pre-race massage.
Nutrition Tips For The Sutton Fun Run
1. Hydration Is Key
More often than not the Sutton Fun Run takes place in nice sunny weather adding to the ‘celebratory feel’ of the event. As much as we love sunshine, it’s even more important that we consider our hydration.
The biggest tip I can give here is to make sure you hydrate well the day before and don’t just leave it to the morning of the race. Aim to consume 3 litres of water or juice the day before the event. Yes, you might need to go to the toilet but it will be worth it. Symptoms of dehydration include:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Muscle cramps
- Headaches
These symptoms can de-rail your running performance, but worst of all can be quite dangerous! The best way to check for your hydration status is to check your urine. It should be a light straw colour. You can check this against the Pee Chart on my blog What Does Your ‘Pee’ Tell You About Your Hydration Status?
Try and avoid alcohol and caffeine the day before the race as these are both diuretics which can increase dehydration.
Having drank around 3 litres of fluid the day before the Sutton Fun run, in the morning of the event it is just a case of ‘topping this up’ via sipping water from when you wake up until the event starts.
2. Do I Need To Carb-Load?
The short answer to this is no! The event is only 8.5 miles so you don’t need to carbo load in the days leading up to the event. However, the day before try and base all your meals around carbohydrates to make sure your glycogen stores are full.
Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate which is stored in the liver and muscles. Carbohydrates are an essential fuel source for high-intensity exercise, therefore it’s important they are stocked up come event day.
It’s important to base your meals around complex carbohydrates which will slowly be absorbed and not cause big blood sugar spikes leading to energy dips. Good sources include oats, sweet potatoes, basmati rice, pasta, lentils, and butternut squash.
2. What Breakfast Should I Have?
In my experience, this can be quite individual. You should have eaten a carbohydrate-based meal the night before, therefore you are just aiming to ‘top up’ your glycogen stores with your pre-event breakfast.
Therefore around 3 hours before aim for something like porridge with honey, or 2 or 3 slices of toast with jam or honey, another option could be a couple of bananas.
Aim for something you’ve consumed before a run previously and that didn’t give you any digestive problems on the run! As i’ve siad this is quite individual and as long as you’ve had it before, and it doesn’t ‘shake in the stomach’ stick with it, now is not the time to try a new breakfast!
Please read my blog on the Three Key Principles of Sports Nutrition
Tackling The Course and Cardiac Hill!
1. Don’t Set Off Too Fast
Remember the route is 8.5 miles and quite undulating, therefore don’t get carried away at the start by setting off too quickly, if you do you will find a fast start will come back to bite you later in the run!
2. Running up Cardiac Hill
This is the part of the course most people dread! The main reason for this is the psychological element, as it’s ‘bigged up’ as the ‘killer hill’ that everyone talks about!
When running it all you need to consider is once you are at the top, the run is then all down-hill to the finish, so once you are at the top it will get easier, so embrace the challenge of cardiac hill and look forward to the downhill section straight after 😊.
Technique-wise, aim to keep your body upright, but at the same time with a slight forward lean, basically to work with gravity. Do this and it will be over before you know it!
3. Enjoy it!
Remember this is a fun run! Even though it will be hard, do try and take time to enjoy the fantastic crowds which come out in force every single year and make sure you smile as you cross that finish line!
So there you have it, 8 fantastic tips to help you have a successful, but most importantly an enjoyable day at the Sutton Fun Run.
Of course, most of these tips are relevant to any running event you may have coming up.
Want To Be Trained By The 5-Time Sutton Fun Run Winner?
As I mentioned, being a 5-time Sutton Fun run winner I help people train for the event and many other running events. Please take a look at my Personal Training services.
I also offer individualised coaching plans for running events across the country as this can be done remotely if you aren’t based in Sutton Coldfield or North Birmingham.
I offer one-to-one home fitness as a Personal Trainer in the Sutton Coldfield and North Birmingham area.
Please read my blog on the Benefits of one-to-one home fitness
Personal Training sessions in Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield can also take place in local parks, including Sutton Park, Pype Hayes Park, Rookery Park, Rectory Park, New Hall Valley Country Park, and Witton Lakes
Nutritionist
Being a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist I can also help you improve your nutrition to benefit your performance or help with digestive problems which are very common in runners.
Please read my blog on Digestive problems in Endurance Runners I also have another blog on how a holistic approach to Sports Nutrition can benefit endurance runners, giving further information on how you can combat digestive issues.
You can also get the best of both worlds and really optimise your well-being by combining Personal Training with Nutritional Therapy.
If you have any questions and would like a no-obligation chat please feel free to get in touch 😊
Have a great day at the Sutton Fun Run!
