SCU Buzz Unveils Performance Pillars

What are the most important things you should consider when training for a marathon? From nutrition and hydration, to gut training, injury prevention, rehabilitation, goal setting, and how to choose the best pair of shoes, our panel of experts cover every angle.

The Pillars of Performance: Combining Nutrition, Physiotherapy and Psychology is a webinar presented by Southern Cross University for those training for the upcoming Gold Coast Marathon.

The first speaker in the line-up is record-breaking runner and Gold Coast Marathon Ambassador Erchana Murray-Bartlett, who brings her wealth of experience in racing marathons to provide advice on how to fuel-up for the big day. Some of her pearls of wisdom?

"We're all uniquely and wonderfully different, so we also need to tailor our nutrition strategy specifically for us. My biggest tip is nothing new on race day, and boring is best," she said.

Southern Cross University Professor of Physiotherapy Dr Maria Constantinou, who has worked with Olympic athletes and sporting greats such as Serena Williams, shares her knowledge on injury prevention and rehabilitation.

She says runners who are experiencing pain, stiffness, pins and needles, numbness, joints locking up or other symptoms such as these during training should seek advice from expert health professionals. They can also help when it comes to choosing the best pair of shoes.

"Your shoes have to support you through the entire run. So, they need to provide functionality as well as comfort. And there are different types of shoes for different foot types. So once again, seeing your local podiatrist or physiotherapist to get advice as to which shoes might be best for you and your foot type is really important," Dr Constantinou said.

When it comes to mentally preparing for the race, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Scott Goddard says setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound) goals can have a positive impact on performance.

The webinar is hosted by Southern Cross University Chair of Health Sciences Dr Chris Stevens and is available to watch on Youtube, or you can tune in on the SCU Buzz podcast.