Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tip#4: It's too late to sleep when...
Usually, trying to grab a full night's sleep on the eve of a race is a lost cause. The important night to grab the full benefits of time between the sheets is TWO nights before the race. That's right, around 7-9 hours for most people on this night will benefit the race effort - all part of an effective taper period to give a decent shot at that event. If doing a really important race, or a particularly gruelling event where sleep deprivation is a necessity, then you are better off logging good sleep every night up to 2 weeks before the eve of the race.
Lazing around, sleeping in on weekends or days off, omitting / shifting late night commitment and temptations (like homework, revision / projects, work-taken-home, TV, movies, nights on in town) to earlier parts of the day, and most importantly, sorting out the race logistics early and efficiently in these two weeks, will deliver enough time to log consecutive nights of good sleep. Some swear by 1-2 hour naps (usually after meals or a light-moderate training session) to boost recovery and add to the sleep bank during this period, and this is a strategy worth pursuing if your schedule allows for it.
Log your sleep early on, as you may have to contend with overnight bus or plane trips two, even three days before race day itself, which can potentially further degrade the quality of your taper.
Which leads to the question: What about the night before the race itself? This last night is reserved for all those butterflies in the stomach, team or self pep-talks, hurried briefings and logistics transfers, bungled packing and re-packing, stuffing face full of food, navigation planning / briefing interpretation, or sitting up late at night wondering 'what if'... if anything else. Don't count on getting a good night's sleep here, as it really does not matter even if you do.
Usually, trying to grab a full night's sleep on the eve of a race is a lost cause. The important night to grab the full benefits of time between the sheets is TWO nights before the race. That's right, around 7-9 hours for most people on this night will benefit the race effort - all part of an effective taper period to give a decent shot at that event. If doing a really important race, or a particularly gruelling event where sleep deprivation is a necessity, then you are better off logging good sleep every night up to 2 weeks before the eve of the race.
Lazing around, sleeping in on weekends or days off, omitting / shifting late night commitment and temptations (like homework, revision / projects, work-taken-home, TV, movies, nights on in town) to earlier parts of the day, and most importantly, sorting out the race logistics early and efficiently in these two weeks, will deliver enough time to log consecutive nights of good sleep. Some swear by 1-2 hour naps (usually after meals or a light-moderate training session) to boost recovery and add to the sleep bank during this period, and this is a strategy worth pursuing if your schedule allows for it.
Log your sleep early on, as you may have to contend with overnight bus or plane trips two, even three days before race day itself, which can potentially further degrade the quality of your taper.
Which leads to the question: What about the night before the race itself? This last night is reserved for all those butterflies in the stomach, team or self pep-talks, hurried briefings and logistics transfers, bungled packing and re-packing, stuffing face full of food, navigation planning / briefing interpretation, or sitting up late at night wondering 'what if'... if anything else. Don't count on getting a good night's sleep here, as it really does not matter even if you do.
