There is a lot of talk around sleeping and training, so here are just a few pointers on why we believe that sleep should be a vital part to any sort of training program.
Everybody sacrifices sleep hours for training hours? Duathletes are no exception. We all set alarms at ridiculous hours in the morning, even though sleep is a vital part of any training program. It’s not just runners or duathletes. I’m sure many cyclists get up early on Sundays to attend their club rides.
Athletes cannot achieve their full potential without adequate sleep. Fact. Athletes who sleep less than four hours per night metabolise glucose in a more efficient manner. Cortisol levels are higher as well during sleep deprivation. If you cut out your most important training component, then you won’t perform well. Simple.
So You Find It Difficult To Sleep The Night Before A Race Too?
Pre-race insomnia can affect anyone, whether they are preparing for a marathon, duathlon or Ironman. Even pros have trouble sleeping before races.
You can rest assured that a sleepless night the night before your race will not affect your performance as long as the week prior to your race you’ve gotten enough sleep. The adrenaline surge will make you more alert, and better prepared for the race. Many people have achieved personal bests in spite of pre-race sleepiness.
Let’s sleep better and more during heavy training periods and the days before races.
Stress Doesn’t Help Anybody
The night before your race, sort out everything you will need. Remember the “nothing-new rule” on race day. Keep everything the same including race cloths and nutrition that you have used through your training.
Feed Your Body
You should eat your last meal at least a couple of hours before going to sleep. The feeling of being full will not make it easier to sleep. At least 6 hours before going to bed, avoid caffeine and alcohol.
Prepare Or Prepare To Fail
Prepare your breakfast and snack foods in advance. Relax early. Take a warm bath, listen to music or podcasts or read a good book. Do not look at your mobile phone.
Try to slowly shift your sleeping schedule the weeks leading up to your race. This will allow you to go to sleep and wake up earlier. This way it will not feel as if you are making a drastic change the night before the race.
What you need to take from this is get more sleep. Not strictly doctors orders but we are guessing none of you are going to argue with us.Once you are rested make sure to get yourself booked on to one of our next Duathlon Events. If you’re not ready for that, why not take a look at our blog post about stretching.