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Training


eventually demand repayment. Plentiful sleep should be a key feature of your recovery plan.


In times of heavy training, be sure to block off extra time for sleep. This is part of your stress-management plan, in which you balance your obligations to work, family, and training. When training is heavy, ideally your work load will be lighter, and your family will understand your need for more sleep. One conventional rule of thumb, especially useful for runners, will help you get a sense of what works: If you are running 60 miles a week, you should aim to get an extra 60 minutes of sleep each day. Expressed in time units, if you’re training 10 hours a week, an extra hour of sleep daily should improve your recovery. Likewise, if you’re training 15 hours a week, an hour and a half is in order; a load of 20 hours a week would suggest you get two hours beyond the standard eight. While this may not be realistic, it does encourage you to value sleep.


Napping


My own coach, Joan Nesbit Mabe, ran the 10,000 at the 1996 Olympic Games. She has long had a daily napping ritual, which she thinks made a big difference in her ability to recover and to fit 12 workouts into the week during her days as an elite runner. “That’s 12 work days with only seven nights to sleep,” she says. “I used napping to collapse 12 days into seven, kind of like the tesseract in “A Wrinkle in Time.” Every workout was preceded by sleep, be it a full night’s sleep or an afternoon power nap. I never saw sleeping as lazy, but smart — and sort of sneaky, because I found a way to speed recovery without using performance-enhancing drugs.”


Depending on the amount of time you have — and


whether you are carrying any sleep debt — the length of your nap may vary. A short nap — say, 20 minutes — will give you a period of NREM2 sleep, while a longer nap of an hour and a half or more can take you through the REM cycle. There is a period between the shorter and longer nap, somewhere around 45 minutes of sleep, where you can find yourself waking groggier than you were when you started, so plan ahead when you lie down. If you can get into the habit of napping, you’ll learn what the best parameters are for you. Notice also when your body feels ready to nap. Depending on your own circadian rhythm, you might find early or mid-afternoon the best time for a rest. Don’t let your nap grow so long that you can’t drift off easily at bedtime.


How travel affects sleep


Travel affects sleep habits, especially if you move across time zones. The change in environment alone can keep you awake or disturb your sleep, and that’s compounded when your internal clock doesn’t mesh with the time at your destination. Do what you can to create a restful environment for sleep (as outlined below), and be sure you head into any travel, especially travel for a race, as well rested as possible. Moving across time zones, figure that you’ll need a day per time zone to adapt. If you’re traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States for a race, or from the West Coast to Hawaii, arriving three days early would be a good plan. Westward travel is easier to adapt to, because you won’t have to wake up any earlier than usual. Traveling eastbound, conversely, is harder on the body, as you’ll need to wake up earlier than you’re used to. Opening the blinds and getting sunlight will help you adapt by resetting your internal clock.


QUICK TIPS


for better sleep


• Getting enough sleep is critical to athletic performance.


• Sleep until you wake up satisfied, without an alarm — this might mean nine hours or even more per night.


• Naps supplement your nighttime sleep and help reduce your sleep debt.


• An evening ritual can help you settle down for sleep.


28 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2012


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