Comrades Supplement Comrades Training and Info Guide, 2017 | Page 34

Health

Sleep Better,

Run Better

or many people, getting a full night’s
sleep is a luxury, due to the demands
of ever-busier lifestyles, but go ask the
top runners about sleep and most will
tell you they try to get a solid nine to 10 hours
a night whenever possible, because they know
that it is during sleep that your body recovers
from hard training and builds you into a better
runner. Sleep needs vary from one person to the
next, but here’s why you should try to get more
sleep if you want to perform better on the run –
especially if you’re going to be spending the next
six to eight months preparing for the Comrades.

1 In For Repairs: Sleep is when your body
repairs and regenerates damaged tissue from
a workout, and builds bone and muscle to be
ready for the next workout. Therefore, distance
runners especially need sleep and repair time to
recover from training, and should make sleep a
high priority in their daily planning and training
programmes.

2 Growth Time: During the deeper stages of
sleep, human growth hormone (HGH) is released
by the pituitary gland and released into the
bloodstream to rebuild damaged tissue while
building stronger muscles. It also helps convert
fat to fuel, and keeps our bones strong. If don’t
get enough sleep, you produce less HGH, and
it becomes harder for your body to recover
from workouts. Too little sleep also leads to an
increase in cortisol, which contributes to slower
recovery times.

3 Taking on Water: During sleep, the kidneys
balance water, sodium and electrolytes, so if you
are already dehydrated from sweating, especially
in the hotter months, sleep provides vital time for
water re-absorption. So not only do you need to
drink enough water to replenish lost liquids, you
also need to get enough sleep so that your body
can absorb it properly, or you may suffer muscle
pain and poor performance when running.

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Comrades Training & Information Guide 2017

4 Keeping Trim: When you don’t get enough
sleep, your appetite-related hormones can be
thrown out of sync. Less sleep leads to more
ghrelin, which makes you hungry, and less leptin,
which tells you that you’re full, so sleeping a full
night regularly helps keep your hunger signals
in check. Added to this, if you’re not sleeping
enough, your body won’t store carbs properly,
leading to less glycogen stores, and you may hit
the wall sooner than usual in your next long run.
5 Improved Focus: It takes a few hours after
you fall asleep to reach deep, quality sleep,
usually into the seventh hour, so getting enough
sleep helps you tune into your body and improve
your concentration, which can help you greatly

not only in work or studies, but also when
strategising your race.

GET THE ESSENTIALS
• Determine your sleep needs and try meet that
quota every night.
• Establish a regular sleep schedule by going
to bed and getting up at the same time every
day. With an ever-changing sleep-wake
schedule, your body never knows when it’s
time to shut down.
• Get one long block of continuous sleep at
night. Power naps are a last resort if you
have to make up lost sleep – snooze for 10
to 15 minutes, no longer, or you might
become groggy.

Can Run vs Shouldn’t Run

Runners don’t like to skip training sessions when they’re ill, especially when following a training
programme ahead of a big event like the Comrades Marathon, but sometimes going for a run can
do more harm than good if you’re physically exhausted, or have picked up an infection, like a cold
or the flu.
The general rule of thumb is called the ‘Neck Rule:’
Symptoms below the neck (chest cold, bronchial
infection, body ache) require time off, while
symptoms above the neck (runny nose, stuffiness,
sneezing) mean you should be okay to continue
training, as long as you don’t push yourself too hard.
However, doctors still say that you should err on the
side of caution, as training with anything worse than
a minor cold can escalate into more serious conditions
affecting the lower respiratory tract
and lungs. Therefore, the best
advice is to obey your body, not
your training programme, if you
are not feeling 100%, and rather
get expert medical advice to make
sure you’re good to go with your
training.

Images: Fotolia

F

Take note of these five reasons why catching more quality Z’s can make you a stronger, better
runner as you embark on your training programme to prepar