So I was busy writing a blog post about “Am I really a runner if I don’t race?” but then I had pretty much the worst long run on the treadmill ever last night – a combination of jet lag, the after effects of a 14 hour flight and the hottest hotel gym in the world so I thought I would talk about that instead!
Let’s start with last night – the Prague Marathon is just over 2 months away and so I am right at the most intense period of my training schedule and right now I am traveling a lot for work, last year I took 28 flights, this year I am going to spend 4 out of the next 5 weeks in the Middle East and Asia – juggling a full-time job, travel and training for another marathon is a tough ask.
Had I been at home, yesterday would have been a long slow distance run of 2 hours 30 with the last 20 minutes at goal race pace. But I am not at home – I am 6745 miles and 8 time zones away from home! Because of this my coach said just do 1 hour 30 on the treadmill – easy right? Well that is what I thought but it was the hardest run I have had in ages – about an hour in I even had to give up listening to my audiobook – seems even Ant Middleton’s dulcit tones couldn’t help me out! I found myself endlessly repeating “one more minute” whilst counting down the seconds!
So why does long haul travel make you feel so bad?
Firstly I guess travel is just tiring, flying is not just about the time spent in the air, flying is the time it takes to get to the airport, dropping your bags, getting through security, waiting to board, not to mention clearing customs on arrival, collecting your bags and getting to your final destination – as well as the flight itself.
A 14 hour flight and an 8 hour time difference mucks up your body clock – as if travelling through 8 time zones wasn’t enough on board the plane you are expected to eat and sleep at funny times. On the way out here we were given dinner at 11pm and then meant to sleep, we were told to keep the blinds down though because as we flew further east we were actually in broad daylight. Finally we were served breakfast 2 hours before landing – fine if we were still on UK time but it was already 3pm at our destination – no wonder your body is confused right?
Change in temperature – I know we are having unseasonably warm weather for February back home (pretty sure we are going to get one more icy blast before spring is finally sprung though!) but Singapore is different gear hot and humid. So here’s me used to being bundled up in layers of jumpers and coats in the cold, damp of the UK winter and suddenly I am in Singapore and it is 34 degrees with 50% humidity so I am bound to feel a bit out of sorts and generally just unused to the heat right?
So what can you do about it?
I am sure we all know that we are meant to try and stay awake once you get where you are going but recently I read an article in which some pro-cycling teams gave their tips on flying long haul:
Start to acclimatise to the time zone before you go – ok so this might be slightly impractical but they did suggest starting to shift your bedtime and mealtimes nearer to those of your destination a few days before you travel – I get the idea just not sure how practical that would be whilst still working and managing three kids!
Watch what you eat on the plane – plane food is not always the best and as I mentioned before you can end up eating at some fairly odd times so best not to rely on what you are given and take some snacks of your own and make sure you stay hydrated whilst flying. This one I can do - the thought of not having food with me sends me into a blind panic!
Get some rest on the plane – this is a fairly easy one for me – as my colleagues will attest I can sleep anywhere and am usually asleep before we even take off – I don’t know but something about waiting for other people to board wears me out!! If you struggle to sleep try a sleep mask, earphones and comfy clothes to see if that helps.
Finally when you get where you are going, get out and get some fresh air if is still daylight – this sends a message to your body that it is still daytime and not time to sleep. Oh and make sure you eat at the proper mealtimes – again this helps to reset your body clock.
Some of these tips have really helped me - if only to make me more mindful of why I just had the worst session ever!! For me, running really forces my body and mind to acclimatise to the changes in temperature and to adjust my circadian rhythm – just being tired at the right time really helps me reset.
Whilst there are a lot of things you can do to minimise the effects of travelling long-haul it can still feel pretty tough for a couple of days, with that in mind I am off out for an easy 5 miles this evening, hoping that it doesn’t feel as bad as last night!
Much love xx