What do you do Anne, when you hit the wall during races?
Sometimes when I hit the wall, I do ask myself, why am I here? But I can’t stop to think about negative thoughts because it is a race. So I must clear my mind, because this is not a good thought. I must think positively.
Do not dwell on the negative thoughts, because one will be followed by another and another. Often I say that I am there to finish the race, not just to start. I will motivate myself until I feel better.
And if I run fast enough, I can get $10,000 (e.g. prize money for the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore) so I just do it and keep on pushing myself until the very end!
Whether rain or shine, it should not put you off from running and races.
If the weather conditions are too hot or too wet, how do you run on race day?
The weather is something that you can’t really control. We make it hard on ourselves by living in humid and sunny Singapore. You can’t really control the weather, so don’t give it much thought. There’s nothing you can do about it.
But try and adapt to the conditions come race day. If it rains, it’s no excuse to not continue running unless there’s severe lightning, and in which case, the race would probably be called off. Actually it might be good if there is a little bit of rain, because the rain cools you down, so you will be able to maintain a lower heart rate and a higher pace.
On the other hand, if the weather is very hot, you’ll need to adapt your race strategy, by starting the race even more slowly. During hot weather, fatigue can catch up with you quickly. You don’t need to adapt your nutritional strategy in terms of your food intake when it’s hot, but you can offset the heat by starting slower at the beginning. On hot days, you use more energy and your body is working harder to manage the heat.
Of course, adapting your race strategy to the weather is tricky because different people respond differently to challenges. Everyone will be suffering but you will suffer less if you manage yourself properly.
How can I prevent dehydration during races?
Everyone is different when it comes to nutrition and hydration. You need to do enough training sessions so that you will know what your limitations are and when, for example, to hydrate yourself during runs and races.
If you are not drinking enough water, it could manifest itself in the form of cramps, which you won’t want to experience on race day.
How can you train your body to sleep early before the race?
For a start, don’t take sleeping pills because they won’t help you. They may even make you sleep so soundly that you won’t even be able to wake up for the race!
It takes progress and strategy to train your body to sleep earlier than usual. Suddenly sleeping four hours earlier than usual is hard for the body. This is something that can be trained progressively though and it will happen over time.
For example, start by training your mind to sleep ten minutes earlier for the next few days, and then slowly work you way to 20 minutes earlier than your original bedtime, and so on. (TO NEXT PAGE)
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