Running Past Your Bedtime

The annual, marquee event – the Sundown Marathon – is less than a week away. For those who are racing, here are tips and cautionary notes (by seasoned and experienced runners) for running at the most humid time of the day in Singapore. Dr Ben Tan opined from experience that, running at 1-3am can be most challenging and risky to those who intend to push harder.

Melvin How: I hate running past midnight because I miss my much-needed beauty sleep. Anyway, how humid it is will depend on the period before the race, as I run better if the ambient temperature different is more than 10 degrees, i.e. lower than my body temperature as heat-load is a critical issue for runners, unlike cycling where the faster speeds cools the body. Pre-race hydration is definitely more important. as drinking too much during race is going to lead to feeling bloated. With higher effort to run, refueling with energy gels will be crucial to keep the body moving as the calories utilization will be much higher even at the same pace on a cooler day. For night race, past the sleeping time, it is best to forget about getting a PB.

Dr Derek Li: ‘Do not skip water-stations for the first half, preferably for the first two-thirds of the race. Drink, frequently, as early as 2km into the race. I personally take an energy-gel every 30 minutes. Stick to water for the first hour, then switch to isotonic (electrolyte) drinks thereafter. Finally, PB is never achieved by positive-splitting (meaning: run fast for the first-half, then slower for the second-half).

KK Chin: Agreed with Ben Tan on the humidity, nowadays. Personally, I have also experienced it during my evening run recently. Just for an hour run, I can easily bottle up a 1.5 litre of H2O as I was sweating profusely. Anyway, it is good to hydrate yourself sufficiently throughout this night race. Who knows you might need to double your usual hydration intake. If you don’t mind losing a few minutes to refill your water-bag, you can carry a small Camelbak or additional water bottles. As for energy gels or equivalent, just practise what you have been doing during training. Never try anything new during the race. After 3am, the weather might be cooler to run but your body fatigues, or sleepiness might kick in. That's when you will execute your own mind-over-body strategies. As I have seen in my past ultra races, different people will have different ways to get over their wall by moving at this critical stage. By and large, pacing still plays a very important role, especially in the first half. In the second half, your form will be very much dependent on various external & internal factors. To me, getting PB or not, is secondary. If I do, it will definitely be a bonus. The most important thing for me is to finish strong at the end of the race. 

The Ultra-Race

Any distance beyond the standard, 42.195K or 26.1 miles is considered an ultra-distance marathon. I am now reading Bart Yasso’s ‘My Life On The Run’ and his many adventures over seven continents running tough and challenging races.  He was instrumental in co-designing the horrendously hot Badwater 135 Race (it was originally 146 miles, but no permit was gotten to reach the summit).

I have only completed three ultra-marathons, one of which was the Sundown 84K challenge I attempted last year. I have no strong intention to do one anytime soon. I got injured a month after completing it (more about this in a later post). Here are some thoughts for doing an ultra-race such as the NorthFace 100, Sundown 100K and MR25’s annual Ultramarathon:

1)      The build-up is important and you will need to do up to 4-6 hours of continuous running in your training session. For an 84K or 100K race, this translates into a maximum of about 60K as your longest run. You can break this up into a 21K race followed by another marathon on the same day. Every kilometre adds up onto your total mileage.

2)      Nutrition is a key to your completion. You need to eat and drink regularly. You need to drink if you do not want to suffer physically and mentally. Recovery is enhanced with nutritional support on the run.

3)      You will need huge amounts of sleep prior to the race. You need to fully recuperate from each long training session, so take naps or longer, uninterrupted sleep.

4)      Sleep deprivation may be a useful part of your training strategy (Kua Harn Wei and the seasoned ultramarathoners include this as part of their training).

5)      A change of clothes at the halfway point may be useful (if you are toatll soaked and are experiencing abrasions). I changed my socks after my first marathon, had some nutritional support, stretched a bit, and was on my way for the second marathon.

6)      You need to be mentally prepared for bodily discomfort. Gastro-intestinal (GI) issues may be a high possibility. I vomited at the 55K mark, after ‘cleverly’ drinking a cold, tall cup of sugar-cane juice. I chucked a stomach’s worth of mixed juices, and about $10 worth of Power-Gels. The latter caused me more grief than the natural stomach pumping. Stick to trhe familiar!

7)      Train at the exact time of race. Humidity is highest at night, and you run a risk of heat exhaustion. Sweat does not evaporate so easily in high humidity. It just wicks away.

8)      Above all, pace yourself. I was a bit too ambitious on my first lap, clocking 4:12 with my inspirational friends like Mika Kume, Victor Chan and Lieu. They overtook me on the second lap, and I missed my podium by three spots. However, these three earned top-10 placing and I was happy for them. Another day…

Have a safe and eventful race! You will recall all your long races.