Vu Dinh Duan: 'Try to sleep 4 hours before running the VnExpress Marathon Hanoi'

The former champion of the VM Hanoi Midnight tournament last season learned the lesson of sleeping at least 4 hours before departure time and changing his practice schedule to the evening to match the competition rhythm.

According to Vu Dinh Duân, two weeks before the race is the time he focuses on improving his endurance and speed training, and arranges additional night running sessions. Sleep is an element that Duân has to change and gradually get used to, due to the disruption of his biological rhythm compared to regular races.

On weekends, instead of doing long runs early in the morning as usual, Duân switched to Saturday evenings and early Sunday mornings, close to the official race time. "For the night long run, I run at a slower speed of 10 to 20 seconds per kilometer than the competition. For the last 5 to 10 kilometers, I push closer to the race pace," Duân said. This means runners have to sleep earlier, that is, from late afternoon. A reasonable sleep lasts at least 4 hours.

A week before the race, during normal training days, he tries to sleep 8 hours a day to ensure his body is in the best condition. Before the race day, the athlete divides his sleep into two sessions, the first from 12:00 to 15:00 and the second from 18:00 to 22:30.

Vu Dinh Duan won the VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2022. Photo: VM

VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2023 kicks off on the night of November 25 and early morning of November 26. This schedule promises to bring many interesting experiences to participants. However, to compete effectively, Duân advises runners to make adjustments in their training plan, rest time, and nutrition.

At this time, the male runner began to reduce the training volume but still arranged a speed session on Wednesday and an endurance session on Thursday, at a speed close to race pace. He explained that this helps the body gradually adapt to the time, heart rate and speed of the race. Last year, he also applied this training method and had good results when entering the race.

Each person will have a different night training schedule. Some other athletes gradually increase the number of night training sessions. From one to two sessions per week, to three to four sessions close to the race. This creates a change in the body's circadian rhythm, getting used to the night running setting.

To ensure safety when practicing at night, runners need to be fully equipped with lights and reflective vests, run in well-lit areas, and should run in groups to receive support in case of health problems or unfortunate risks.

In addition to training, accumulating endurance and strength, runners should also gradually reduce the amount of training. This helps the body recover physically. To maintain the feeling and optimize performance when entering the race, reducing the amount of training needs to be planned. Athletes can reduce 20-30% of the training distance each week. Light runs or running at close to race speed help stretch the muscles just enough, maintaining the muscles in the optimal area for the race. Training too little or too much can put pressure on the legs.

Runner group conquers the VM Hanoi 2022 race route. Photo: VM

Regarding diet, runners should supplement with fast-absorbing starch, such as white rice, bread, sticky rice... to help the body store more energy. At the same time, they should not eat foods that cause indigestion, bloating, or foods that are not good for digestion and stay away from alcohol and stimulants.

About 18 hours before the race, runners can eat breakfast and lunch as usual. Dinner should be finished before 5pm with light food. Depending on needs and habits, runners can use gel at 10pm, before starting.

Before starting out, runners need to arrange time to warm up and warm up all joints and muscle groups. Not only to avoid cramps and injuries, warming up thoroughly before running at night also has the effect of "awakening" the muscles, fighting against muscle drowsiness.

Athletes warm up thoroughly before departure. Photo: VM

VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2023 will start at 0:00 on November 26. This year, the race will gather 11,000 runners. The team race category continues to be a highlight with 52 clubs from all over competing. This year, the organizers have made many innovations, with clubs registering cheerleading teams to operate at stations along the race track to increase excitement and team spirit.

Thanh Lan

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