Beating the Jet Lag Blues ©1995 Joe Friel

When the US. National Duathlon team members stepped onto the starting line in Australia for last November's run-bike-run world championship they were amazed at how good they felt. Most anticipated trouble following a 14-hour flight and the crossing of seven to 10 time zones.

But the competition from Europe and South Africa didn't fare so well. In the days preceding the race they seemed to suffer more of the malaise commonly known as jet lag. So why would the Europeans and South Africans have greater trouble with flying to Australia even though they crossed the same number of time zones?

American athletes flew west to get to Australia adding extra hours to their travel day. That's easier on the body than flying east as the Euros and Afrikaners had to do. Taking hours out of the day made their adjustment to jet lag somewhat more difficult as much as twice the difficulty, some experienced travelers say.

Jet lag has been known to ruin more than one athlete's hopes for a great race. Nothing could be worse than having the sun come up on race morning when you're just starting to get sleepy. If this happens your internal clock is out of synchronization with the external clock at your race site. And since our patterns of sleeping, eating, and racing are tied to both of these clocks, they need to agree. Otherwise you feel groggy and lifeless-not good on race day.

So why am I telling you this? Well, if you ever travel to a big race and want to be at your best there are some things you should be aware of before even booking your tickets. Here are some tips that may help you with your next race trip.

Plan to arrive one day before race day for every time zone crossed flying east, and a half day for every time zone to the west.

A few days before leaving begin modifying your sleeping and eating patterns to your destination's time as much as you can. A one-hour shift made before leaving on an eastbound trip is a day of adjustment saved on the other end.

Alternate normal and light eating days the last four days before leaving to get your body ready for the change. Eat your day's protein in the mornings and go heavy on the carbohydrates in the afternoons. This should fit in well with your carbohydrate-loading regimen.

When you board the plane set your watch to your destination's time. At that time stop talking about what time it is back home and think only in destination times.

When flying west plan to arrive in the evening, and go to bed soon after getting checked in. East-bound trips should arrive in the morning and be followed with light exercise and a lull day awake.

Carry and drink water on the plane so that you avoid dehydration. Don't drink caffeine or alcohol during the trip.

While in flight, stretch, do Isometrics, and walk about the cabin. When it's bed time at your destination eat some carbohydrate, close the window, put on sunglasses, get one of those pillows that wraps around the neck, and catch a few Zs. When it's day time at your destination open the window or turn on the light, eat some protein and move about. Ught and protein tell the brain that it's time to wake up. Darkness and carbos say "nighty-night."

Its also a good idea to minimize people contact while traveling by plane to avoid catching a cold. Stay away from coughers, sneezers, and cute kids. Be a bit of a recluse. On the way back after the big race, you can be the life of the party.

While all of this may make planning a race trip seem complicated, a little complication is better than having months of training preparation lost because you couldn't sleep the night before the big race.