Sonia O'Sullivan: Hitting the ground running one way to deal with jet lag

Dealing with jet lag is a bit like having the hiccups. Everyone has their own idea for a cure, only none of them seem to work.

It certainly helps if you can hit the ground running – and yes especially in the literal sense. And after 24 hours cooped up inside the plane on the journey from Melbourne back to Dublin, I can’t wait to get outside for some fresh air and exercise. And preferably a run.

It’s also important that you try to ignore it. Again, a little like having the hiccups – although you can’t easily deny that fuzzy feeling in your head, and the sense that something is not right with the body clock.

But the first step for me is to get outdoors, get some exercise, and then find some routine. It’s also good to have a plan of action in your head, to turn your body right side up as soon as possible.

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They say it can take one day for every time zone that you pass through to get your body back in sync. On that basis, that’s nine days, coming from Melbourne, before I get back to normal. No thanks.

Even when I know this, I find myself trying to beat the system and get back on track a lot quicker. So that’s not nine days sitting around waiting to feel normal again. You have to nudge things along and gradually feel yourself return to normal day by day.

There a few little tricks I perform along the way as well. It starts on the plane by constantly drinking a light electrolyte drink, waking to walk laps of the plane, and do a few exercises as I stand for a few minutes at the back end of the plane. There are also a few gymnastics tricks that I perform as I try to navigate from my window seat throughout the flight.

I’ve also worked out that the less I can eat on the plane, the better I will feel when I arrive. I’ve taken to ordering a special meal. The raw vegetable and fruit plate is perfect, then just accepting that half asleep state throughout the flight.

As with many things, how we feel is as much mental as it is physical. It’s a challenge and like any challenge if embraced can be enjoyed.

Then I like to get out for that run as soon as I can. And even though it’s never a pleasant run, it always leaves me feeling better afterwards.

There was little time to relax anyway on arrival in Dublin last Friday afternoon. The air coach was waiting, and the first destination was one of my favourite cafes alongside the canal.

Greater appreciation

I always try to stay awake until local bedtime. That evening, I was invited to attend an Olympic Day celebration, so rather than risk falling asleep on my feet, or feeling like I was sleepwalking, I tweaked my routine a little and put the head down for a while.

Being an Olympian is not something I ever really thought about or reflected on while competing, but like many sporting things there is somehow a greater appreciation for them after you retire.

It’s only now, when you are welcomed back with generations of Olympians, from many different sports, that you realise this is a special club. And it does become a part of you for the rest of your life.

Olympic Day is now a sort of global celebration of what so many athletes aspire to attain in their careers. And I think most athletes will tell you it is still worth aspiring to, despite some of the issues of recent Games. It was a reminder too that in some ways Olympians are all equal, no matter what the level of achievement. I think there is a unique bond which comes with representing your country on the Olympic stage

So Friday evening certainly meant hitting the ground running, and after that a full and proper night’s sleep. It felt a little strange waking up to greet the sun, having come in from the Australian wintertime, but a nice reminder too that arriving in Ireland brings these bright summer mornings and long evenings to embrace.

Time then for that run. The streets were quiet on Saturday morning as I ambled down to Bushy Park, close to where I was staying in Dublin. I’m always a little nervous about my first run after being on the plane for 24 hours, and even more nervous when I’m managing a niggling injury.

After walking and jogging, sweating a little, and feeling the blood move faster through my body, I arrived back for breakfast definitely more awake, energised and still in one piece, breathing a slight sigh of relief.

Back as an elite athlete, when you crossed many time zones like that to compete there was always an extra stress and worry. It’s also one of the most talked about things: how you manage, how you recover, how you can still perform at a high level. And everyone has their little tricks and nuances that they believe can get them back to normal quickly.

I was reminded of all this during breakfast that morning, when the entertainment was the British and Irish Lions game, live from New Zealand. I was aware these games were happening, and even though there was little mention of it in Australia, I was quite surprised by the level of interest back here.

Cycling fitness

It was also interesting to hear the commentators talk about their travel and jet lag, and the massive challenge every time the Lions line out against the All Blacks. Although they were presumably over the worst of it by last Saturday.

Once I got that first run in, I was back on schedule and time to manage the diary and plan the next few days. It’s great to have a pair of running shoes waiting for me, even better to have a bike in the car so that I can resume my cycling fitness ahead of the Ring of Kerry cycle this Saturday.

I’ve already touched the west coast with some beautiful early morning cycles around Lough Gill in Co Sligo. Still I feel like I’m on a crash course to maintain my cycling fitness, grabbing any opportunity I can to hop on the bike and log a few miles.

When the sun is shining there’s no excuse. It would be easy to be distracted by turning on the phone each morning, but I try to limit my replies and get out on the road as soon as I can. Work can wait while I take advantage of my early morning alertness and energy, using some of that jet lag to my advantage.

I won’t be the only Cork person on the road to Killarney this weekend, with the Munster football final, between Cork and Kerry, now set for Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday, as Páirc Uí Chaoimh isn’t quite ready yet.

Heading down there, I am just realising the enormity of the challenge. Not for the Cork footballers, but the 180km cycle on undulating terrain around the Ring Of Kerry, even with so many other cyclists or company.

I’m trying to see it as just one single part of the Ironman triathlon. I’ve run a few marathons, swam 3.8km a few times, so this will be my first attempt at the full 180km Ironman cycle distance.

Still, this is more than just going for a long bike ride. It’s a bit like dealing with jet lag, and at least in that way I should be well prepared.