Ready.Set.Run. With marathons coming up and runners getting ready with training regimens, participants might forget one important thing that makes one an excellent runner -- getting enough sleep.

Why is sleep a critical component of a training plan?  A study was conducted on 2011 which measured the effects of extending sleep to 10 hours per night for five to seven weeks on Stanford basketball players. Results of the study show an increase in several preliminary metrics. Studies on other sports such as tennis, swimming and football were done as well and have found similar preliminary results. This study proves that longer sleep leads to better athletic performance.

What happens when one don't get enough sleep? Getting enough sleep every night increases calorie burn while withholding sleep propels one's appetite-signaling hormones. Not getting enough sleep causes an increase in ghrelin, the hormone that activates a person's appetite, enticing him to eat more and decreases leptin , the hormones that control one's appetite. This condition results to a hormonal imbalance which prompts someone to eat more. Getting enough sleep controls a person's hunger signal which strengthens the ability to stay on a diet. A combination of good, long sleep with exercise leads to a bigger chance of weight loss. Lesser weight will then result to running faster.

Another reason why getting enough sleep is essential to effectively run is that lack of sleep reduces the ability of the body to stock carbohydrates, leading to storing of less glygocen. Lower glycogen storage makes a person more hungry than usual. A good quality and longer sleep increases one's ability to store carbohydrates which is needed to endure a race. Carbohydrates supply a good source of energy for the body. When carbohydrates are broken down in the body, the sugar components are reserved in the muscles as glycogen, which the body needs and uses during the race.