Saturday, August 26, 2006

Enter Sandman

Um...yeah.

OK.

I've sort of, had to....um....sleep.

I don't like to admit that--for some reason it feels like I'm "giving in" a little bit. But let's just say after this week I think I have a whole new appreciation for sleep. And how much I need.

Apparantly, I need a LOT.

I've struggled with getting enough sleep from day one. A quick search through my blog reminds me of this. I just am sort of a busy bee and I'm always, ALWAYS moving and thinking. So sleep gets pushed to the back burner, especially during the school year.

Starting back up this week, I definitely underestimated just how much my first day of school sleepless night would SCREW ME UP all week. I did have a friend visit, too, so I wanted to stay up a little bit to hang with her.

All week, I just haven't felt great. The previous post states how I CRASHED hard on my swim Wednesday.

Ugh.

Then, I sludged through my hour and a half ride Thursday--in an hour and twenty.

Ugh.

Matt is fighting a nasty head cold, and I'm now interacting with 126 teenagers. Germ city.

UGH.

So yesterday, when I was staring at a 4600 yard workout, I just sort of froze up. I just KNEW that I didn't have it in me. Well, I should rephrase that....of COURSE I have it in me. But I started to realize that I shouldn't use it up, you know? I think it's that post I recently re-read from back in January when I "just couldn't figure out why I didn't feel good," so I kept doing 6 mile runs in the snow and 5am swims, and then was KNOCKED OUT WITH PNEUMONIA for 2 weeks.

And, yeah. That can't happen right now.

So I called my coach and told her what was in my head. She talked me out of the tree. We have readjusted things, because, as she says, taper affects everyone differently. Some need LOTS of rest and others not so much. Some are OK doing very similar, and others need more Zone 1. So here's the protocol:

1. NO SWIM Friday. Done. Over with. No worries. I'm fine in the water. I will be fine in the water.

2. SLEEP must now be #1 priority. I am NOT TO SET MY ALARM this weekend. NO early morning ride. I will sleep until I wake up, and then I will do a 3 hour ride in Zone 1-2 instead of a 4 hour ride. And, if I'm not feeling good, I will cut the ride short, and I will NOT BEAT MYSELF UP.

3. I will NOT set my alarm Sunday. I will sleep until I wake up, and then I will do a 1:30 run. But if at 1 hour I'm feeling tired, I WILL STOP. And I will not beat myself up.

4. I will NOT do lots of heavy/taxing chores around the house with all my spare time. I will do what most Americans do and sit my butt down.

5. I will supplement with a bit more Vitamin C until race day, and be even more OCD than usual about hand washing/antibacterial stuff in school.

6. I will GET OFF MY FEET as much as I can...including school. It's been in the high 80s and high humidity all week, and I'm on the 2nd floor, with up to 32 students in my room, and no A/C. My thermostat read 89 yesterday. I pretty much SWEAT from about 11am on. It's really disgusting. So I need to keep hydrating lots and SIT DOWN during the day.

Hold up. That last one's gonna be a problem.

I CAN'T. SIT. DOWN. AND. TEACH.

But OK....I tried on Friday. I told my 6th period kids that this is unusual, but I have to try and sit down. They were laughing at me since they know I never sit. But I sat for a whole 20 minutes and introduced the Renaissance! Yahooooooooooooo!

I swear that felt harder than my 5 hour ride last week.

So, I took a nap after school yesterday, which I never do. It was supposed to be a half hour.

It was almost an hour and a half. I totally got up too late to meet the NE Ohio IM MOO athletes. :( But I guess I needed it, right?

We hit the hay last night around 11:30. Matt got up at 8 to head to work. When I woke up, sans alarm clock, it was....are you ready for this?.....10:35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I freaking slept for 11 hours.

Okay, so I guess I really REALLY needed this.

I've been relaxing all morning and early afternoon here, and now I'm getting ready to head out for this ride that, according to coach, should "feel so easy you are annoyed with it."

And you know what? I am feeling better.

So, we'll see how this weekend goes. As coach says, I've done all the work. Nothing I can add workout-wise at this point will HELP me, but it can HURT me. So I NEED to trust the training, trust myself, and back off.

And two weeks from tomorrow, it's go time.

19 comments:

BuckeyeRunner said...

This is a good strategy - you have been working so hard for this, your body needs some down time! Tapering and resting is just as important as putting the time in, which you have done. Now it is just protecting and nourishing your bod and your mind. Take care!

Jodi said...

So glad that you are feeling better! That's what taper is for. Sleep, nourish, hydrate, and recharge your mind and emotions. You have earned it.

RunBubbaRun said...

Definetly listen to you body and it will tell you what it needs. Definetly stay healthy and be a kind of germ-a-phobe.

So close to race day. You are ready without a doubt.

Rae said...

You deserve to relax!! You've earned it.


Two weeks!! I can hardly believe it!

Eric said...

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad you called Coach. Resting is your training now. Your body and mind will be that much better on race day.

I can feel it building up....and it's all good.

Brooke said...

Good for you. 11 hours of sleep sounds like heaven.

Wes said...

Sounds like your coach is very very wise! Good for you! Glad you are able to start recharging your batteries.

Pharmie said...

Ummmm yeah. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has been in sleep deprivation lately. Let's both plan on catching up this weekend and the next two weeks, and we'll be good to go by Sept 10!

Neese said...

oh i love sleep :) sounds like you are right on track, your coach is giving great advice.

E-Speed said...

I LOVE SLEEP! I could sleep 11 hours every night!

Kurt said...

Sleep and rest is just as crucial as the training. Lack of it can lead to injury or poor training.

Good for you to rest!

qcmier said...

We missed you Friday night, but it's all good. We would rather you miss a night out, than have a bad IM. Rest up!!!

Rachel said...

Don't question it. Don't deny it. Just sleep. If you don't, you can make yourself really sick. Your body needs it after all that training!

Rice said...

I KNOW! I’m the same way the last couple weeks. I don’t know what’s going on. I can/have to sleep up to 12 hours a day. I’m kind of counting on it passing soon. Maybe it’s an old instinct thing that would get us as humans ready for a type of hibernation.

Cheers, & sweet dreams.

Rice.

Kim said...

Sleeping Beauty! 11 hours of sleep sounds like the perfect RX that the doctor prescribed!

Andy said...

I love the title of your post. A week or two ago on a Sunday, I did not have anything scheduled for a workout and I decided that I was going to sleep in for once. Lately I have been working saturday mornings for the money, and then getting up early on Sunday to do the Silver Comet trail or some other ride/brick workout. I went to bed about 10:30 that night, since I had nothing going on, and I woke up at 11:00am the next day.

I would totally sympathize with you on the going overboard, as I got a nasty bout of pneumonia while I was in college. I was working part time, going to school and on the crew team, and my body just decided to shut down one weekend.

Speaking of your wonderful coach, I need to get one after my race this weekend, read the post to find out.

Donald said...

Sweet post title! Enjoy the rest.

Cliff said...

TriSaraTrops,

For the past week, I have slept 10 hours and still feel tire afterwards. Body definitely need more rest.

Not doing taxing chores ..i did 4 loads of laundry yesterday..is that consider taxing? :)...

Us triathletes..we are compulsive/obsessive about training...and now doing chores as well :O...

Fe-lady said...

There is that sweet scent of PROMISE in the air....