I could NOT fall asleep last night!
I tried to figure out what the culprit was:
– TV/Internet before bed? (No, I have done this before—although I am trying to power down 30 minutes prior going to bed.)
– stress/anxiety? (No, not more than usual.)
– my husband wasn’t in bed with me? (While I have a much easier time falling asleep if Craig is there, I don’t think this was the cause last night.)
But then I remembered that I had sampled some of Kaladi Brother’s ‘coffee of the month’ (which was caffeinated) yesterday morning when Craig and I went for coffee. Even though it was just 1/4-1/3 cup, it was enough to make me jittery (I could tell when I was trying to write things down yesterday morning!), and I think that it also caused me to be wide-eyed until almost midnight last night!! Lesson learned: caffeine does not do my body good!
Now onto running news. . . .
I love running, yes I do, but some times my body just needs a break!
I realized on Sunday that I have been running 6 days a week for 9 months straight—usually logging 35-45 (even 50) miles most weeks!
My last break was when I took a week off from running after my marathon last June because I could literally not run—heck, I couldn’t even walk! The only other time I’ve had a break when was when I was sick a few days this winter.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been feeling extra sluggish on my runs. Usually I’ll push through a couple days of tough running only to bounce back and feel better. However, this feeling has been going on longer than normal.
When I realized how long I had been running without a break, I knew my body deserved a little R ‘n’ R. It has been good to me—only getting “injured” once when it was actually just my shoes that needed replacing.
Here’s how I differentiated between my “normal” fatigue and the fatigue I’ve been experiencing lately.
1. I haven’t been looking forward to running. (And partially the weather hasn’t helped either. We are going into our 7th month of winter, so that definitely takes a toll on me!)
2. Usually if I have a run I’m feeling “dead” on, I’ll do a short 4-5 miles one day to give my legs a little break, and then I’m back to feeling better the next day. However, this has not been the case lately.
3. As soon as I start out running, I can tell my legs don’t have to spring they usually do.
4. Even when I was done running, and I didn’t experience my normal “runner’s high.” (When I realized this, I knew something was wrong!)
Let’s hope a week off from running with some light cardio (walking, biking, maybe swimming) and yoga will help rejuvenate me. 🙂
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Breakfast
I am such an indecisive person and this goes to prove it! Or as I like to say: I like variety!
sprouted grains bagel: half with cream cheese + rhubarb jam, half with almond butter and banana
I also had some yogurt with: vanilla extract + agave nectar + raisins + Grape Nuts (love me some crunch!)
Looks sketchy, but it was good!
Questions
How much caffeine does your body tolerate?
How often do you take a break from running?
Oof, I hate when I can’t fall asleep. 🙁
Caffeine seems to have little to no impact on me, from what I can tell, anyway. It doesn’t keep me awake; I can have coffee right before bed and fall right asleep. *shrugs* Then again, maybe I don’t have enough of it to notice? I’m not an avid coffee-drinker and my tea is usually decaf, so who knows. 🙂
You’re lucky. . . .the smallest amount affects me!
I can tolerate a ton of caffeine! I can drink soda or coffee right before bed and still fall right to sleep, it hardly effects me at all…but that may be because I’ve been drinking it for so long.
It definitely sounds like you need a little rest! That’s a lot of running!
Ugh, I can relate to caffeine-induced sleeplessness! I drink coffee with breakfast only, and sometimes green tea in the early afternoon, but never after 2 pm or it will ruin my sleep!
As for the running, it’s not surprising you need a break. You’ve been racking up a ton of mileage! Very smart to back off before signs that the physical fatigue is leading to injury!
Caffine has a HUGE impact on my sleep. For a week straight I could not get to sleep, then I found out that my new Vitamin waters I had beend drinking contained ginsing and was keeping me up.
Good call on the brake for your legs. I have been training for a half and following a schedule to the t. THe problem is, the weeks where it has said taper, I falied to pass those and continue with my long runs. I have been training since January. My Half is in May and this week I have realized how much running is not fun for me anymore. I dread long runs, and my legs have become sore and tired. I am re-thinking the half and considering doing the 10k. I love shorter distance runs and I think my body is better opt to handle it. Sometimes I think us runners can be in denial when the body is trying to tell us something.
Oh, wow! I never would have thought of Vitamin water having caffeine in–very interesting!!
Would you be able to do a taper/cut-back week now to and get a little “life” back in your legs??