Fit Friday! Making Sleep a Priority
A very late Fit Friday post today. And as I finish up writing this post, I'm so ready for bed. If I could go without sleeping, I would so do it. I love sleeping and know how important it is, but there are so many things I want to do! I wish there was a way to be productive with only 4 hours of sleep.
I did a lot of running this week, but only made it to the gym twice with one of those visits being very unsuccessful. I switched my rest day from Friday to Wednesday so Ricky and I could have a midweek date night at one of our favorite spots. Very out of the ordinary routine, and I may have proven to myself this week that consistency makes it easier to achieve your goals because I was lacking on mine. I logged the miles, but slowed the performance. I'm having some preliminary signs of overtraining such as fatigue and decreased performance in my pace, and am convinced that my goal with the coming week should be to make sure I get at least 7 hours of sleep minimum.
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Thursday Runs: I logged over 32 miles again this week. I ran a short 7 miler on Saturday because I was going to Griffith Park on Sunday for a long and hilly 12 miler. You can read about my long run on Sunday with the group I met on Instagram here. Monday's run was tough because I was recovering from all of the hills on Sunday in Griffith Park, so I kept it short at 5.5 miles. I wanted to do 8, but rescheduled that for Thursday after my rest day.
Thursday's run was also rough. Eating out midweek is not really my style except for light lunches. Ricky and I went to a Japanese teppan place we love Wednesday after work, and ate way too much food. I also had a few glasses of wine. By Thursday's run I was feeling sluggish. The muscles in my legs and arms felt weak - something I hadn't felt at all since I've started weight lifting. When I started this run, I kept thinking I would cut it short, maybe just do 5.5 or 6.5... But then I remembered that it's important to just log the miles sometimes and not quit. Who knows? I could feel like this on marathon day (I really hope not). I made it all 8 miles at an 8:11 pace.
Tuesday Cross Training: I went to spin and worked hard. I just wasn't feeling up for the morning weight session and then coming back at night for spin like I normally do, so I was determined to brace the night crowd after class and try to lift some weights. I got shut down hard. No benches, no floor space, and everything I did get on was all sweaty. I left after 20 minutes of nonsense.
Friday Weights: This is when I knew my body was exhausted and that I couldn't keep up my 4-5 hour sleep schedule during the week. My normal workout felt so hard. It felt like I hadn't been in the weight room in months instead of a week.
Tomorrow's long run will be telling and I'm planning on getting on track with my schedule this week. I'm also thinking of taking my BFF Jessica's advice. She's a previous personal trainer who's owned her own gym and has tons of experience in the health and wellness industry. She recommended switching off from doing 6 days of exercise every week to 5 days one week, 6 days the next. On the 5 day week, I may double up 3 days instead of 2. We'll see how that works. Now, I'm going to sleep and I hope you all have a good night's rest!
J
