Happiness Is Napping

I have a new appreciation for naps. These past few weeks, it has been getting progressively harder to get enough rest. My body seems more tired than usual, and I think it's just one of the effects of training. Our coaches told us to expect to need more rest than usual, but this is just getting ridiculous! I am not sleepy, but my body is not rested. My energy has gone down during the day; I feel so mellow, and all I can think about are naps. I've become somewhat obsessed with them, actually. I skipped lunch the other day to nap in one of the plush chairs at work. I slept for my whole lunch hour, which wouldn't seem too absurd, except for the fact that I slept so deeply I was dreaming! In the middle of the day! I have promised myself that I will go to bed earlier, but I've been thwarted by the motives of JK Rowling and her last Harry Potter installation.... Hence, these days, I've been taking more time to catch some extra shut-eye in the afternoons or mid-mornings.

I think the exhaustion is due to the rise in our training intensity. Last week, the training picked up during our track workouts: we did 800 x 400 repeat intervals, pacing ourselves so we ran consistently during each set. In layman's terms, we ran two laps (800) comfortably, then rested for a minute, then ran 1 lap (400) a little harder, making sure the time was the same if not less than the first lap we ran in the 800. Then we rested for another minute and started all over again! We did this three times, and I was proud to find out that I have near-perfect pacing - I completed each lap to the precise second of each preceding. (It felt surreal, but I wasn't surprised. The body has muscle memory that it taps into, and I'm sure that's what happened: my legs and arms just remembered how to move in the exact rhythm for a specific pace.)

However, then we had a 2-mile time trial to complete after these intervals. Granted, the intervals weren't hard, but it was the first time we had used them our track workouts. So, we started the time trial, and let me tell you: running around a track will mess with your mind. Great for the knees and other joints, but so boring. I got to my fourth lap and thought "Oh man, this is rough...and that grass looks so inviting...I could really use a nap..." It's not so much the running, but the mental struggle to keep going in circles!!
I suppose it's a great lesson in overcoming the negative thoughts that will attack me in the marathon (around mile 18, from what I hear) but I have a long way to go in combating my own thoughts.... I suppose the feeling of futility affected my end time, which turned out to be much slower than the intervals I seemed to complete so easily only 1/2 hour earlier. But, I guess that's why it's called "training"!

I recently learned that my schedule is going to get much more hectic. I was cast in a production of Chekhov's The Three Sisters, and the show goes up in September. This allows me about a month to prep, and rehearsals are every night from 7-10! In addition to my marathon training and this show, I've also been trying to keep up with my rock climbing...but those fall mats are pretty comfortable, and I often find myself dozing off without realizing...

On the bright side, I've been much more productive at work, so perhaps the napping is paying off. It definitely gives me a mental break and recharges me during the afternoons. Now, if I could just find a way to nap while running...