Sleep

Daily Quote: "Due to commitments that extended beyond running, and the travel factor, I slept little during the Endurance 50 -- no more than five hours a night, typically. This was not ideal. Research has shown that adequate sleep is needed to repair and refuel muscles between runs. The effects of sleep deprivation are cumulative, so that even a modest amount of sleep deprivation each night can add up to big problems over time. As few as thirty hours of cumulative sleep deprivation have been shown to reduce the cardiovascular performance of runners by more than 10 percent. If you need eight hours of sleep a night and get only seven, your running may be compromised within a month. If you want to run well, do as I say, not as I did during the Endurance 50, and get the sleep you need!" --Dean Karnazes, from his excellent book, "50/50 Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!"

I find I need seven hours of sound sleep to perform well, anything less and I'm a Zombie. Eight hours is the maximum sleep for me as I feel sluggish sleeping longer. When I do a long and/or strenuous runs a 30 minute nap does wonders for my recuperation. When my mileage starts climbing over 80 miles per week I do have problems squeezing in the seven hours of sleep, but I do take more naps and hopefully recover by the next day. Fortunately this is my Recovery Week and I have ample time to sleep!!

Normally Wednesdays are my speed workouts, but due to this being Recovery Week a General Aerobic Run will do nicely.

9:45 a.m. General Aerobic Run. 8 miles. Time, 1:14. Overall pace: 9:22 minute miles. Out and back to Lanning Road that partially traverses the "Las Vegas Marathon" route. Partly Cloudy, 83-85 degrees with no winds. Average heart rate: 144 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 150 bpm. Nice easy run and felt rejuvenated afterwards, just what my training schedule ordered. Spent the rest of the morning catching up on my fellow bloggers. I'm now subscribed to 47 blogs and thankfully not everyone posts everyday or I wouldn't have time to run. I find all the blogs inspirational and motivates me to get out that door.