Recover Like A Badass

Sleeping Your Way to a Better Run

Need a goal? I got a goal for you. Get better at running! And how are you going to achieve that? You’re going to recover like a badass. That’s right! What? You thought I was going to lead with more running? Did you think I was going to say something like run more meters or miles or minutes? Or tell you to run faster? Or run harder? Why? Don’t you know that great running is dependent on great recovery? 

Well now you do! So, let’s start the New Year with a new goal and a new way of looking at how we can get better at running. And maybe the best part about this running goal is that you can achieve it while you’re not running!  You know what else is great? We’re going to start getting better by getter better at just one thing I know you are already doing.  

Yes! Eureka! We have found a way to get better at running that doesn’t involve adding something new or running more or running faster or harder! Okay… deep breaths. Let’s lower that heart rate. The excitement here is real. The energy is palpable. Yeah, I wrote palpable. Look it up. I don’t have time to define words right now. We’ve got a goal to crush! 

Sleeping Your Way To A Better Run

Where to begin? Let’s start at Z. Actually, start at ZZZ’s… get it? I’m talking about sleep! (It was a good joke and you know it.) Anyway, I could sit here and type a whole lot about how many hours you should sleep every night as a fully functioning human being but I’m not going to do that. Why? Because I have no idea how many hours you actually get to sleep. Some of us are in school. Some of us have jobs that end late or start early or both. Some of us need to cook dinner for others or check in on loved ones or read to little ones so they can get the sleep they need. Some of us share a bedroom with a night owl or a dorm room with an early riser. 

So, I’m not going to tell you that you need more sleep because the odds are that you probably do and the better odds are that you already know that.

Can’t Sleep More? Sleep Better!

What I will tell you is this… instead of worrying about not getting enough sleep let’s just start by working on getting better sleep. And if you can swing some more sleep… great! But if right now you can’t get more sleep… at least the little sleep you get will be better. And that is going to make a BIG difference. 

We recover best when we are sleeping our best. Read that again. It’s a loaded sentence. I love when I do that. Write a seemingly simple sentence that actually packs a pretty powerful punch.

The problem is that sometimes the sentence is so simple people simply miss the message. You know what I mean? It’s a struggle. I wonder… do I write more complicated sentences so people need to take more time to parse the meaning and therefore get the meaning or do I just keep it simple and run the risk the message get overlooked? As a coach I like to keep things simple. Besides, I never say something important only once. It will sink in at some point. So, the sentence remains as is - we recover best when we are sleeping our best. And if you are wondering if this little sidebar counted as a ramble… it does. 

So, how do we sleep better? Well, I’ll give you a few tips. 

More Snooze. Less Booze.

Don’t drink any alcohol within 6 hours of going to bed if you want to have a great sleep. Booze is spelled with one z and not three for a reason. (Made that one up on the spot.) Think about it. We don’t sleep deep when we’re drunk or buzzed and deep sleep is the best sleep. So lay off the sauce as you get closer to laying down. You’ll sleep better because you’ll sleep deeper and that means you’ll recover better.

And if you don’t drink alcohol just insert caffeinated drinks into this little tip. Because caffeine messes with your ability to sleep too. I know… I’m stating the obvious. Funny how so many of us still have a coffee late afternoon or a soda with caffeine with dinner, isn’t it? Maybe… just maybe… if we don’t drink any caffeine late in the afternoon… we’ll sleep better… and then we won’t need the late afternoon caffeine tomorrow. Let’s keep pulling this thread.

Could the late afternoon caffeine be one of the reasons why we don’t sleep well and then need a late afternoon caffeine fix? So, if we take out the caffeine today… we get a better sleep tonight… and therefore we don’t need that extra caffeine tomorrow! Mind officially blown! Okay, cool it Coach. You’re overheating! Stay cool. 

That reminds me!

Chill Out!

Another tip for a better sleep is to lower the temperature in your bedroom. I know that this is not always possible… thanks global warming. But if you are lucky enough to have the ability to regulate the temperature in your bedroom… keep it cool. We sleep better in cooler temperatures. And when I say cooler I really mean cooler. Most sleeping nerds agree that 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal room temperature to sleep in. That’s like 16-18 degrees Celsius. This has to do with our core body temp dropping as we get closer to bedtime and then dropping to its lowest temp as we start to really sleep.

If you want to nerd out on this yourself you can go down all sorts of rabbit holes about what’s happening from a biology perspective when we sleep. It’s pretty interesting. You can also just drop the thermostat and get a better sleep and take my word for it. 

Darkness Reigns

I got another obvious one for you… sleep in the dark. And when I say dark I mean deep dark. I’m talking total darkness. And here’s some running math for you to remember: deep dark = deep sleep. Easy formula to remember, right? Has something to do with millions of years of progress as a species. We just naturally sleep better when it’s dark outside. And the darker it is the better our body will most likely sleep. 

So close the blinds. Pull the curtains shut. Turn off the lights. Put on that night mask. And be enveloped in the kind of darkness that Bane told Batman he was raised in. You’ve seen Dark Knight Rises, right? Please tell me you’ve seen Dark Knight Rises! Ugh. Well, start by watching Batman Begins and then watch The Dark Knight and then watch Dark Knight Rises and then come back and read the rest of this. I’ll wait.

You’re back! I’ve got to say that I don’t believe you went out and watched all three of those movies. No way you were gone long enough. Whatever. I can only coach. You are the one that decides to be or not to be coached. Pretty sure that’s Shakespeare. Back to sleep. Okay, we’ve covered no boozing close to snoozing and a deep dark = a deep sleep. So, let’s talk about your pre-sleep routine.

Pre-Race Pre-Sleep Routine

Yes, it will lead to better sleep if you have a routine before bed. Just like taking a little time to prepare for a run will lead to better runs taking the time to prepare for sleep will lead to better sleep.

What does a great routine look like? Well, how about getting dressed for bed. Seriously. You don’t need a sleeping cap and 1950’s sitcom pajamas (but if you have those things I’m jealous). What I mean is maybe designate an extra comfy pair of sweatpants and an old school Bennett Running Camp t-shirt as your sleeping uniform. The simple act of consistently getting this outfit on right before bedtime will eventually trigger your mind to go to the sleep zone. 

We are creatures of habit. Its just like how putting on your running trainers triggers a mindful and mental shift. And putting on racing flats or spikes triggers a very different mental and mindful shift. But you already knew that. Isn’t it strange how we sometimes fail to make connections that we (deep down) already know are there? 

Now, after you’ve put on your sleepy-time uniform I want you to get into bed and open up a book… a real book. No screens. Stop whining. It’s unbecoming. Now curl up with that book… a book about something you are interested in… and read. Five pages. Five minutes. Fifty pages. Whatever. Reading is a great habit to form and it’s also a great way to decompress from the day and relax and get better prepared to fall asleep. And if you need some recommendations on great books… I can help. 

What else? Nothing else! At least for now… because this is enough… for now. Simply getting a better sleep will help you recover better. And that’s not all! You’ll be more focused. You’ll have more energy. You’ll boost your immune system. You’ll have less stress. You’ll think more clearly. And yes, you’ll be a better runner.

In fact, just by reading this you’re already a better runner. Because smarter runners are better runners and you are now a little… bit… smarter. Pretty cool, right? Sleep deep on that knowledge tonight. And you’ll be recovering like a badass.