Sleep Seems to be Ruling My Life
I’m shocked at the amount of sleep I’ve needed since surgery. My goal for the past few years has been 7 hours per night, according to my Fitbit (Fitbit subtracts out restless sleep and any time I wake up during the night). Since surgery I’ve needed 8-9 nightly hours or else I fall apart during the day, and even with a good night’s sleep, I still need an afternoon nap of around 90 minutes.
In additional to the extra sleep, my recovery continues to go well. I’m very gradually adding more weight in the gym and longer distances in the my cardio activities. Practicing what I preach, I’m listening to my body and letting it guide me while I slowly rebuild back to where I was prior to my surgery.
Overview of the Week
Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Cycling: 10 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.1 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 11:53 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 63° in basement, 32° (feels like 25°) and sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Nap time: 15 minutes
It felt good to be back on my spin bike again after my surgery and hospital stay, but ten miles tired me out plenty so I listened to my body and called it quits, then took a short nap.
Monday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 2.1 miles
• Average pace: 16:33 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 66 feet
• Start time: 3:31 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 48° (feels like 46°), sunny, and breezy
• What I wore: capris, l/s shirt, down vest, and mittens over gloves
Nap time: 1 hour 37 minutes
The first day of setting an alarm since February 11th, I woke up at 5:15 AM, 15 minutes before my alarm. My own strength training session and 5 clients later, I collapsed on the sofa for a nice long nap.
Tuesday
Cycling: 10 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.5 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:32 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 65° in basement, 42° (feels like 40°) and partly cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Walking: 2.11 miles
• Average pace: 17:59 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 92 feet
• Start time: 3:39 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 63°, mostly sunny, and windy
• What I wore: capris, l/s shirt, down vest, and gloves (took gloves off last mile)
Nap time: 1 hour 27 minutes
Ten easy miles on my spin bike seemed like a good distance on Sunday, so I kept it at that as I eased back into my workouts. By the time I got off the bike, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from the previous day’s squats had set in and had me walking in a funny sort of way. Later in the afternoon, after a nap, I walked once I heard the questionable weather forecast for the following day.
Midday, I had a 3-hour CPR, AED, and first aid recertification class to attend. I’ve been recerting with the same instructor for at least 12 years, but have been CPR/first aid certified since college. It’s always nice to get a refresher and I hope to never need to implement what I’ve learned over the years.
Wednesday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Nap time: 1 hour 31 minutes
Thursday
Cycling: 12 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.5 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 9:23 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 64° in basement, 43° (feels like 35°), partly cloudy, and windy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
I begged off from virtually riding with Kim at 5:30 AM so I could sleep in since I’d been so tired, and sleep in I did! Fitbit says I slept from 8:58 PM to 7:49 AM and credited me with 9 hours 44 minutes of sleep.
Friday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Balance and stretching: 45 minutes
Nap time: 1 hour 33 minutes
Saturday
Cycling: 15 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.4 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 7:05 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 65° in basement, 46° and partly cloudy
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Walking: 2.06 miles
• Average pace: 16:22 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 92 feet
• Start time: 8:40 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 47° (feels like 43°), partly cloudy, and breezy
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, puffer jacket, knit hat, and mittens over gloves
Nap time: 45 minutes
After begging off on Thursday morning to sleep in, I joined Kim for a virtual spin on our bikes, followed by backyard selfies. You can bet we’re both looking forward to greener grass and leafed out trees as spring approaches. After my spin, I headed out into the breezy sunshine for a walk and some fresh air.
Collage credit: Kim
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog these past weeks, here’s what you missed…
- • Sunday – Weekly RunDown: February 9 – 15, February 16 – 22, and February 23 – March 1 / An Unplanned Threefer
- • Tuesday – Exploring Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Questions:
- • How much sleep do you need on average? ~ Seven hours used to do it, but now I’m needing much more.
- • Do you need to stay up to date with CPR/first aid in your line of work? ~ yes
- • Do you prefer daylight saving time or standard time? ~ DST
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
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Ah, sleep is so important. I’m trying to shift my mindset from seeing sleeping in as indulgent to it being good for me! Today was a good day to turn off my alarm and stay in bed until the sun woke me at 7. 😉
I’m sure it feels good to be getting back to your previous routine.
I’ve been trying to remind myself of that for years, but it’s hard to change that mindset.
I like how you include “nap time” in your rundown! It just goes to show how important sleep is for recovery- your body obviously needs much more if it right now.
Nice job easing back into your workouts!
To answer your question- the last time I updated my CPR certification was when my daughter was in preschool (it was a co-op and all the parents had to be certified.) I don’t have to be current with my line of work, although it really would be a good idea. I wonder if I could take it as a CEU this year?
Thanks, Jenny!
CPR and first aid as CEU’s would be great if your certification company allows it. I’m taking a running medicine class virtually this Friday for CEU’s.
I’m not much affected by the time change (I still woke up at my usual “clock” time (even though it was an hour earlier, LOL). I do appreciate the longer daylight hours in the evening, and I know the morning daylight will return in just a couple weeks. I’m up so early, I’m usually in the dark until late spring/early summer anyways…
Same, I don’t really notice the dark mornings since I get up so early. I much prefer to wake up before the sun comes up anyway – I like welcoming the sun up each morning. 🙂
I am due for a recertification for my CPR as well. Thanks for the reminder. It is totally normal to need more sleep after a surgery and major illness. What do you have to lose?
What do I have to lose? Self esteem. 😉 Growing up on a farm it was always get up early and work, work, work. Lazy people sleep in and nap. It’s a mind shift I’ve been working on for a while now as I realize the importance of good sleep.
Ugh i need more sleep, that’s all I know! I try to get in bed between 9 and 10 bc I get up at 4, but with kid activities it often doesn’t happen. I was up at 415 today to go for a run before we had my son’s futsal games, but with the clocks changing it was 315 and I’m tired! I can’t wait for the mornings to get light again.
I remember those days of super early marathon training runs so I’d have time to get the kids to their sports practices/games. Hang in there, it will get easier.
I try to get 8 hours of sleep but 7 also works for me too. I’m glad to hear you are getting good rest. It’s so important with your recovery as you know! Good to see you riding your bike again too. You will be ready for spring riding outside soon enough!
Thanks, Lisa!
I’m so happy to hear you’re getting more sleep—your body definitely knows what it needs!
My Garmin (FR 265) is surprisingly accurate with sleep tracking, and I love all the stats it gives me. I get a sleep score (0-100), average heart rate, Body Battery recharge, sleep duration vs. sleep need, and even sleep consistency.
Last week wasn’t my best—only 7 hours and 3 minutes when I should have hit 8 hours and 17 minutes. Clearly, my watch has higher expectations for me than I do!
Thanks, Catrina! I agree, our watches do seem to have very high expectations of us. LOL
Glad to see you’re back in the saddle. Literally.
I do try to get 8 hours but often my sleep is so interrupted.
I do wish I could sleep soundly.
Since I work 8-4, napping is not an option.
I will be enjoying the extra hour of daylight in the PM but mornings are harder.
Thanks, Darlene!
Every time I’ve recovered from surgery, I feel like I slept forever. Your body just needs that time to heal. It will get easier. You still accomplished so much.
I haven’t had to do CPR in years.
Both time frames have their benefits. I like winter because the brighter mornings mean that I don’t have to get up super early to run. In summer, I like the lighter nights, but I hate running in the pitch black and sometimes getting home before sunrise.
I’ll certainly learning just how much extra rest the body needs.