Tossing and Turning

Man! My legs were twitchy, and I couldn’t get comfortable all night.

I saw 2:30 and 3:30 and 4:30 on the clock during the night — and then killed the alarm when it went off at 6:30. So no workout for me this morning, which is really disappointing — and I’ve got that wonky sleep-deprived feeling. Dave, champion-level sleeper, crashed out and slept the sleep of the righteous.

This is the second time I’ve been up all night after a long run. The night of our 10-mile run, I fell asleep at, like, 10:00 then woke up at 1:30 a.m. I read for two hours, then watched three episodes of CSI:NY to finally fall asleep at around 6:00 a.m. Gross!

I’m trying to sort out what it could be, and I know it’s not overtraining ’cause I’ve been making a concerted effort to get enough rest. I also refueled great after the run — drank some Rehydrate and ate lean protein, fruit, veggies, and a tiny serving of whole grain pasta.

I’m starting to suspect the Power Gel. Those little bursts of rocket fuel that helped me get through the end of both long runs have caffeine in them. I steer clear of caffeine most of the time because I’m really sensitive to it and it wrecks havoc on my sleep if I have coffee regularly. I usually only indulge in coffee on Saturday mornings, along with my breakfast tacos (my other weekend splurge). I wonder if the three shots of caffeine-laced Gel I gobbled during my run are the culprit.

Anyone out there have any science to lay on me?