One of the most important weapons in the arsenal of any athlete, be they amateur or professional, is sleep. Regular, deep, quality sleep. In fact, sleep is one of the most important periods of the day for any person, be they athlete or not. It’s when our bodies recuperate, rebuild and repair the damage done, both physically and mentally, during our demanding waking hours.
Knowing first hand the strong sleep requirements that can be demanded by the body, I was particularly blown away by a story that appeared in this week’s New York Times by American marathoner Tera Moody. Miles to Go is a direct report on what it’s like to suffer insomnia – serious, medical, even-prescription-drugs-don’t-work insomnia – while also attempting to maintain a world-class training and competition schedule. As Ms. Moody herself states, it can be a challenge.
“Sleep deprivation makes my life a bit more difficult and puts obstacles between me and my goal of making the 2012 United States Olympic team in the marathon. But I sometimes think that there is a part of it that actually helps prepare my body for the demands of a long-distance race.”
I’m particularly struck by the fact that she feels in some way that her sleep deprivation may be helping her. And perhaps she’s right, for she goes on to state that her “marathon times continue to improve.” But perhaps those improvements are due more to her dedication and persistence, as she also says “I do know how much better I feel when I get adequate rest.”
If there’s one thing that a lack of sleep has taught her, it’s mental toughness, and in competition of any kind, it’s usually that rugged resolve to win, that ability and willingness to stand face-to-face with absolute destruction, that separates the winners and the losers. And running through the low points is something that Tera Moody seems to be able to do – nay, is required to do, and on a regular basis.
I’m impressed by her. Faced with such extraordinary obstacles, she presses on, and continues to improve. She doesn’t give up, in the midst of dealing with a state of depletion few of us will ever see. She makes our more ordinary challenges seem trivial, and she’s an inspiration.
“But sleep or no sleep, I hope to be running in London in 2012.”
I hope you are too, Tera. I hope you are too.
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The New York Times article which I reference is found here. I really do recommend reading it. It’s, um, eye-opening.
Here’s more info on Tera Moody, from Wikipedia.
And here’s a fantastic feature in Runner’s World : Tera Moody Can’t Sleep.
[...] One of the most important weapons in the arsenal of any athlete, be they amateur or professional, is sleep. Regular, deep, quality sleep. In fact, sleep is one of the most important periods of the day for any person, be they athlete or not. It’s when our bodies recuperate, rebuild and repa Continue reading on thebarefootexperiment.com… [...]
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