My alarm clock went off at 5.30 this morning.  I stirred from my sleep, hit the snooze button and went back to sleep …. and that’s OK.

The alarm went off again a few minutes later.  This time I turned the alarm off, rolled over and went back to sleep …. and that’s OK too.

I had set the alarm, so I could get my workout done before heading off to work.  It’s something I do almost every day.  Today’s early workout was an easy one; a 35 minute recovery run.  I also had a really hard bike session scheduled today that I planned to do after work, so getting the run out of the way early was important … and yet I went back to sleep.

The decision to go back to sleep was actually an easy decision and the right one.  After yesterday’s ‘struggle bus’ workout, my body needed sleep more than anything else.  My body told me it needed more sleep as soon as the alarm went off and I now know, that listening to my body is critical. 

It wasn’t always that way. I used to be a ‘hero’ and fight what my body was telling me.  Yeah.. I can get through this next workout and then I’d be still winning.  I won alright and the prize was usually even more fatigue or worse, an injury.   I heard people’s advice to ‘listen to your body’, all the time and I ignored it.  Please don’t follow my lead …. listen to your body !!! 

This morning I did listen and it paid huge dividends.  I slept for an additional two hours.  Two hours of really solid sleep, which is unusual for me, as I typically don’t sleep well once woken.  I was running late for work but had a solid breakfast and felt good.  In fact I felt so good, that I was able to get that 35 minute run done at lunch time, on the treadmill at LA Fitness by work.  I also had a really solid bike session this evening.  An extra two hours of sleep was the key.

Tomorrow, I have only one workout scheduled, so the alarm clock is set for much later. I’m basically hitting the snooze button, before going to bed …. and that’s OK.