Boarding the Night Train

I’ve fallen off the morning training wagon the last week or so and I’ve been struggling with whether training at night instead is a good idea.

After the kids go to bed, so like 8 p.m.

I’ve always been advised that training within two hours of bedtime can be counter-productive. It disrupts your sleep and therefore your recovery patterns.

But is that really the case if you’re already sleep-deprived? What if you have no pattern!?

I notice a Good Wolf athlete, an emergency room physician who often works evenings, trains at all hours. Basically, whenever he can get the time on his calendar. We try to schedule the flow of his workouts to fit his work activity level. But I’m impressed nonetheless with his dedication and commitment no matter the time.

I’m facing “paralysis by analysis” a bit on this topic. Should I do “whatever it takes” or emphasize sleep at all costs since deep stretches are so hard to come by?

The research indicates sleep, but my guilt level indicates training.

Isn’t that always the case for a triathlete?

For the moment, I’ll be catching the night train only in my dreams. But I’m leaning towards trying some evening workouts just to see how I respond.