Sleepless Night | Sleepy Run – Peak Phase 1 | Week 3 | Run 3

My Road to TOWaterfront 42K

I went to bed at 7:30 last night, fell asleep almost instantly, and then woke up at 10pm thinking I had logged a full night. Same thing happened again at midnight, then 2am, and so on. By sunrise, I’d “slept” nearly eight hours twice, but hadn’t really slept at all.

I didn’t get out the door early, but I was determined not to skip. I fueled with my usual white bread about an hour and a half before, then trusted Drum Buddy to keep me on rhythm. I still felt foggy and heavy-eyed, but sometimes it’s just about showing up.

There were HR anomalies at the start, likely strap-related, which explains the negative Pa:HR. The workout itself included higher-end aerobic speed work, pressing into Z4 and Z5 efforts.

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What the Numbers Say

• Duration: 33:52
  
• Distance: 5.21 km
  
• Avg Pace: 6:30/km (10:28/mi)
  
• NGP: 6:26/km
  
• Calories: 450 kcal
  
• Elevation Gain/Loss: 78 m / 94 m
  
• Avg HR: 158 bpm | Max HR: 172 bpm
  
• Pa:HR: –1.94% (early HR anomaly)
  
• rTSS / hrTSS: 53 / 46
  
• IF (pace): 0.87
  
• Cadence: 167 spm avg | Max 186 spm
  
• VAM / VAM W/kg: 128 m/h / 0.70
  

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Coach’s Corner

• Execution vs plan
  ✔️ Executed the prescribed Aerobic Speed workout with Z4–Z5 efforts despite poor sleep. Structure was intact, and intensity hit the mark.
  
• Performance quality
  Hard efforts were sharp: cadence spiked to 186 spm, and HR aligned with Z4/Z5 once the strap stabilized. Mechanics stayed clean even under fatigue.
  
• Advisability
  Advisable, though not without risk. Speed work on broken sleep can compromise recovery. You balanced discipline with control, making this a net win.
  
• Efficiency check
  Negative Pa:HR stems from the HR anomaly; efficiency was still in line with your training trend.
  
• Hilliness impact
  +78 m gain in 5 km added a natural load that made Z4/Z5 efforts more taxing but more effective.
  
• Takeaway
  You showed resilience – hitting speed work under sleep debt. The next step is to ensure recovery so the fitness benefits can take hold.
  

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Conclusion

Sleep may have been the villain, but cadence and grit carried the day. I got my Aerobic Speed work in, touched Z4 and Z5, and proved I can still execute when circumstances aren’t perfect. Another building block for race day.