Back in June, I posted about running the virtual Boston Marathon. I picked the simplest training program after taking eight months off from running—hoping this would give me room to ease back into the sport while accommodating my very busy creative life.

I’ve been very deep in my day job as a content writer. Delving into the technical and creative components of this process while working with a team takes an extraordinary amount of brain power! My brain would still spin in high gear at bedtime, processing new knowledge. And then I skimp out on sleep, clocking in four hours a night.

Right now training is past the halfway point. The last long run was 16 miles, which is about two-thirds of the way through the training cycle before doing the actual marathon.

A day in the life of a working marathoner

For this training cycle, while these life changes have been rewarding, my days have been long. First, I’d wake up early in the morning to work out for strength training. Then I’d bus the hour-and-a-half commute. I’d read on the bus. I’d seize the day at work, always learning something new each day. When the work day is over, I’d take the hour-and-a-half commute back (and read more). I would get home, eat a light dinner, and do my running workout. I exercise every day, often twice a day. After running, I’d do my chores and prepare for the next day. If I have time, I might do creative exercises, like doodling or writing in my journal. Then I do it all over again the next day.

Hitting the wall with less sleep

It was manageable when marathon training first started. Around the halfway point of training, little things slipped. I started dropping and forgetting things. I became even more introverted and reclusive, saving energy for my day job. My anxiety spiked, which made it harder to retain information. Shorter runs took a monumental effort to get through. Summer meant embarking on weekend trips with my partner. I would fit in the long runs one way or another—and then I’d be half-present from exhaustion.

“You’re not sleeping enough,” my partner said.

Then somewhere on Instagram, one of my friends made a post that said, “You’re not overtraining. You’re under-recovering.”

Getting strong means getting enough rest

Relief washed over me. That’s exactly what it was. It wasn’t that I was working too hard, especially when I’ve picked a simple training program to accommodate my busy schedule. It wasn’t because I was being lazy either. It was because I wasn’t getting enough rest.

“You’re not overtraining. You’re under-recovering.”

Rest is important for recovery. When you train for a marathon, your muscles get micro-tears. That’s a good thing because during rest, those tears heal and you get stronger. But if you keep pushing without giving your body a chance to recover, then you’re running on a deficit that will eventually catch up to you. You may experience mental burnout—or even worse, you may get injured.

Sleeping four hours a night was not going to work. Don’t get me wrong—this is truly the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life! However, the training cycle and overall performance could be even better by getting more rest.

I took an inventory of my lifestyle to see what could help me get more rest. Some of them are well-known, and yet reminders are helpful. Others were new to me, and they work! Maybe they can help you too. Just try it and see how you like it!

Ways to get better rest in a busy life

1. Taking a break from caffeine

This one is the most obvious and it goes without saying. But caffeine is so woven into the fabric of our lives—especially in Seattle—that it’s a hard one to give up. At a different point in my life, I was a rabid caffeine addict, chugging nearly a pot of black coffee every day. When you’ve had a caffeine fix since age 11 like I did, it’s hard to part with. Ever since I’ve entered my mid-thirties, my body has slowed down. I’m more sensitive to it. So I mostly drink it when I need an extra boost. Tea is a much milder alternative. Many days, I can even go without caffeine. Because I’m not as dependent on it, I can sleep better.

2. Putting away screens at least an hour before bedtime

The blue light from screens can keep you up, even when it dims to an orange tinge in night mode. The mindless scrolling on the social media feeds doesn’t help either. When I get lost in the perpetual updates, it creates a kind of emptiness that only gets bigger the longer you scroll. I took Facebook off my phone, and it has greatly freed up my headspace. So, I replace it with something better.

3. Reading fiction

Now that I’ve put my phone away for the night, I’ve been reading an engaging fictional story. I used to read only non-fiction because I thought that things were only worthwhile if they’re constructive and you could get something from it. It turns out that reading non-fiction is best left in the daytime, when the brain is more receptive to new information. When I read fiction at night, my eyes focus on each line of words while freely imagining the story. This focus on the story grounds me, as my mind winds down to sleep. It acts as a relief from mental tension.

4. Minimizing carbs at dinner

(Disclaimer: Reducing carb intake at night for better rest is what works for me personally. Before changing your diet, ask your doctor if this is right for you.) As a runner, most of my diet comes from carbohydrates, which has been a long-standing source of energy. For the last meal of the day, I need less energy since the day is ending and I won’t be using it. In fact, too many carbs can also keep me up! And if I do sleep, chances are that I wake up in the middle of the night and stay up for a couple hours. That interruption in sleep makes me tired in the day, so I avoid late night carbs. I generally eat a smaller meal of veggies and vegan protein for dinner—so that my body can use its energy for recovering instead of digesting.

5. Free-writing/drawing

I’ve been free writing more than drawing these days. The stroke of my pen across paper grounds me. Writing reflections out on paper can be cathartic, but only when you relax enough about what you want to write. Just let it go and see what happens.

6. Meditation

Focusing on my breath centers my consciousness back into my body, so I feel grounded enough to fall into slumber. About 10 or 15 minutes will do. It slows my mind down and keeps it contained enough for sleep.

Closer to the finish with more rest

Doing all of these lifestyle habits has improved my sleep for the most part. I still avoid alcohol. I quit processed sugar earlier this year for the most part to better align my mentality.

Marathon training is peaking in a few weeks. Now that I’m more than halfway finished, I feel pretty good about finishing this virtual Boston marathon. These lifestyle habits for optimized rest will help me get through this amid a very busy life. Training for a marathon on full bandwidth isn’t easy, but with good habits for rest, it can be done.