Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
I think it's the idea of a 2 or 3 hour nap after a 400k, then going out and cranking another 200k that I just can't wrap my brain around. Most of the time I get a full night's sleep after a 300k and take a 30mi recovery the next day, or even just my 15 mile ride into work in the morning, and it's a rough slog to get moving.
Maybe it's the difference between a full sleep vs. a short nap? Less time off the bike means you're more prepared to just hop back on and get going?
First, it is kind of like being in University ... you put in a full day of classes and commuting and your part-time job, and you stay up till 2 am doing your research papers etc. ... and then you're up again at 5 am to go back to the University again. If you can do that, you can cope with the 3 hour nap in the middle of a 600K or longer ride.
Second, there is some evidence that adults generally sleep in 90 minute cycles*. Therefore if you can sleep in one, two, or more 90 minute cycles and wake up at the end of the cycle, you will feel more refreshed than if you wake up in the middle of a cycle. You know how sometimes you wake up from a nap and feel really horrible and disoriented ... you've woken up in the middle of your sleep cycle, and that's the last thing you want to do on a randonnee. So, if you can plan for a break long enough so that you can eat, and get yourself together for the next leg of your journey, plus sleeping for 1.5 or 3 hours, you should do just fine.
Also, do not discount the 10-15 minute nap. With a 10-15 minute nap, you don't fall deep enough into sleep to wake up with that really horrible feeling ... instead you wake up feeling surprisingly refreshed.
Do some research on Sleep or REM cycles, it's quite interesting.
(*Disclaimer: Apparently some people do not fit with this 90 minute cycle, and some research indicates that the cycle may vary from 90 to 110 minutes, so you might have to experiment with your sleep cycles a bit.)