Phoenix (PT) to Toronto (ET) · 4.5-hour overnight flight · Race week
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THE NIGHT BEFORE
The flight was originally scheduled for 11:45 pm, but it got pushed to 2:10 am. That gave us a long wait at the airport, and I used it. I grabbed 1.5 to 2 hours of sleep in the terminal. Fragmented? Absolutely. But it was better than nothing, and I treated it as my first sleep block of the night.
THE FLIGHT
The flight was about 4.5 hours. I brought a neck pillow (which, honestly, was terrible) and did my best to sleep through it. Again, extremely fragmented. But the intent was there: keep the body primed for sleep and limit light exposure.
ARRIVING HOME (NOON)
We landed around 9 to 10 am and made it home by noon. My first moves were intentional, not reactive: shower, laundry straight into the wash, and a solid meal. I wasn’t chasing comfort. I was anchoring myself to the new time zone as quickly as possible.
Then immediately outside. Sunlight and movement. This is non-negotiable. Natural light is the most powerful signal you can send your circadian clock, and blood flow helps clear the fog.
THE KEY LEVER: STRATEGIC NAPPING
Around 3:30 to 4:00 pm, I knew I couldn’t make it to my normal 9 to 10 pm bedtime. The nap was necessary, but it had to be controlled. I set an alarm for 20 minutes and held the line.
THE 20-MINUTE NAP
When the alarm went off, I felt like a zombie. Every instinct told me to go back under. I didn’t. Giving in would have meant blowing up my ability to sleep at a normal hour, and the whole point was to resync as fast as possible, not to catch up on sleep at the expense of the rhythm.
I put on flip-flops, walked to get the mail, and just moved up and down the street. Sunlight, again. Simple, cheap, effective. Then I got into some mobility work. Nothing intense, just pliability to get the body feeling human.
EVENING & BED (9:15 PM)
Good dinner, intentional evening with the family, kids to bed early. I was in bed by 9:15 pm and asleep by 9:30 with no alarm set. I woke up naturally at 6:23 am with 9 hours of sleep logged and my body battery close to 100. Done.
THE DAY AFTER
Morning: Normal routine, coffee, focused work, regular breakfast.
Outside early: Sunshine walk with the kids, easy and intentional.
Training: Easy 24-min recovery run, blood flow only. Race is next Saturday.
THE SHORT VERSION
1. Bank whatever sleep you can on the way. Fragmented still counts.
2. Hit the new time zone hard on arrival: sunlight, food, movement.
3. Nap strategically. 20 minutes max, then get back up no matter what.
4. Protect your normal bedtime like it’s sacred. It’s the reset button.
5. Next day: easy movement and sunlight, not maximal training.
-Luke Amaral
MVMT Strength