Things I'm Liking Lately + Sleep Issues

With the Bourbon Chase coming up and running on my mind, I wanted to share two things that I use in my running/recovery.

A few months ago, I switched out my standard running shoe laces with these:

I don't remember whether I have that brand or another, but the packaging was basically the same.  Inserted in the shoe, they look like this:



Not my shoes

These things are BRILLIANT.  I slip on my shoes, tighten the lock, and I'm off to run in seconds.  They were really handy when I did my triathlons because I saved time by not having to sit down and tie my shoes during the bike to run transition.  The laces keep my shoes snug, and I don't have to worry about them untying.  I'm sure you can get the laces anywhere, but I got mine at a local running store, Ken Combs.  If you do go to Ken Combs to buy some, they're on the counter!

For the past couple of weeks I've been taking a warm bath post-run to soothe my legs and I put this in the bath:

This stuff is INCREDIBLE.  I use the salts with the Eucalyptus/Spearmint essential oils and it smells amazing - it makes my entire apartment smell good.  You can buy it online, or you can find it at Wal-Mart or Target too.  I have no idea to what extent it is helping me, but my legs feel better and overall I feel a lot more relaxed.  If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try a 15-20 minute soak with these salts right before bedtime and you will have a restful night's sleep.

Speaking of sleep, the quality I've had recently hasn't been that great.  1-2 times per week I wake up somewhere between 1-4 am and cannot fall back asleep for at least an hour.  The main culprit is being hungry!  Yesterday evening, I ran a mile at the gym, did about 20 minutes of weights, then ran another three miles outside.  I am not exactly sure how many calories I burned there, but I'm going to estimate around 500.  After my run, I ate two pieces of pizza (they were on the small side), a small salad, and then a scoop of frozen yogurt.  I also drank about 1.5 glasses of milk and water.  At 4 am, I woke up starving so I ate a small bowl of dry cereal and fell back asleep within 15 minutes. So:

A. Does anyone else have this problem, especially after workouts?
B. Does it look like I ate enough food?
C. How do you make sure that you get a good night's sleep?

Side note: before I went to bed I changed my sheets, and usually the first night's sleep on clean sheets is great!  Bizarre. Please help!