Rest

This morning I did something luxurious and rare.  I slept in and rested.  While I know rest is an important part of any training plan, it is something I find hard to do, especially in the summer months.  When the temperatures reach 100 with heat indexes that reach even higher, the early morning hours are really the only time to get in a good run and suffer the least.  And now that I have a job, Saturdays are the only days to get in more than 10 miles.

I usually make plans with a running friend or group for Saturday mornings, which ensures that I will be up and running at the coolest hour possible.  And as seen in the previous post, there have been few Saturdays in the last two months that have been open for sleeping in due to an event of some sort.  But today, I have plans to go to the lake with some of my best girls, and I made no plans for running with any other friends.  I had decided to get up and run 10 miles on my own, which would put me at 46 miles for the week.  I think my weekly mileage needs to be rising higher than that, but 46 would have been a good starting point. 

I had also tossed around the idea of not running at all.  This week I found myself dragging all day twice, and I hate that feeling.  On top of a new job, I have begun adding afternoon activities onto my morning run, and I think my body is trying to get used to that.  Still, I hate trying to work and stay focused while feeling sluggish and sleepy.

Here is my week at a glance:

Sunday - I ran 3 miles before church.  I was tired from the previous day's 40 mile bike ride and it was a HOT morning.

Monday - I ran 9 miles on hard hills with the girls and then swam for an hour after work.

Tuesday - I ran 10 miles with a mean hill in the middle and then coached my No Boundaries team that evening.  This involved walking and jogging 2 miles in 100 degree heat (my team is so amazing, by the way).

Wednesday - I canceled my 8 mile run over Cecil Ashburn (a giant hill, also known as Cecil Assburn) with Kristi because I was so tired, and ran 5 miles around my neighborhood instead.  That afternoon I swam for 40 minutes at the gym before heading to church to teach my five-year-old class for the last time this semester.  This was one of my dragging days.

Thursday - I ran a slow 6 miles with Julia and then rode 21 miles on the arsenal with (or way behind, I should say) Jason and the cycling group.

Friday - I ran 1.5 miles to the park where Julie and I offer an alternate run to our No Boundaries Team, walked and jogged a mile with them, and then ran the 1.5 miles back home.  After work, I swam for 40 minutes in the pool gym.  This was the second day of total tiredness at work. 

This morning Jason got up at some early hour and ran.  I slept.  Then he came home, changed into his cycling gear, kissed me good-bye and left for a ride in New Hope. I slept.  At 8:30 I got up feeling so very rested and so very guilty for having done it.  Jason told me the evening before that it takes a little while for the body to get used to doing two things each day, and that I should give it a week or two.  

But I am impatient.  I absolutely love everything that I am doing.  I love how strong and alive it makes me feel.  I love training for new events.  I love pushing myself a little harder to see how much I can do.  I love improving.  I even like how it makes me look.  And while I hate that I have missed a perfectly good opportunity for a 10+ mile run, I know how good I am going to feel tomorrow and Monday. 

So I have rested.  I cannot say that I won't sneak in some miles during or after my time at the lake with the girls, but at the very least, having the idea in my mind helps just a little.  And I have already sent out e-mails to friends about a morning run tomorrow.