A time to reflect

I enjoy a day away from running — away from the everyday training and pounding away on the lower extremities — but rest days can be tough at times. Unlike most days when I have to talk myself into going for a run, I actually feel like running today. But I'm making myself take off because of the 8-mile trail race yesterday. Surprisingly, I don't even feel like I raced yesterday. That's definitely a good thing.

Besides the needed rest and recovery, a day off gives you time to reflect on your previous running and goals ahead. I tend to take at least one day off per week, and always try to take the day after a race off. During college, this was a problem that more often than not led to sub-par performances towards the end of the season.
Here's what a typical mid-season week looked like in while at Cumberland College...

Monday: AM 4 miles / PM 3 2-mile repeats or 5 1-mile repeats
Tuesday: AM 4 miles / PM 8 miles
Wednesday: AM 4 miles / PM 10-mile tempo
Thursday: AM 4 miles / PM 8 miles
Friday: AM 4 miles / PM 4 miles
Saturday: 8K Race
Sunday: 12 miles

Now, I'm no where near that kind of mileage. I'm lucky to get in six runs a week (as opposed to 12 in college) and 40 miles (as opposed to 80-85). After all, I'm married, have a baby girl and work odd hours as a sports editor: 45-55 hours per week. Sometimes I run in the morning, sometimes I leave work to get in a run, sometimes I run after work and sometimes I run just before going to bed late at night. It's a challenge at times, that's for sure, but it's one I enjoy. And I feel running helps me out in my non-running life as well — if anything, it's a stress reliever.

Well, just thought I would share my thoughts on rest days and a little about my college training. I'll be back on the roads tomorrow, where ever they may take me, and hopefully get fit enough to race well in the coming months.