Off Day

I am taking today off from running, at least that is the thought as of right now. My wife has already suggested that I run with her later tonight and I may be up for a few miles to loosen my brain; however, I already bailed on running up in the mountains despite this being a beautiful day. I am simply put: TIRED.

I finished off last week with three pretty solid runs in a row: 15, 19, and 24. The easiest of these three runs in terms of milage was probably the best in terms of solid vertical and helped leave me fairly worn out by the time I headed out for my Saturday long run. The kind of running I was doing last week has left me once again pondering the role of terrain in training. I am always curious as to whether or not it's better to run on trails that let you "run" the entire time or if things like scrambles, periods of post-holing, glissading, sliding on your butt, and general mayhem aren't more productive. In terms of race productivity, it probably makes sense to mirror the courses you are planning to race. But in terms of sheer joy, and in terms of becoming mentally stronger, I tend to think that mayhem is a good thing no matter the "race plan".

Last week isn't really what's at issue right now. I am trying to figure out why I can't simply take today off and feel good about my decision. I know that part of my issue is related to a busy week coming up, but shouldn't I be able to take a day's rest without feeling guilt/apprehension regarding the rest. Yesterday was my easy run day, but I skied in the morning and felt pretty winded by the end of the evening's jog. Maybe it's simply the fact that the sun is shining. Why in the world, would I take a day off when spring is practically howling outside? I am almost certain to regret this decision later in the week, when winter decides to hustle back in to the picture for a laugh.

Yeah, I better head out the door at some point . . .