Rest - It Does a Body Well.

I was recently reminded (again) of the importance of rest; how important it is to resist the desire to always be running more, running farther, running harder.  If we only thought about how to run smarter a bit more often.   That has been my focus of late; running more efficiently, and that means resting more.  Not just resting, but discovering when and how to rest.  Being more efficient also means eating better and better, not just while training, but during the time you take off.

This past weekend I competed in a half-marathon and I registered on a whim as one of my track mates had sparked the idea that I run with him.  I had only been back in training for a little more than a week, so I was a bit skeptical as to how I would perform.  To keep this short, I hit my target time of 1:18 (my PR) even though I felt it was a tad ambitious.  Even when I'm not "tip-top" I aim high.  Always.  It's the only way to get where you want to be.  I felt stronger than I could have possibly anticipated, and I made moves that I might have been afraid to make had I not believed in the power of rest and diet.

I am simply saying DO NOT be afraid of resting!  I used to fear it immensely, and for that I suffered in the past.  So many of us fear that we will lose the conditioning we've achieved.  I am glad to say that this is not the case.  Sure we'll need time to bounce back to our peak (which takes only a few weeks), but remember, during your off-time your muscles are harvesting all of that hard work you put in during seasons past.  And you always bounce back to a higher peak than the one before.  Know in your head and heart that you will be stronger, sharper, and more resilient not because you ran more, but because you knew when to stop running.  

Always searching for the next Key Experience,

J. Brewer