Mental Strength?

"I constantly remind myself that resting takes confidence.  Anyone can train like a mad man, but to embrace rest and to allow all the hard training to come out takes mental strength." - Ryan Hall

Well, this week, I must be really mentally strong!  Monday morning I ran 2 miles, and I could have been running in a sea of mud - just slogging along.  I hadn't slept enough, so I was tired and "hungry" all day and ate too much.

Tuesday I cross-trained - Pilates and aerobics.  I did some laundry.  Nothing spectacular.

Wednesday, I should have run again, but I made the executive decision to switch to the other alarm and stayed in bed another hour and a half - HEAVEN!  I didn't go for a walk at lunchtime.  I had a headache.  Meh.  When I got home, I went straight upstairs to bed.  I didn't go to sleep right away, but I sat and read a magazine.  No laundry.  No housework of any kind.  I just vegged out for a couple of hours then went to sleep.  Such decadence!!!

Yesterday, I got up early and ran three miles.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  It was easy.  It flowed.  I kept thinking, "I'm going too fast.  I have to slow down."  When I got home and checked my splits, I was right.  The second mile was a minute and five seconds faster than the first mile.  The third mile was thirty-two seconds faster than the second mile.

And yes, I was faster than my target training pace for the week.

Oops.

But for the first time in a month, running was effortless.  I'd been feeling as if I were running uphill in all directions, but yesterday, going uphill was easy, and there was the sweet tug of gravity on the downhill side.

This morning I cross-trained, didn't walk at noon, and vegged out again after getting home.  Oh, the mental strength I exhibited!

The plan for the morning is six to eight miles.

We'll see how that works out tomorrow.