Yesterday was my usual post long run rest day, and I enjoyed it. A rest day doesn't mean I nap all day, it just means it's a day when I don't run or do any other exercise so my muscles can rest. I usually plan to have a rest day just before and just after a long run, but sometimes rest days get juggled around based on what happens in life. A few weeks ago I was sick one day, so I swapped out a run day for a rest day. Still got all 5 workouts done for the week, they just weren't in the order I had planned.

Today was my usual Tuesday morning 4 mile run. I ran a hilly route, but opposite the direction I usually take, which is actually more challenging because the uphills are a little tougher. I wanted to practice my uphill form, and am really finding my uphill pace is picking up as I work on leaning the right direction and working different muscles to get me up that hill. For me, practicing better form seems to be helping me run more effeciently which leads to a quicker pace without getting fatigued. I know that many novice runners try to run too fast too soon, and train at too fast of a pace because it feels so good to go faster. But that can lead to overtraining, which just causes the runner to feel tired and fatigued. That leads to missing runs due to a lack of energy or even worse an injury. So I'm still trying to be careful of how fast I train. I'm in no danger of breaking a land speed record, but I still need to keep my pace at the right speed for my level of running ability.

Lately I've had a couple people ask me to run with them, and I have't accepted the offer. While I usually enjoy being social, running is something I prefer to do alone. I enjoy the solitude.There is precisely one person I will race with, and that's the Captain. That's because we've had years of working together as a team, and running together works well with us. He's very good at encouraging me to push myself to be my best. He motivated me through my first 8 mile race last year, and again during a 5K where I achieved a PB. But I think if I trained or raced with anyone else right now I would get distracted and not be able to focus on my task at hand. I've worked pretty darn hard all summer towards a goal, and I don't really want anyone next to me to break my concentration. I look foward to meeting up with my friends at the finish line, no matter who gets there first, but between the start and then, it's just me and the road.