Time for a REST WEEK

Just about the only thing that got me through my Sunday workouts was the knowledge that they were the only things standing between me and my rest week. Not to mention two complete days off from running. I ran a lot this week. I need a break. Yesterday was a pretty unreasonably long time to spend on my bike in my basement going nowhere. After a certain amount of time on the trainer I swear my skin starts to hurt from sweating for such a long time. But, as usual, I always find that the first half of the ride is the worst. Then later on, it's kind of crazy to know that suddenly I feel pretty good about the fact that I "only" have two hours to go.

And of course, after all of that, it's time to go out and brave the cold once again for a run. Somehow though, that transition run after my long run is always my favorite run of the week. I think part of it is just pure relief that I am no longer sitting in my bike saddle. And then of course the knowledge that when I'm done I can finally take a desperately needed shower and not feel the slightest bit of guilt at spending some quality time on the couch in front of the TV afterward. It has also warmed up to the freezing point lately, so I didn't have to wear the same stupid gore-tex windbreaker I've had to wear on 90% of my runs for the past three months.

Today was probably my "best" long run so far. If you knew how the other ones went, you wouldn't be that impressed. But the important thing is that I don't have to do one this week. I need to seriously savor this rest week because after that, the next 10 weeks to Utah are going to be incredibly tough. A bike time trial next weekend, a half marathon the following Sunday (one in which I sincerely wish I'd signed up under an alias) three more weeks of hard training, another rest week that involves traveling to California and starting my tri season with a 70.3, then nothing left to do but peak and taper. It's incredibly scary to me to know how close my first Ironman of the season is. It makes me remember back to when I had the bright idea to go to Ironman Arizona and felt like I was crazy doing 100-mile bike rides in January. However, back then I was at least smart enough to rent myself a condo in Phoenix so I could train outside. But apparently my intelligence in that department disappeared with my running ability.

So this week will give me not one, but TWO days off. I don't think I've ever been given two days off in a week that wasn't leading up to an Ironman, but I am certainly not complaining. Especially knowing what I'm in for during the weeks after. (have you ever had to ride your bike for four hours after running a half marathon? It's not exactly the funnest thing ever)

Only downside to the rest week? Not much training means way less food. I'm already in trouble because the food dreams have started to become more frequent. Last season I distinctly remember a dream in which I had an ice cream sundae that was so big I was eating it out of a giant trash barrell. The other night I had a dream that I was in Lake Placid and I had apparently finished the Ironman again a little while earlier. It was dark and quiet, and I was with a few friends in some building on Main Street waiting for them when someone came in and told us that the Ben & Jerry's was closed for the night. I was absolutely devastated. Kind of a funny dream for so many reasons, one of which being that not once have I ever actually made it to Ben & Jerry's after any of my six finishes up there. It probably does mean that I have to start researching ice cream places close to the Utah finish line.

So enough about my crazy subconscious. Yep, as you can see, I'm not that deep.