Week Two of Rest

My body has no idea what has been going on lately. This is the second week in a row that I have not even run one mile. I feel that this rest and rejuvenation is very important and much needed and, from what I have read, I'm hoping I will come back even stronger. It is that same feeling that you get when you go from high mileage into a taper. You feel that you are losing fitness and should be doing more.

It has been a challenge to hold back but I'm happy that I have been disciplined to not give in to the cravings of even just a short run. One day last week I ran from my car into the building where I have class (not even a quarter mile) and when I entered the building I just wanted to keep going down the hallways. I felt like a puppy dog getting ready to play! I could definitely notice a spring in my step. I bumped into one of the cross-country runners that I know and revealed to him my status. He said..."Hey, maybe you should race in the open men's track meet at Cornell this weekend". I'd be lying if I said I did not think about it but I quickly abandoned the idea.

Speaking of SUNY Cortland Cross-Country---- Congratulations to the men's team for winning 1st place at Division III Nationals (1st time in school history!). They had such a loaded team this year and many of them are returning next year. The women's team had a very respectable year too. I'm sure Jack is proud for what he got started.

Someone once reportedly asked Jack Daniels, former coach of Div.III women's cross-country powerhouse Cortland State, about what kind of training was currently most popular among distance runners. Daniels simply responded: "Overtraining. In my dictionary, the word 'Overtrain' falls just a page away from 'Overkill', defined as 'to obliterate with more nuclear force than required.' Consider the connection: If your target is top running performance, then to overtrain means to apply more force than is required to hit that target. In fact, overtraining may literally obliterate your target, or at least leave you without the will to pursue it."---Jack Daniels

I figure two weeks of quality rest with zero running is sufficient but just for good measure I will ease back into it this week with active recovery (swimming, stretching) and light-low mileage running. Then I will start back training in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Erica and I are kind of doing our honeymoon before the wedding since we are moving to Portland, Oregon this upcoming summer. Who said that it has to be after the wedding anyway! We make the rules!

Good job to everyone that ran this weekend at The North Face Endurance Challenge! Leigh Schmitt took sixth place in an extremely competitive field. Way to go!

I have my last two finals on Monday and then I'm completely finished for the semester. Woohoooo! ;0)