Another easy 4

Today called for another easy 4-miler as I continue to ease back into things. I made a conscious effort to keep the pace relaxed and run by feel, deliberately avoiding glances at my watch as much as possible. I ended up averaging 8:35 per mile—still a bit quicker than the prescribed 8:55 pace, but definitely an improvement over yesterday. My heart rate averaged 138 bpm, which is another positive sign that things are trending in the right direction.

I woke up with tired legs and was really craving a rest day, but I pushed myself out the door anyway. The run actually felt better than expected—even above average—but I’m still feeling pretty drained now. After three fairly easy, shorter days, I’m starting to wonder if I just need to bite the bullet and take a day off. Then again, it’s possible I’m still recovering from the weekend, and tomorrow might feel different.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with taking a day or two off, but between tapering and race recovery, I’ve already had as many rest days this month as I did in all of last month. For now, the plan is to run tomorrow and Friday, then reassess heading into the weekend.

On a brighter note, there's a temperature drop coming—and Saturday brings the first middle school XC meet of the season. Here's hoping that this brings me a much-needed dose of motivation to snap me out of this little funk I'm falling into.