Yesterday’s workout left its mark. When I headed out today for what Garmin Coach had prescribed—34 minutes at a 9:00 pace—I could feel the fatigue right away. My legs wanted nothing to do with that pace, and I opened closer to 9:20.
But, as often happens, a few minutes in the stiffness began to fade. My stride loosened, the rhythm returned, and soon I was moving along in the mid-8:30s. With a little push in the closing stretch, I ended up averaging 8:32 pace.
I should have stopped at 34 minutes, but knowing a recovery day was already on the calendar for tomorrow gave me the green light to tack on another 12 minutes, finishing with 5.39 miles. Garmin, of course, had its own say afterward: “You’ve been working hard—consider rest or recovery.”
The watch isn’t wrong. Even though I often think of an easy 4–5 miles as recovery in itself, the deeper fatigue is starting to reveal itself as these runs stack up. Tomorrow’s plan is officially “recovery,” but in reality it’ll be a test of how well I listen to my body.
The training plan gives structure, but the story unfolding is really about learning when to push, when to hold back, and how to string the days together without burning out. Yesterday’s effort feeds into today’s tired legs, and what I choose tomorrow will set the tone for the next harder effort on the horizon.
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