My body is still shaking off the effects of international travel. My sleep cycle is all over the place, and Garmin insists my HRV status is “unbalanced” — whatever that really means. Still, I’m finally starting to feel somewhat normal again, and I’m hoping to be fully back in sync by the weekend.
In the meantime, that HRV reading has Garmin piling on more rest days. Maybe that’s the smart call, but I already lost quite a few workouts while on the road, so instead I’ve been pushing through. Yesterday, for example, I ignored the prescribed rest day and ran 5 miles at an easy 9:05 pace. I started sluggish and definitely felt some fatigue, but as the run went on, I found my rhythm. My plan was to stop at 3 miles, but I ended up “Energizer Bunny-ing” my way to 5. Reviewing the run afterward, I noticed my “Performance Condition” score actually improved as the miles went on — something I’ve never seen before. It felt like I was actively recovering in real time.
This morning, I woke up feeling a bit more rested. Despite my HRV still being flagged, Garmin recommended a 45-minute run at 9:05 pace. I ended up covering 5.4 miles at 8:20 pace and felt mostly okay. My legs are carrying a touch of fatigue now, and the travel exhaustion still lingers, but ooblady-ooblada, life goes on. I’ll keep pushing through and grab rest when I can.
It’s not all bad news, though. Today I crossed 100+ miles for the third month in a row, bringing my yearly total into the 700s and keeping me right on pace for my 1,000-mile goal. My weight is slowly trending down, my fitness is slowly trending up, and the big picture is on track. My focus is long-term: keep steadily building through the winter, then start layering in consistent, harder efforts next spring. With a little patience, my body should be strong and ready by 2026.
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