(Down) Week in Review

81-82 miles
10 runs
14-mile long run
0 Frappuccinos (saddest stat of the week)
5 pieces of new furniture (happiest stat of the week) 

Q: How do you make 80 miles feel like a walk in the park?
A: Do 100 first.

Seriously, I've done plenty of 80-mile weeks in my life, but none of them have felt as relaxed or, well, easy as this one. Maintaining a high-mileage mindset for a month involves seeking out every opportunity to tack on an extra warm-up mile here or a stride there; in contrast, every day this week I found myself forcing self-control. "How far do I think I should run today?" I'd ask myself as I stepped outside. "Now, do less." As I was enjoying a relaxed long run today at Battle Road with Terry Shea and another BAA guy, Alex, I commented that it really is quite amazing how quickly one's body can adapt to a routine. In my case, that routine has been running (or at least striving to run) triple digits every week. In his case, the recent birth of his new son (who, much to my relief and his, is legit adorable and does not in any way resemble an alien), has made 30-40 miles feel pretty darn respectable. For obviously different reasons, both of us have found breaking out of that newfound mold to be a bit of a challenge.

In my case, however, I was determined to make the most of the decreased mileage and actually take some time to do all the things I simply can't squeeze in when trying to run a ton and work a full-time job. I stretched, did core, got a massage and even took a yoga class. (To be fair, the latter took very little initiative on my part as an instructor from a local studio came and taught a class in our office one day. But still, I attended and I downward dogged my little heart out.) I made sure to get plenty of sleep and even took a nap (on our new couch!) on Saturday. As far as down weeks go, I'd say this was one of the most successful and purposeful ones I've ever undertaken.

That said, it's time to get back to business. With my parents visiting next weekend and plenty of Olympic viewing on tap, I'll need to frontload this week in a serious way. I hope to get a good start on this by kicking things off with a two-hour run tomorrow morning before work. (Because if I type it on this blog and hit "publish," the statistical chances of this goal coming to fruition instantly increase by a good 50%. True story.) If I can double Monday through Thursday I'll definitely be on track to hit my goal--though not necessarily setting myself up for a noteworthy 5k performance on Thursday night--and will then be able to approach the weekend with a significantly decreased sense of urgency. So Dad, if you're reading this, no worries--I don't plan on ambushing you with a 20+ miler on Saturday! (But bring a few gels just in case.)

Time to rest up and get ready for another busy week ahead!