Training Mistakes

If there's one thing I've learned in my many years of being an endurance athlete: it's ok to take an extra day off. Thus, Monday was an additional rest day after a swim-only Sunday. The obsessive-compulsive runner in me didn't want to do it, but the rational thinking person won out, after very little sleep on Sunday night and a day of feeling tired and run-down. Will it affect my race? I hope not. Time will tell. It would have been a sub-par workout anyway, so I decided it's best to make sure my body has adequate rest for the hard workout on Tuesday morning.

I've been reading more and more about Ironman training lately, and the important thing seems to be quality over quantity. That may sound strange coming from a workout and mileage junkie like me, but it's what the experts say. Yes, mileage is important when you're training for a 140.6-mile race, but that's exactly the point. I'm training to finish 140.6 miles in a row, not a 140.6-mile training week. Therefore, the quality workouts must also include the quantity. I'll get more from one 15-mile hard training run followed by an easy jog or no run the next day than two 10 milers on successive days. Which brings me to my other point. Rest is necessary for recovery from those harder workouts. I'm determined to not make the same mistakes this time.