Rest and going slowly

Back for another recovery update! Week five has come and gone. I'd like to say I'm happy with how it went and how I'm doing. I'd really like to say that, but I'd be lying.

I was cleared to return to work last week and started on Tuesday, May 2nd. Of course I waited until the hottest day of the season so far. Mid 90's. High humidity. And it was the 3pm-11pm shift. Might as well wait until the heat of the day, right. Now add in seven days straight without a day off. Now add in a few harder, longer runs (relatively speaking of course). Can you see where this is going?

I started adding in some steady runs at the beginning of the week. No walk breaks. Probably a bit harder than was wise. I ended up with just over 28 miles for the week. Not a big total. If I was in the middle of a normal year. Obviously not the case this year. I noticed early in the week that my heart rate was high relative to my pace. By the end of the week my resting heart rate in the morning was elevated along with my heart rate variability readings. I had a hard time catching my breath while running at what normally would be a moderate pace. Not a good sign. 

Now, before people start saying "dumb ass, what did you expect", I quickly adjusted my training. Although I'm not really sure I'm ready to call it training yet. By the weekend I was back to easy walking. Time to reset and restart. If I know myself, and sometimes I'm not sure I do, this probably won't be the last time! I suppose I need to actually heed the saying at the top of this post. 

This week has started much better. A couple easy runs. Toss in short walk breaks. Keeping the pace very easy. Paying attention to my heart rate. Adding in yoga and even some meditation. So far, so good. 

I guess it all goes back to that damn "P"word again. Patience. I'm sure it will come back to bite me in the ass a few more times. But I am trying. I can hear my bikes calling from the garage. "Just a short and easy spin. Couple miles. We'll be gentle. C'mon!" I'm ignoring them. For now!

Short and sweet this week. Let's see how the week plays out. Hopefully next week's post is positive news.
As always, thanks for reading. Questions and comments are always welcome! Happy miles!!