Thursday Run

It's been strange backing off of my running this week. My schedule only calls for a total of 17 miles with my longest run being 5 miles. I almost feel guilty about it but I think it has been a good thing. It's been good to give my body a bit of an off week to rest up - prepare for the punishment that's coming. In fact, Sunday, the start of the new week for me, my long run will be 10 miles and I am scheduled for a total of 34 miles and 35 the next. It will be a good challenge!
Today's run was a quick 4.1 mile fartlek run. I finished in 30:38 giving me a 7:30 pace. What is a fartlek run? It is simply a run where you vary your pace throughout the run. After about a mile warm up, I will pick a point ahead like a tree, sign, road, etc. and run hard to that point, then back down to my original pace. I continue to do this off and on throughout the run. This increases my overall pace and helps my body adjust to recovering after the hard run periods.
Note: No gas was released during the fartlek run.