The importance of rest

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This is the time of year when I can take it easy and train less. I have cut down on my normal exercise load to maybe half, shorter distances, slower pace and more free days. At the end of November, I even took a whole week off!

I do this to restore myself both physically and mentally, and I notice some interesting effects. Not only do I have more time for other activities, but I am also inspired to to them! What used to feel like a chore, is now fun. 

In the last two weeks I have remodeled part of the garden, I have tried new cooking recipes and I have practiced playing my musical instrument diligently. These are activities I wanted to do for months, but I never seemed to get around to. I thought I was lazy, but I now realize I was tired. I was soo tired most days, I used to fall asleep in my chair watching some mindless TV in the evenings. There was no energy for high concentration projects.

After seven days of no training, I did one of my shorter bike rides, and I set a new personal record. The next day I did one of my shorter runs and I set a personal best again! That's right, best of the year when the season is over.

This illustrates the importance of rest. 

/Gunilla

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