Longest Week Ever...

My post-NY Marathon rest week is finally coming to an end...

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I know that the general idea is to take a break from any racing or intense training so I did just that. And on top of that I decided to take a break from everything. I even slacked off on my "10,000 steps a day" goal...

Except for a 1 mile (slow & steady) evening run on Wednesday, I spent this week relaxing, eating whatever I wanted, trying out a new red blend wine, and sleeping in...

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It was a glorious week! But that all ends at 11:59pm tonight. As of Monday morning I am back in training mode and it will be full steam ahead to prepare for the remaining 2016 races AND the Miami Marathon at the end of January...

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During my rest week I started to get "runner's envy" since all of my friends were still in full training mode. So to make myself feel better I signed up for another half marathon in December...

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All of this registering and strategizing about long distance races reminds me of how far I've come since I started running. My mindset has been totally transformed with every mile...

I was telling a friend of mine that I can't remember what I did with my time (and money) before I started running. Then Kai reminded me that all I did was read. And while I know that I've been reading less now, I have these sitting on my night stand waiting for me...

(I'm looking forward to finishing these soon)

As I wrap up my rest week I'm going to focus on reviewing my training and nutrition plan. I went into the NY Marathon under prepared and I don't want that to happen for the Miami Marathon. Additionally, I want to aim for a 05:30:00 finish time for Miami, which means I will be adjusting my running intervals significantly and incorporating more bridgework and inclines into my training runs. That's not easy to do in Florida, but there are a few bridges that I can practice on. Gone are the days when I "just want to finish". With 2 full marathons and 16 half marathons under my belt, I'm now at the point where I want to get better, get stronger, and get "faster". 

What do you do during the week after your full marathon?

What's your favorite book/author right now?

What's next on your running/racing calendar?