Caribou Ranch + Do I really need to rest yet?
Easy 9 miles on the slightly rolling, mostly smooth and tree-shaded trails at Caribou Ranch. Our group was among the first handful of folks on these trails since March, as the ranch opened to the public for the season about an hour before we arrived. Our motley crew of assorted runners stuck together in changing groups of two or three, as is the norm, which makes for a good variety of conversation and efforts. As with most of my recent running, the first mile or two hurt from cumulative fatigue on my legs but I settled in to a nice rhythm and by mile 3 or 4 I was able to pick up the pace.
Chris, in back with the green shirt, is here from The Netherlands. He is a training partner to Hilda Kibet, a top Dutch female marathon runner who is Kenyan-born and getting ready for the Olympics. Their workout yesterday consisted of 5 X 5k at 17min pace, with a “rest” interval of 1k at about 6:25/mile pace. All at altitude. Absolutely insane.
I’m wondering whether I should take an easy few days or not. I wake up tired but no more so than when I haven’t been running a lot. And after warming up I feel really, really good putting in the miles, especially on the trails. But I know I need time to recover to get stronger, I’m just not sure when or how much. I’m thinking easier efforts tomorrow (3-4 miles) and Tuesday (6 miles) might be enough rest to be able to kick it back up later in the week, with some more big days over the weekend. If you are reading this and have any thoughts, let’s hear them.
Kind of Like Fun 
Training does not make you stronger. Recovery from training does. Take the two days as you have defined and really listen to your body. You have increased stress on multiple fronts: altitude, more training, more elevation. It will tell you if it can take more after the two days. Or not.