I’ve felt this before, but never for this long. My body feels like it is in a state of Zen. Mellow, relaxed, healing; all those descriptors could be applied. I sometimes feel like this when I first wake up, after a good night of sleep that followed a hard workout. It normally only lasts a few minutes. I’ve occasionally stayed in bed an extra 15 minutes to keep the feeling a little longer. But it’s noon now, and the feeling lingers, I’m letting it linger. I’m resting today.
In part, the lingering feeling of Zen may be due to the weather; it’s hot outside, and Canadian wildfire smoke is in the air. The feeling is similar to, but not exactly like, the feeling one gets on soft summer days, when all one wants to do is lie in the shade with a cold drink and a book.
This feels more like healing. I’ve been pushing hard in July as I seek to get into peak shape. I’ve been trying to thread that fine line between not doing enough and overdoing it. Until just yesterday I felt like I hadn’t crossed that line. That feeling changed during yesterday’s 11.7-mile run. I had this building sense, that I was in shape for the race. I was more at risk of getting injured from overdoing it, than I was of not being ready. Maybe this feeling is my body telling me to back off, if just for today.
In part the 90 degree heat we’ve been having is putting more stress on my body. In part, I’ve been putting down lots of miles—180 so far in July—and lots of vertical—28,000 feet of climbing thus far this month. I’ve been feeling great and I’ve had some great runs. On Friday I ran a 15.5 mile loop in the Spanish Peaks Wilderness. I got an early start and got to run through some beautiful, if buggy, high lakes country that I hadn't been into for many years. I even got to see my first ever pack goats, and chat with a few CDT thru-hikers.
One of the Jerome Rock Lakes deep in the Spanish Peaks
My Garmin stats told an interesting story this morning. I slept well, my body battery had plenty of charge, my stress levels were in the rest/mellow zone, and my Heart Rate Variability was high, but my recovery was in the red zone. It was saying that I needed about 50 more hours of recovery and suggested I rest today. These stats seemed somewhat in conflict to me. I often ignore its suggestion that I rest when everything else is in order, but today I am taking its advice. Maybe a day off will help consolidate my fitness gains from the past few weeks. Maybe a moment of Zen is exactly what I need.
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