We headed out with some friends yesterday to show off some of the prime mountain bike realty in the Laramie Area. I was on day 6 in a row of working out and exactly 2 weeks away from running my last marathon. To say I was tired was an understatement.

Miles of trails and hardly any people. Sshh.

As I pushed harder, with burning lungs, and stinging leg muscles just trying to keep up with the group, I thought back to my week of workouts and how I had treated my body the last few days wondering why I was suffering so bad. Weight lifting, running, walking, boot camp, mountain biking, and camping. All six days in a row. I was dehydrated from the night before of camping and really we didn’t sleep well in that tent either.

Ah tent sleeping. Sometimes it’s wonderful, and sometimes it is tough to get a good nights sleep.

But, group rides don’t let you slack and suffer on I did. Sweating profusely, breathing harder than the cattle dog running alongside our bikes, mosquitos swarming, I swore that that last trail led to the parking lot. The whole time I was riding I just wanted today.

Pathetic- I know.

I wanted my rest day. After a weekend of playing warrior, I wanted rest. My body wants to recover. It wants water, proper nutrition, and rest. It wants compression socks, foam rolling, and a nap.

I love rest days. I love pushing myself hard several days in a row and then earning a day of recovery. I reap the benefits every time-without fail.

Do you look forward to rest days to catch up on life?

How do you power through a workout when you have no choice but to keep going?