What I’ve thought of as slacking off the last few weeks (and really, even though I don’t think I’ve used those words in reference to my workouts since I was about to leave on vacation, that’s kind of how things are) is also known as rest. So while excessive amounts of “rest” (I use the word a bit loosely here) can lead to deconditioning, there’s also some positives about rest.

For instance, my legs are much fresher than they’ve been when I’m on stretches of riding four or five days a week. My knees are much less tender than they are when I’ve run three of the last four days.

That doesn’t really make up for the four pounds I’m up right now.

It’s a tough balance between too little rest and too much. When I’m ambitious, there’s no question I’m resting too little; it involves thirteen workouts a week, many at 5 am, some at 8 pm, and three days a week of three workouts in a day. When I’m feeling burnt out or injured or just out and out lazy, there’s no question I’m resting too much; my weight goes up, my ankles swell, and my energy level starts swirling down the drain.

I’ll have to find the balance in between the two. Just not quite sure how.