It's not about the running.....

Since arriving in the Caribbean I have run on the beech every morning for about 38 minutes.  Some people might think this is mad as I'm on holiday but "it's not about the running" for the sake of it.  After Ironman Lanzarote I had 6 weeks with almost no training.  I was feeling sluggish and lazy, lacked the usual energy but this is to be expected.  Marathon des Sables is not that far away and having another 2 weeks off which overdosing on food and booze would set me back even further.
The beech running is about getting back into a routine but most importantly training my mind.  At 7am I pass couples and families walking along the beech obviously enjoying the peace and tranquillity.  Would I like to be doing that, yes and that is mentally tough especially when I turn back into the breeze and know I will need to dig deeper.  Do I want to give up and walk the remainder of the run - yes.  But doing that doesn't get your body and mind into shape to tackle tougher tests.  There are no short cuts.
But when I've finished I can enjoy the rest of the day with the family and also get some swimming in, not that there is much of that in the Sahara but I still have the half ironman on 18 August when I get home.  But tomorrow I am taking the day of running because normally I wouldn't train on 7 consecutive days without a rest.  Happy holidays to everyone.