Independence Day 5000

I will start by saying this week has been one that has proven to be challenging. (This weeks milage=37) It's not the milage that I find challeging, it's the lingering fatigue from last Sundays HOT 13mile run, that has been challenging to get over.(dispite proper hydration, since then) So, since then, I had been going back and forth on whether to run this race or not.
Tuesady was track work, and after spending Monday "recovering", I had about 80% legs by track morning.
I was able to produce 10 solid 400's, with a 400m PR of 1:30. So while my legs were not 100%, they were still producing good runs, today.
*Tuesday=I would race Friday!
When I awoke Wednesday, I was fatigued, headache, just not my normal up and ready to run, and even work self. I took this day off from everything.
*Wednesday=I would definitely not be racing Friday.
Thursday I did an easy paced 3, along with upper body wts. Still, I did not have the best legs under me, but they were on their way. I felt about 70% recovered on that 3 miler. *So Thrsday, I may race Friday, but would wait till Friday to see how I really felt.
Friday morning came around, and I felt pretty close to "myself". Rested, and legs not "fatigued" or sore, I decided to race...and I did.
It was a twilight race, 7:30 pm start. The weather, very nice. It was probably around 80, with a breeze, at start time...aawwww.Perfect!
I had planned to start " slow", finish "fast". (slow I mean a 7:30 pace) Well, first dowhill I noticed I was at 6:50, yikes! I slowed myself to 7:15 after noticing my too fast start.
Pretty much the hils through the course kept me at a consistant 7:24-7:28 pace...My legs that have been trying to recover all week could not give me what they have been giving me at track, in the past, ug. ( nor did those rolling hills help either! lol) The last mile I was able to drop to 7:24-7:20 pace, good, and I still managed to do 23:02 time, at a avg 7:26 pace. I knew this would not be a PR run for me, since Monday, so felt really happy about my race. :)...and, if I can produce 23:02 on tired legs on a hilly course, what can I produce with 100% legs, and maybe a flatter course?? --> July 24th Twilight 5K

**Also, GREAT job to my fellow CAR runner Amy on her PR, and awesome race night!! :) **

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Twelve hours later I woke up planning to run 14 miles this morning.( due to travel restrictions on Sunday morning) Planning was the KEY word. I could tell about 6 miles in I was not going to be able to do 14, and even played with the idea of just doing 10,ug!( With Chicago little over 90 days away, 10 is too little.) I did end up breaking off from my running partners, and slowly made my way to 12 miles total.
Lesson learned this week: My body is tired, and I think it has been asking me all week to take off, and to please let it recover. Me being me, I do know when to stop, and think " I can work through this"....Well, body I hear you, finally. I am on vacation starting tomorrow. I promise you, body, you will get rest this week. I will cut my miles down to 15-20 this week, no speed work, just some easy "paced" maintenance runs every so often; no rigid training schedule this week either. This will be hard for me to do, but I would rather test my patience now, then run myself to sickness, or into the over-trained world, or worse injure.( That is real time loss)

Happy fourth!!

PS. If the race is small, Pacers, why could I not trade my medium shirt for small? Still upset, LOL...Amy will get this :)
GO CAR!!