Competitor.com is on my side about rest days

(Please enjoy this rather lazy post while I work on letting spring pull me out of a mild running funk and subsequent blog lethargy.)

Mental strength is a popular topic in running magazine blogs, including my own. Here it's mostly laments at how little I have of it, plus the occasional declaration to develop more of it.

This time, it's a pat on the back over one of the situations in which I've exercised it: knowing my own body.

Specifically, how much rest my legs need before a race. It seems like some training plans have pretty dramatic tapers, and I did have one co-worker gently lecture me about running too close to race day before last fall's half marathon.

She began apologizing even before I could finish explaining my theory that too-fresh legs spell trouble for me on race, and as it turns out, she was right to do so, because I was right.

Competitor.com debunked three race-day myths yesterday, one of which was the rest day immediately before race day. It recommends a 15- or 20-minute easy run, to improve oxygen flow and the central nervous system.

Though my theory was a little less precise ("I get all rusty"), I still feel vindicated.