Honor thy off day

Today is my off day.

Given the fact that my long run kicked my butt across town yesterday, you'd think I'd be overjoyed about this. But I'm a runner, so time off fills me with a strange mix of guilt, impatience and anxiety rather than relief.

At regular intervals throughout the day, I found myself plotting quick running getaways: During lunch? After my 3 p.m. phone interview?

I repeated to myself the advice of Jacksonville, Fla., running coach Keith Brantly, a 1996 Olympian marathoner and former University of Florida cross country runner who I spoke with about training plans for Gainesville's Five Points of Life Marathon: "Repeat after me: Rest is training, rest is training." Check out more of Brantly's very good advice about resting and tapering here.

Also check out Rest Easy, a Runner's World story about the benefits of taking at least one day off – no squats, no push-ups, no nothing — each week.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch bad movies and fall asleep. Let's hope my eagerness to run continues into tomorrow morning, when it's time to hit the road again.