None of the gains of a hard workout are realized during the workout. They all come during the rest period after the workout, so rest is the most important part of any training plan. This is the time when the runner’s body adapts and re-builds. Without rest, breakdown is inevitible.

Parents of small children see the problem with this fact. Deena Kastor, in her latest blog, says, “My typical days of 12 hours sleep are long gone, but I have this new surge of hormones to keep me on cloud nine, at least for the time being.” She may be a little optimistic, though. “I am itching to run again once we get this parenting thing down. I assume in a couple weeks we will have found a flow, and I look forward to blogging about my first run back after this long hiatus.” My boys are 3 and a half and almost two. Uninterrupted sleep is still a tantalizing dream, though. For the future of U.S. marathoning, I hope Asics is hiring a nightly nanny.

My problem today is, what do I do about my hard run today. We had a rough night’s sleep last night, and I had a long week at school. I’m pooped, but I still want to get my workout in.

I’ll probably still try to do the session. Parents and other poor sleepers need to be extra careful to listen to their bodies, though. So I’ll ease back and accept it if I can’t hit all my times exactly. Maybe I’ll have to cut my run tomorrow a little shorter. I’ll definitely have to watch for the signs of over-training. Oh yeah, and I’ll hope like crazy for better sleep tonight.

Sweet dreams.