This morning when my alarm went off at 4:30, I turned it off and went back to sleep.

My legs have been really unhappy with me lately, and it seemed smarter to give them a nice rest day, rather than force an easy run and make things worse.

I'm tackling a much more ambitious training plan than normal this cycle, with higher mileage and some more intense speed sessions, and I know it's going to take my legs a while to adjust to the heavier load.

Pushing myself when I'm already sore and tired is just a recipe for injury.

Training for endurance events is all about listening to your body. Sure you have a plan as general guidance, but if your sore, tired or just can't fit in a run, there's nothing wrong with skipping it.

I know for a fact that today I made the right decision to skip my three easy miles. The rest for my legs and the extra two hours of sleep was more beneficial than any run could have been today.