Thoughts about rest

I just read another interesting article about the importance of rest and downtime:

http://running.competitor.com/2010/05/training/workrest-balance_10083

It was perfect for me because I've been doing a lot of thinking about this topic lately, pretty much ever since I simultaneously took a break running and lost my weightlifting partner. For the most part, I've just been floating along -- still working out, of course, but without defined goals, a structured program, or the sense of purpose that I'm used to.

And what I've noticed is that, without a program or schedule to adhere to, it's all too easy to slack off -- to shave 10 or 15 minutes off a workout, reduce the number of sets or reps, cut out a section of a weightlifting routine, or skip exercising altogether. I confess, it's been hard to motivate myself to get to the gym now that I'm not actively working toward something.

But I've also made an important realization about myself: I don't know the difference between slacking and moderation. I've gotten so accustomed to constantly pushing and building that I don't really know how to slow it down and take a step back without feeling like I'm being lazy. The article I linked to above expresses really eloquently the importance of rest, recovery and downtime -- and I am the first to pay lip service to those things. In my head, I know that they're an important element in any training cycle (and again, I love how the article's author wrote about it).

But the problem is that slowing down never feels right to me. I never feel like I've earned it. And I'm always worried that if I slow down too much, I will lose fitness and gain weight -- that I'll be right back where I started from when I first became interested in fitness six years ago.

I wish I could offer a nice pat conclusion to this. Instead, all I can say is that I'll keep trying. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that I'll try to keep it in mind. Even today, with a packed schedule, an aching heel and five consecutive days of exercise behind me, I feel torn about the idea of taking a rest day. I'm not sure if I will. I'd been toying with the thought of skipping my rest day altogether this week, just because I haven't been running or working as hard on my weightlifting. Is that wise? I don't know. It's just like I said: I can't tell the difference between moderation and slacking. And I think it would be good to figure it out, or connect with someone else who can.