recovering and preparing the body and mind

After last week, on Monday when I set out for my run, I could barely shuffle/jog, and my left knee ached hard. I needed to recover. The two halfs that I ran last week did me in. I did a lot of walking this week, and ran very little(20 miles for the whole week-my lowest mileage since the week after my last marathon in May). It was boring and frustrating with all the walking, but I knew I had to do it in order to recover. I also did a lot of strength training this week. Today I ran 8 miles(the longest I've run all week) and my knee was significantly better, and I feel revived in my training. Rest is essential. Through only rest the body grows back stronger and can jump to a new level. I built a strong body all summer, with all the races I trained through and distance runs. I guess you could say my body finally felt the effects of everything I have been doing, so it was calling for some rest this week. This will gear my body and mind up for the upcoming Marine Corps Marathon in 5 weeks. All I have to do is get in some good quality long runs and mileage and I'll be good to go. The fitness is almost complete. I have thought long and hard about my Marathon goals for Oct, and it comes down to about a 2:34:00 for what I feel I am realistically capable of. I have also been planning my 2010 race schedule, but that won't be posted until after the marathon.