Flip Flip Steak!

I had to make a heart-wrenching decision today.  I couldn't believe I even considered the possibility.  I mean, it's like, I don't know how to describe such an impossible decision.  I literally debated this decision with myself all day long.  Should I?  Shouldn't I?  Am I just making excuses or is there a real need?  Hem and haw... hem and haw...  Flip flop, flip flop!

In the end, I finally did it... I ran the option.  I took a day off from running.

I know, I know.  Here I am spouting out exercise and dietary advice to friends and family and now, I am nothing to you people.  Judged in the public eye as a failure of a human being. I should just crawl into a hole and die.

Wait...

I may also be, finally, following my own advice.  Remember?  Listen to your body.

To be fair to myself, Wednesdays are what I consider a running optional day.  Which means I can rest if I need to.  I would just prefer NOT to rest.  Since I've been so caught up in this marathon training, I generally have decided to run 6 days a week.  M: 7-9 miles, T: speed/strength, W: opt. 2-5 miles, TH: Tempo 8-10 miles, F: off, S: Long run, Su: 2-5 mile recovery.  So I listened to my body and decided to take the option... why?  What's my excuse?

Well, frankly, I'm exhausted today.  I didn't sleep well last night, and I couldn't tell you why, and my left toe is aching something fierce.  At this point, I can tell you I made the right decision, but at 4 PM today, I wasn't so sure.  My body said to me, hey!  I need to take a rest! What do you know... it was right!  My toe is feeling better, my muscles feel better recovered and I know I will probably get a better night's sleep.  Plus, all the energy I have is evident... my poor wife has had to deal with "day off Paul" today.  this guy just babbles and babbles about nothing and everything incessantly until everyone agrees with him or at least until everyone is listening.

Basically, I'm full of all that energy I would have spent running, so now I feel recharged and healed.  Which is good, because tomorrow I'd like to go 10 miles on a tempo run.

Tonight's dinner- because I wasn't running:

Sirloin steak- seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic- grilled in a cast iron pan 5-10 minutes per side and stripped cut on the bias (diagonal)
Rice
Steamed, frozen asparagus

I bought two steaks (approx 2 pounds total)- portioned the meal into tonight's dinner and tomorrow night's dinner.  I also made steak sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch and I portioned out another lunch for Friday's lunch since this bonehead forgot to make bread and we're going to be out.  So, two pounds of sirloin has created meals for tonight, tomorrow's lunch, tomorrow's dinner, and Friday's lunch. That's 9 meals.

Happy Chinese New Year and God Bless!