Shakeout: Five ‘easy’ miles

Getting something out of nothing without giving everything

Confession: I went for an off-the-books 5-mile run on Monday instead of taking a scheduled rest day. Having built tremendous respect for both recovery days and the overall rhythms of my schedule, going for a run when there wasn’t one on the calendar represented a quasi-rebellious act on my part. (But only quasi.)

The rationale for running off script was A) I wanted to, B) my body felt fine, and C) my brain really needed it. As part of an overall approach to mental health, five easy miles can provide a powerful mental boost. It’s when running becomes the only method of managing mental health that problems tend to arise.

In this week’s Shakeout, we explore what it means to truly take things easy in the name of keeping our bodies and minds engaged. To balance things out, we’ve also got a speed workout that both cooks and burns.