AM - 6 miles.
Got bloodwork results back this morning: Hematocrit, Hemoglobin, Ferritin at all-time lows.
Not surprising based on how I was running. Those variables aren't the sole cause, but they tell part of the story of the past six weeks - along with lack of confidence, mental fatigue, work stress, drastic (unnecessary) change in training, lackluster nutrition, etc... I went past the tipping point and blew up. All those things really can add up.
In any case, I decided earlier this week to take a break from training for a while. We weighed the pros and cons of another race this spring, but ultimately couldn't find a reason why traveling to a very competitive race when I know I'm not anywhere near my best would help me turn things back around. Instead I'll take a (longer) break now. I'm not setting any timelines, but I hope to be fit enough in time for some of the local summer races and use those as a springboard to a breakthrough fall marathon season.
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