While it’s hard for me to personally imagine, some runners think a rest day is punishment. Or that taking a day off will set them back with their running progress. What is the importance of rest days?
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week— just about 30 minutes, five days a week. Notice that says 5. Not 6 or 7. That leaves 2 days a week for a break or an active recovery day.
What are the benefits to rest days?
- They sharpen your focus. Taking a mental break from running reduces your chances of burnout and improves your motivation.
- They allow for recovery and strengthening of muscles. Workouts, including running, create microscopic tears in your muscles and puts a pounding on your joints. Resting allows those tears to recover and rebuild to become stronger. Without it, your body continues to break down and this may begin hindering your progress.
- They help avoid injuries. Rest days can help avoid overuse injuries including stress fractures, shin splints, tendinitis (inflammation from overuse). They also help with chronically high levels of cortisol (released as part of our fight or flight responses caused from running) that can cause mood issues, irritability, sleep problems, reduced immunity and stress response issues.
- They allow for recuperation – Especially after an injury or even a big race, rest days allow time for healing and recuperation. Your fitness may even improve faster.
What is active recovery?
Active recovery is a lighter day than a normal training day that generally uses a different muscle set than on active days. For example, a runner might do swimming on a “rest” day as active recovery. It allows the runner to continue with their fitness goals while giving their body a break from the usual routine.
You can choose a mix of rest and/or active recovery days. Learn to listen to your body and find what works best for you. I personally feel much better with rest days. Granted, I’m a more casual runner and I usually take 2 days off a week, leaving me running 2-3 days in a row. I can certainly tell a difference in my performance when running after a rest day. I generally feel more energetic, my body feels lighter, and my attitude is generally more optimistic about running itself.
What about you? How do you feel after taking a rest day? Do you feel anxious about losing momentum or welcome the chance to recover?