“A lot of people don’t realize that about 98 percent of the running I put in is anything but glamorous: 2 percent joyful participation, 98 percent dedication! It’s a tough formula. Getting out in the forest in the biting cold and the flattening heat, and putting in kilometer after kilometer.” – Rob de Castella

So you are now starting out a new running program and you think to yourself that in order to be a runner you need to run and run a lot. Now, one misconception about running is that running every day is going to make you a better runner. You might think that will if I continue to run then I can only improve, build up your strength and speed, but really you are only hurting yourself.

The most important day in any running progam is rest. Rest days are as important as training days. Why ? They give your legs and muscles time to recover so you can run again. Your muscles will actually build in strength as your rest.

When you pick up a running book you may read something about over-training. Rest days are necessary because without them you are at risk of over-training injuries. You may develop shin splints or stress fractures which are common overuse injuries because you are putting too much stress on your body. You body has no time to recover. Once you start to show symptoms of these over-training injuries you then risk more time off until you are fully healed.

So, how many rest days do you need ? That can all depend, but normally at least one full rest day off and maybe an easy day. If you run a long run on Sunday then maybe you run easy on Monday and then take Friday off as your rest day, but really it is all up to you.

Remember, rest days are just as important as your other days of running.

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