For some runners, it can be quite challenging to take a rest day. We like to run, and we want to run as much as possible!
The problem with rest days
Ok, so I didn’t run on my rest day yesterday, but for some reason this week it was extra hard to rest.
Usually I take Sundays as my rest day, and it ends up being a very lazy day overall. We go grocery shopping in the morning, do a little meal prep for the upcoming week, and then do pretty much nothing for the rest of the day. Over the last few weeks, I have been running on Sunday when the weather is cooperating, so that I can take a rest day if there is snow/ice during the week. While this has been working well, I am also realizing how tired I feel on days I don’t run.
I was going to take Wednesday off, but instead chose to run while it was snowing. It ended up being really great. We got a total of about 1 inch, and it was the perfect kind of snow to run in.
I usually only drink 1 cup of coffee each morning. Yesterday I needed 3, and was still tired. I decided to do some super easy yoga in the morning, and foam rolled in the evening, but no other physical activity. (Besides walking around at work). I even slept in (until 6am!) but was still exhausted all day. Hopefully my body was just working really hard to repair itself and get ready for more miles! Luckily today I was back to running, although the weather was not ideal.
I thought that by March we would be done with the freezing cold, ice, and snow. However, it looks like we have a few more weeks of winter to get through.
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How To Schedule Rest Days From Running
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The 20 Miler That Almost Wasn’t (MIMM)
How often do you take a rest day?
Do you find that you are more or less tired on a rest day?
I try to take one day a week, but before I took 2 days last week I realized I’d only taken 4 days off all year so far (4 days in 7 weeks!) … and that two of those days were the entire weekend before.
Basically on the weekend I will rest if my wife is off work, otherwise I will run. This weekend she is on one day, off the other. So that is my schedule 😉
I find that I eat more – and am more drawn to carbs, etc- on rest days. It is good to fuel properly but I am still vigilant.
I have also noticed that sometimes on rest days my appetite is out of control…I have read that your body needs the fuel to repair (and uses the days we finally rest as a time to do that!) but like you said its still important to make sure to fuel properly.
I take a rest day once a week. I know what you mean, though. I often feel tired on my rest days! Running early in the morning really gets you going for the day!
Yes, it really does help me to wake me up too!
I so feel your pain – I feel rotten all rest day long, but when I don’t take them, I feel rotten on almost every other run! I need to figure out how to maximize my rest days without being miserable all day long!
I know what you mean…I know my body needs a rest day, but its definitely a struggle to take a break
I usually take one rest day. I feel the same way though. Whenever I take the day off I end up feeling sleepy and sort of off. I’m also an eating machine! I guess my body needs the extra fuel. I just try to keep the food healthy 🙂
Yes! While it can be hard (especially on rest days) to decide if I’m hungry or just eating because I’m bored, I know my body needs the fuel but like you said keeping it healthy is important!
I had no idea that you were so close to me! I hope to “run” into you at Sole of the City!
I didn’t even realize that you were in Baltimore! I found your blog when I saw your giveaway on twitter. I won’t be at the Sole of the City this year, because I have a marathon in Raleigh NC the next day. But I hope to do some other local races once the marathon is over!