Rest Days the Importance of Them

Yesterday was my rest day. Since I have been doing so well building my base since December by going to the gym regularly and the recent running I had to resist the urge to over train. Yes we can over train and over training leads to injury and burnout , both things we are trying to avoid at all costs. Is there a way to drill into our heads the importance of sitting on the sofa one day or taking a nice leisurely walk? No there isn't . It takes effort to do nothing especially when one is all fired up to make this big transition to being a runner! 
Here it is straight from Runner's World .

Less is more.

How often?

It is recommended to take at least one day  a week of full rest. I think Runner's World has the younger runners in mind when they post that. I think one should take at least one rest day however the 50 and over crowd might require more. It goes back to learning to listen to your body. You will develop that skill as you go along with  your transformation. Rest is good as long as you follow it up with more training and stick to your goals. if you stay on the sofa? Well we will discuss motivation in another post.

How does the rest day help?

• prevents injury 
• restores glycogen stores 
• prevents mind burnout

I cannot stress the importance of this. Rest will bring you success on Race Day!