When training for a big marathon or race, it’s common to fall into the “no days off” mindset. It can even seem like a good idea. After all, if you want to do well in your race, you should train as much as possible, right? Definitely not. In actuality, the days you don’t run are just as important as the days you do.
Rest days and active recovery days should not be confused with being lazy or skipping workouts. They are a component of the training process.
The majority of professional runners do not run every day and instead rest one day a week. Some prefer active rest, while others prefer passive, but basically, all of them use this technique to avoid overtraining syndrome and other problems by giving their body enough time to recuperate.
It’s easy to feel like we have to continually be pushing with all of our run streak challenges and watches counting our every step. Plus, as runners, we thrive on our daily dose of endorphins. We often have the mentality that “the more – the better,” as if the more we exercise, the faster we’ll be, the more endurance we’ll gain, and so on. We have a problem with the way we think about rest days. Rest has become a four-letter term in the meaning of turning a blind eye.
I will tell you straight away, this is not the case. In fact, missing rest and recovery are one of the most common errors made by runners. But I understand that having a change of heart about taking a rest day isn’t always easy. So let’s think about rest days in a new light. Perhaps calling them active recovery days would be a better way to describe them.
Are These “Rest days” really rest days?
Many professional runners swear by the importance of easy or “recovery” runs instead of a complete day off, while others are skeptical. Runners are a fanatical bunch, and it takes a lot of courage for the majority of them to take even one day off, but it’s always better than to get hurt. A day off also means you get a lot of sleep, which helps your body recuperate and allows you to run longer and faster.
When it comes to training, it’s all about adaptation, and as most runners know, the more you exercise, the more rest you’ll need. Even easy runs on tired legs have the potential to do more harm than good: they can quickly turn an ache into an injury. The fact that there are nearly always safer alternatives, like cross-training, yoga or pilates, strength or core stability activities, or sports massage, is arguably the most compelling argument for caution when it comes to easy runs. All of these will almost certainly be more beneficial than an easy run, and they will relieve the strain on your joints.
Remember to consider the option that many runners find the most challenging: taking a full day off. You won’t lose any fitness, and when you return to the training, your legs will be a lot fresher.
Even the top runners in the world, such as Bernard Lagat, a 47-year-old Kenyan-American middle and long-distance runner who takes a day off every week and five weeks off every autumn, take time off. Ryan Hall, a 39-year-old retired American long-distance runner who holds the U.S. half-marathon record, takes one day off per week after falling into the trap of believing that the only way to run faster was to run more and more.
Before adding recovery runs, make sure you’re getting the most out of your “quality” training sessions. When you’re healing from an illness or injury and need to bridge the gap between being inactive and getting back into shape, an easy run is an excellent idea. If you’re preparing for a marathon, your main goal should be to arrive in good shape at the starting line- Keeping this in mind, it’s a good idea to rest for a few days after your most strenuous training runs to allow your body to properly recover.
Benefits Of Recovery Days For Professional Runners
First, what are the few of the things that happen on a running rest day?
Muscle Damage Repair
Your muscles are strained as you run. This is especially true while training for a big race like a marathon and going for long runs. Your muscle fibers will be substantially weakened as a result of this hard workout. Your body requires rest in order for your muscles to repair and grow stronger. It’s especially crucial to get enough sleep after your long runs because most of your body’s healing happens when you’re sleeping.
Immune System Boost
A weakened immune system is also a result of frequent activity combined with insufficient rest. This is due to the fact that exercise generates inflammation. Inflammation occurs when the body does not have enough time to repair the damage caused by exercise. Because inflammation is an immunological reaction, if the body is inflamed as a result of excessive exercise, the immune system will be unable to fight infections effectively. You may be more prone to illnesses such as colds and the flu as a result of this. Remember that if you’re constantly tired, you won’t be able to run as much as you’d like. As a result, achieving your goals will be more difficult. It’s preferable to take a break now than to be compelled to take a break later.
Reduce the chance of an injury
Running too much will also raise your chances of getting injured. You’re more prone to suffer from repetitive stress injuries like ankle sprains, iliotibial band syndrome, and patellofemoral syndrome if you don’t take time to rest and allow your body to heal. Regular rest days can help you avoid some acute injuries in addition to avoiding repetitive stress injuries. You’ll have more energy during your runs if you take time to rest. This will keep you awake and prevent you from tripping or stumbling.
Give Your Mind a Break
Running is a means of relaxation and stress release for many people. If you run too much, on the other hand, you may find yourself feeling even more worried and anxious than before.
This is because excessive training (in any activity) can result in elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol overproduction can lead to mood fluctuations, sleep problems, and irritability. You may find that resting your body makes you feel happier and calmer.
Can Pro Runners Overtrain?
Overtraining entails more than just being tired, running poorly, and injuring yourself. Minor fatigue and short-term performance declines are a typical part of the training process, but overtraining syndrome appears to arise in athletes who are training for a competition or a specific race and push themselves beyond their bodies’ ability to recuperate.
This isn’t limited to top athletes or those who run hundreds of kilometers every week; it can manifest in a variety of ways. In most cases, the issue is not with too much session volume (total weekly training) or intensity, but with too little rest, and so all runners are at risk. Overtraining can occur simply because your body is stressed and unable to cope with the demands placed on it, and it differs from person to person.
Overtraining Syndrome is becoming more widespread across all levels of sports. Part of this rise is due to better knowledge and diagnosis, but the cumulative and synergistic influence of sports and lifestyle stress is also a significant component. OTS affects over 60% of top runners, and roughly a third of non-elite competitive runners will develop OTS at some point. To avoid the condition progressing to a potentially dangerous and sport-ending level, preventative care and early detection are critical.
OTS is a mix of physical and mental disorders caused by a prolonged period of high-intensity physical exertion without proper rest. OTS is a term that refers to a continuous and aberrant state marked by physical, mental, hormonal, and immunological abnormalities. “Burnout” (now more widely used for non-athletic stress), staleness, adaptation failure, training stress syndrome, and unexplained underperformance syndrome are some of the other names.
When it comes to treating OTS, a delayed diagnosis makes treatment more complex and time-consuming. Early detection, as well as risk reduction through suitable training schedules and monitoring records, are all part of treatment. Prevention includes eating a healthy diet and being hydrated, getting enough sleep, getting bodywork like massage or individual stretching and relaxing.
In order to be effective, once an athlete shows signs of overtraining, treatment must be implemented quickly and properly. Ignoring warning signs or taking half-measures can only lead to more deterioration and a prolonged recovery time.
The rest is the key. Allowing cross-training can help alleviate some of the disappointment that comes with a postponed season. Restore sleep, as well as diet and hydration, as one of the most crucial components of healing.
Conclusion
Almost every professional runner takes a day off after a seven-day training session and another after a ten-day training period. No written rule says you must take a break after a certain number of days of training; instead, most runners listen to their bodies and behave in accordance with how they feel physically and mentally. In any sport, but especially in professional running, rest is essential. Some professional runners opt for active rest, while others take a whole day off.
Although running provides stress relief for most runners, they are aware that the most essential factor is not how much training they can do, but how much training they can recover from.
