How REALLY bad is it to not take a running rest day?

liftingandlipstick

I just started running (as in, today was Day 1 of C25K, and I couldn't even jog for the whole minute at a time), but I take fitness classes through my rec center most days of the week. Right now my open days are Sunday and Monday (well, and Thursday, because yoga burns exactly squat). Since I ran (sort of) today, would running tomorrow be a horrible thing for me? I know for solid runners it increases the risk of injury, but seriously, I'm only jogging half a block at this point. It's mostly walking.

ETA: I know to go slow to avoid injury. I'm jogging, not sprinting.

GillianMcK

Try it and see how it goes, the C25K program has you running 3 days a week so that you can take a day off between runs (at the beginning it's only 30min all in, could it not get squeezed in on a Tuesday morning/lunchtime).
It's not really the speed that causes injuries (unless you're going too fast too soon in the program in which case it'll most likely be shin splints that will raise their heads!!) it's the repetetive nature of running, it's the same action over and over again.

I run 2 days in a row because my marathon plan has 4 days of running in it, I keep the 2 days in a row to a short easy run of 5miles or less and my long run the following day, if I only had 3 days of running in my plan I would definitely take a day in between.

You can only try and run 2 days in a row if you really have no choice and see how it goes and decide for yourself.

stuffinmuffin

This is going to sound pretty corny, but the best thing is to listen to your body. Like you said, if you're not running great distances then you should be fine to go at the programme every day - normally the C25K programmes give you allocated rest days anyway. If you find you've hit things a bit too hard in the gym or at a class and you feel fatigues or your legs feel heavy/tired - give yourself the day off.

missiontofitness

You could always try what I do (and am doing now). I'm "training" myself to get back into it. I feel it's good because it's easing my body back into the routine, and I'm not feeling sore or exhausted from it. Also, making sure you stretch beforehand too as well is key. I would say not to overload yourself too much, but also don't jump into a bunch of stuff right away. Let your body get some mental and muscle memory, and then start going ham.

If you are feeling off though, definitely give your body a rest. I needed to take nearly 4 days off from a very bad leg day recently. Stinks, but sometimes your body needs rest and relaxation before starting something back up again.

MeanderingMammal

Since I ran (sort of) today, would running tomorrow be a horrible thing for me? I know for solid runners it increases the risk of injury, but seriously, I'm only jogging half a block at this point. It's mostly walking.

You've just done day 1, which is a total of 8 minutes of running in about 30 minutes of exercise. You're correct, repeating tomorrow isn't going to be a really significant issue at that level of activity. In about four weeks time the runs don't really lend themselves to not taking a rest day. In the same way as resistance training, running as a weight bearing exercise causes damage to the muscles and connective tissue. You need to give that time to repair. That's exacerbated by the weight that you're bearing in the exercise.

Personally I run five days per week, Friday is a tempo run or long intervals, Saturday my long run, Sunday is a very short run of 3km usually, Monday and Tuesday are fast interval sessions. Sunday gives me a break from the stresses that Friday and Saturday place on my system. And to put it in context, your loss target is my entire bodyweight and I need that break to let my legs recover.