Runners -- Rest Days?

draculaspointer

So I have been running for about 3 months now and have been gradually building up distance over that time. I do my long run on Sundays, cross train monday, short run + swim tuesdays, hill run + short easy run wednesday, cross train and swim thursdays, medium distance run with sprints friday, and rest saturdays. All together, I do about 20 miles a week right now.

This last sunday my long run was 7.5 miles and since then my ankles and knees have been hurting. Not muscular but in the joints and I feel run down in general. Yesterday the bones in my feet, especially around the arch were hurting when I walked.

So the question...do I need more rest days now that I am getting to higher mileages? I never had problems like this when my long runs were under 6 miles and my weeekday runs stayed under 4. Now that I am doing 7.5 long runs and two separate 5 mile medium runs (along with shorter runs and hills and sprints), I seem to have a harder time recovering. Anyone had the same type of trouble once the mileage hit a certain amount?

draculaspointer

I have proper running shoes fitting and a real running shop. They have about 150 miles on them and are not overly worn down.

LoosingMyLast15

so i've had arch issues in the past but not from running from biking. i was training for a biking vacation in ireland and the distances i was doing each time was wreaking havoc on my arches. had to get cortisone shots in my foot they were so bad (both the shots and my feet) then wore arch supports for a year. turned out my arches were falling. you could have pulled something and it's just a coincidence it happened after you upper your distance. i suggest contacting your doctor about having your foot examined.

annieu613

On your cross training days do you work hard or take it easy? If you're doing hard workouts everyday I would probably use the mondays as active recovery days and just take a walk or do yoga or something.

You know your body best, and if you think you need more rest then you should definitely take it. Don't feel like you have to "push through" pain, because it's not worth it to get an injury.

Relax, ice your joints, and hopefully you'll feel better soon.

drgndancer

Seeing a Doctor wouldn't be a bad idea, but it seems likely to me that you're just overdoing it. Most stuff I've seen from pro trainers says to increase mileage gradually, no more than 10% a week. It sounds like you added about 3.5 miles all at once. I'd try resting till your feet don't hurt (it should just be a few days unless you have a legitimate injury, in which case by all means see a doctor), then increase one of your medium runs, or your long run for the first week. Add in the other two across the next two weeks.

scottb81

In general you do not need more rest days as you get to higher mileage. Higher mileage leads to a stronger body with the ability to recover from a run faster. Also, some aches and pains are normal as you increase the distance past what you have done before.

What you might do to get past this is to reduce your mileage for this week for recovery and then pick back up to a higher level next week. Many people running high mileage and running everyday do a reduced mileage week every third or fourth week for this reason.

draculaspointer

Thank you all for the replies! On my cross training days I row about 4K and do some push ups and situps. Nothing extremely intense and nothing that pounds my joints. Sometimes I walk my dogs as well but usually quite slow and only about 2 miles.

I am still a beginner runner and thought I had a well laid out plan based on some of the official plans I have seen, but I did the math and I increased last week by about 20%. I think having a lighter week is a great idea! Im trying to get up to a half marathon by November, but an injury is the last thing that is going to help me get there.

And Im a little hesitant about going to my doctor, especially my foot doctor...I had hammer toe surgery almost 2 years ago and had the worst time recovering from them. I went to three different podiatrists and sports doctors and they all said because the surgery I wont be able to run, that it would be really bad for my foot. They all said walk and stretch the toes...after about a year and half and no relief from the constant pain and swelling, I started running. I started VERY slow with tiny distances...like 10 seconds at a time. Long story short...the more I run the better my foot has gotten. I have almost no pain left from the surgery and relatively no swelling. I completely attribute it to running...the one activity I was told not to do by the doctors who struggled for 18 months to find a solution. This is the first time I have had the foot problems, but the strange thing is that its my other foot that is in more pain. It has hammer toes too, but after the experience I had with the first one, I refuse to get these ones corrected.

So anyways, thanks for your opinions!