Running every day?

kshadows
kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been doing the C25K (did it in the fall and then stopped) and recently picked it back up. Is there any reason to wait a day in between runs? I know rest days are important but if I'm not sore and don't feel tired, is there a need for 4 rest days a week? Or could I do 2 days on, 1 day off?

Replies

  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    You can eventually build up to running every day, but in the beginning, it's wise to take a rest day between days that you run. Even though you may not feel sore, your body is still repairing itself. After a couple months of every other day, you can try going to two days on, one day off to see how your body responds.
  • Mike_Is_Fit
    Mike_Is_Fit Posts: 8 Member
    The rest day if for recovery. If you are not sore or tired, then you have recovered. If you find later on that you aren't recovering when it's more running than walking, add the rest back in. C25K is a one size fits all solution that can be tailored.
  • alathIN
    alathIN Posts: 142 Member
    Running every day is not necessarily crazy.

    Starting out running every day, after a layoff when you haven't been running, might be.

    The head coach of my fitness group has a saying: you will be a lot faster on race day if you are slightly undertrained, than if you overtrain and are sitting at home with an injury.

    I would go every other day if I were you, perhaps do another kind of cardio (spinning, swimming, elliptical, stair climber) on your non-running days.

    The recovery days aren't just to rest up from feeling tired. That is also the time that all your ligaments and tendons are rebuilding and adapting to the strain you're putting on them when you run. The stress-adaptation cycle does not work if it's all just stress-stress-stress.

    Build up slowly, and do most of your running at an easy conversational pace, is the way to build run fitness and avoid injury.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    The rest day if for recovery. If you are not sore or tired, then you have recovered. If you find later on that you aren't recovering when it's more running than walking, add the rest back in. C25K is a one size fits all solution that can be tailored.

    This is not necessarily true. Your body can still need recovery even if you aren't sore or tired.

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