Rest Days/Recovery (Read 900 times)

I think this is one of those areas that are pretty personal and require a lot of experimentation over time. So my answer may or may not apply to you. But for me ... the single greatest improvement to my running - in all aspects - came when I eliminated days off completely. I still take days off, of course, but not on purpose; if I skip days, its because I was lazy or something in real life intruded. But I schedule no days off, especially as marathons are approaching. Instead of feeling weak, I feel much stronger. I'm climbing up through 60 miles per week now, and my legs feel fresher than ever. But there is definitely a specific point of diminishing returns. For me, at the moment, I think its close to 60 mpw. At 70, I'll likely feel a few aches and pains, and if I climb to 80 I'll be flirting with injury. This is actually one of the ways I've seen my condition improve. A year ago, 40-45 miles per week was that optimal amount of running for me - 60 would have hurt. Now it feels wonderful. Now the critical part: all of the above assumes that four days per week (at least) are truly slow, easy runs. Those easy days are as important, I think, as the hard days. Maybe more so. All that easy mileage has made me much better at handling hard days. Your mileage on all the above will definitely vary. Be careful. MTA: By the way, the first time somebody told me I should consider running 7 days a week, I thought it was literally the stupidest thing I'd ever heard. I was sure I'd be crippled. It's sure not the advice you get from Galloway or Higdon. So skepticism and caution are to be expected. But I was wrong ... it worked for me.