Rest day or no? (Read 851 times)

I'm not a long-time runner, and I'm sure some of them will reply. Last summer I was limiting myself to every other day running, to ensure enough rest. Now that I'm trying to get ready for a marathon, I'm up to 4-5 times a week, but I'm still taking off the day after my long run. I've seen people suggest doing a recovery run instead of a day off -- a slow short run, that is much less than one could do, I think -- but for now I'm sticking with taking an entire day off after long.

Rest days are different for different people. Some people benefit from a full day off. Others benefit from just going short and easy. I find that my days off are forced on me by other things at this point. After looking at your logs, I think your biggest concern right now should be to focus on getting into a consistent pattern of running. Start by trying to run 4 times a week. Nothing fancy, just go out at an easy pace, and enjoy yourself. How you measure the run is up to you (I like distance, others prefer time). Each week, you increase how much you run. A good starting point is to increase about 10%. I saw you had "Intervals" in your log. What does that mean? If we're talking about a higher intensity run, then I would recommend cutting those out for now. There will be plenty of time later on down the road for that. Intervals are like icing on the cake. But you need a cake first. All of this is probably not quite what you were looking for, but hey.

Running is supposed to be fun and feel good (mostly) so I'm in favor of going for it. Before you do though, just be aware that if you do a lot more than you are used to it will catch up with you. That doesn't mean you should avoid the extra run, just be ready to feel a bit beat up a few days down the road.

I think I'm leaning towards just an easy short run - but is it better to cross train? How important is that anyway? Sometimes I'll do the bike but I think that's *really* boring, I hate the elliptical, if I'm feeling really lazy I'll sometimes walk - but nothing makes me feel as good as running, so I always want to do that more than anything else!

When I started running 3 years ago, I found it hard to be consistent. Then, I put a race on the calendar and built a schedule to insure that I'd be trained enough to have a good time at the race. I use a spreadsheet, but a calendar, piece of paper, whatever, is good. There's no question now as to when I'm running or how far. It's all worked out. My only spontaneity is where I go when I get out the door. I have 3 races on my schedule for this year, and I usually have 4. I can't wait to figure out what my fall race will be! Maybe this approach would help you as well. You're never too new to run a race! I ran my first 5K 8 weeks after I started running consistently, and it was the first time I hit that mileage (or kilometerage). It was GREAT!

I don't have a lot of history with running, but I do have a lot of history with injuries I would recommend until you get your base, make sure you rest. There is plenty of time to up the miles and up the days. Everytime I tried to do that early on left me hurting if not actually injured. I still consider myself new to running as I have only been running about 11 months. I am training for my first Half Marathon which is just a few weeks away, and I just now started running more than every other day. Ultimately listen to your body, but be careful, overdoing it now can easily lead to injury and then you will lose all motivation!