I am in my fourth week of running and go running every other day. Sometimes I really want to go for a run but don't because of my rest day...I just wonder, am I asking for trouble if I cut down on rest days at this early stage? General consensus seems to be be that you end up over exerting yourself in someway that's almost guaranteed to do injury and I don't want that. I run and walk still at the moment, covering a distance each day of about 2.5-3 miles..

Hi Runda

If you run on the days you want to run and rest on the days you don't, you will probably end up running 3-4 times per week anyway There's no problem with running on 2 consecutive days that I know of, just listen to your body, stretch thoroughly and try not to increase your overall weekly mileage by too much at once.

Have fun!

Oh wicked!thanks Katten! I thought two consecutive days was a no no. You know what it's like when you're just itching to get out?? I'm very slow on the progress side so I doubt there is much chance of me running too far...certainly not running too fast!! I have snails overtaking me every time I go out!!

Slow and steady > fast and achey

I've just run on two consecutive days myself, and my legs barely fell off at all, so it can't be that bad

Last 'rest day' was 3rd June 2006!

Last non-running day was the 28th of December 2003.
But you can run and rest. It's all a matter of how far and how hard.

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If you and a friend are in the forest and a bear appears, try to run faster than the bear! But at least run faster than your friend...

Steepler/Fulmar

Fancy Pants

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A loser is not the one who runs last in the race. It's the one who sits and watches and who has never tried to run.
Bird in Boots Oh what have I done FLM09

I would rather do 20 minutes than nothing.
Running is my mental release.
Rest days are overated. If you are training hard you can stiffen up if you have days off.
Mind you the day after a marathon is bloody hard work!

HA! I can imagine!!!

Could the pain/stiffening of muscles not be a sign of your body saying "F&*K i'm tired and need a rest!"?

The easy run does me good and helps to loosen my legs I think.

I tend not to run on consecutive days - my legs always feel heavy after a hard run and because of this I don't enjoy running the next day because I know I could have run better with an extra day's rest.

........

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If you and a friend are in the forest and a bear appears, try to run faster than the bear! But at least run faster than your friend...

"REST" is the most over-used word and badly employed training tool in the world of running today. Possibly, no, probably the root cause of the decline in general running standards in this country. People have become too fond of comfort and convenience...in short; too soft.

I know of at least one person who hasn't missed a day's running since December 1964! And for the first 26.2 of those years, he ran at least 13 times a week.
When I was younger, I went for over 14 and a half years without missing a single day; with many of those days having two runs in them. I'm aware that there are several more runners around who have longer unbroken stints, too.

Running is about making your body believe that it is more natural to be active than to be at rest. Progress is gained as the body becomes "immune" to the increasing amounts of physical stress that we put on it.

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GONE RUNNING

I started running every day because I was losing motivation and it was too easy to find excuses not to go out.
So I told myself I would run 100 days in a row.
When I got there I realised how much I had benefitted from this and just kept going.
May I stay healthy and not stuck in airports and I don't intend to stop

A rest day, for me, will be an easy run of 5K-10K. But really easy!
Running without a day's break has taught me to be more careful and to understand when I have to slow down.

__________________
If you and a friend are in the forest and a bear appears, try to run faster than the bear! But at least run faster than your friend...

I can identify with that. I blame my current lack of form on far too many rest days. My best results came when I was running virtually every day. I'm getting far too nesh in my dotage!
Cheers!

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Give me the hills!