Hi everyone,

I'm already impressed by the expertise in this forum (ultra-marathons :eek: didn't even know that EXISTED!), and I'd like to ask if you think rest days are always necessary or you only take them if you feel the need.

I'm on holidays now (well, "tricky" holidays, having to make two take home exams), so I'm finding the time and motivation to run every day. Not much, I'm a total beginner so I'm doing around 6 km in about 30 min*. On the days when I have a basketball practice I'm running to and from the sports hall (2.3 km in 10-11 minutes).

So.... shall I take rest days? For the moment I feel fine, I do feel stiffness but nothing that I can't bare.

Thanks in advance for your advice!!!

Lazy Jon

* I have to say in my favour that I run on the sand, sometimes exposed to totally extreme conditions (rain, wind ) and that my route includes one pedestrian cross on the way to the beach that stops me for around 15 secs

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The more difficult, the more beautiful
The more impossible, the better

I'd recommend factoring in rest... you'll improve by allowing your body to strengthen which means damaging muscle fibres (through exercise) and allowing them to repair - the body will naturally adapt by repairing them stronger than they previously were. Without sufficient rest the muscles don't get a decent chance to repair and therefore you're limiting your improvements.

There's a fine line between an optimum training level and causing muscle fatigue - my concern would be that if you're playing basketball too, requiring explosive bursts of energy and power from the muscles, you're at a higher risk of straining/tearing something if you're muscles are constantly fatigued.

Of course, use your common sense as well, you don't always need total rest... but if you look at virtually all running training schedules, they include rest days and also an easier week of training every 4 weeks or so.

Hope that helps

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www.richardsimkiss.co.uk - Glooston 10k report added

as a beginner i'd say yes be disciplined and factor in a rest.
at the moment you may not need it, if you start to ramp up the distances or efforts on some of your session you may well need it so start the good practice now.
remembering as richard says recovery is as important a part of training as the running itself.

experienced/pro runners may train every day but for sure at least one of these sessions will be recovery or active recovery. and that is a matter of experience, knowing you can run easy on a rest day and stil lrecover sufficiently not to overdo it.

(my training schedule has something every day of the week.... but thats cos i know ill be forced to miss at least one session through time/work)

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Thanks a lot Richard!

Sure, it makes total sense and helps... I've checked training schedules, all of them including rest days, and my doubts came because

1) My running is not so demanding yet . I'd understand that you can't run 30 km every day without a rest. But 6 km? I mean, if my efforts are moderate, it could mean that I don't need 48 hours' rests, and that 24 hours could be enough...?

2) I thought the rest days maybe were due to the need to perform well at a particular day (like a race).

I guess I will follow my body's signs... which are very positive for the moment, and rest if I feel the fatigue is accumulating.

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The more difficult, the more beautiful
The more impossible, the better

Thanks Ed_m too! Well, I'll have to think of planning rest days then... but, yes, probably getting back to work will make it much easier to "rest" a couple of days every week.

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The more difficult, the more beautiful
The more impossible, the better

Definately factor in rest days - you'll let your body recover and be able to train consistenly for a longer period, as opposed to training every day for a few weeks and having to rest due to over-training.

Rest days dont happen once you start a running streak!

Thanks Grant and Steepler!
"Running streak": another new concept for me!!! I'm learning a lot in this forum

I have no idea how they control this, but there are people who claim they've been running every day for 39 years!!!

That means they started 12 years before I was born

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The more difficult, the more beautiful
The more impossible, the better

you need to have a day off even if you don't think you need it...

what i do is have a day off then run twice as far the next day (5 miles instead of 3)...

so that way i have one distance run each week...

Thanks Revenged! My lazy-inner-self is delighted to have compulsory days off
I like your avatar, by the way!

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The more difficult, the more beautiful
The more impossible, the better