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Rest Assured

To run better, sometimes you shouldn't run at all. We'll tell you why

There are many ingredients in a successful running program: long runs, speedwork, consistent weekly mileage. But the key ingredient doesn't even involve running. It involves resting.

That's because when we run, we tear down our bodies-our muscles are taxed, tendons and ligaments are strained, and energy sources are drained. But thanks to the human body's ingenious design, we're programmed to rebuild from all this stress and become even stronger, as long as we make sure we get sufficient rest between our workouts. Without rest, the body can't rebuild. The result: lingering fatigue, chronic injury, and mediocre running.

Golden Rules of Rest
By listening to your body and adhering to the following three rules of rest, you'll gain fresher legs, a lower risk of injury, and the ability to run farther and faster more easily.

Rest before you feel exhausted. If you don't take a little rest before you become fatigued, you'll need a lot more time to recover later. So be sure to schedule regular rest day, walk breaks, and rest weeks into your training routine. (See "Rest Made Easy" for a discussion of these types of rest.)
When in doubt, add more rest. Giving yourself a little extra rest is particularly important if you're doing long runs, speedwork, or racing regularly.
Beware of ³easy² mile. A leisurely 3-miler is not a rest day. Easy miles that you run just for the sake of bumping up your mileage prevent your legs from fully recovering. True rest days are nonrunning days.

Rest Made Easy
There are lots of ways to work rest into our running routine on a daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly basis. For best success, experiment with all the following forms of rest until you come up with a running/resting ratio that's right for you.

Rest "discounts" during a run. Just because you tell your friends you're "going out for a run" doesn't mean you have to run every step of the way. By taking walk breaks every mile or so, particularly on long runs, you push back fatigue, yet still build endurance based on the distance you cover. For example, a 10-mile run done with walk breaks will leave most runners feeling as if they've run 5 to 6 miles, yet their bodies still benefit from the 10-mile distance.

Days off from running. Taking an extra day off from running-before you need it-will allow your muscles to recover significantly faster from your challenging runs. You can still run the same number of miles per week simply by increasing the number of miles you cover on the days when you do run. And, at the first sign of lingering fatigue, switch to an every-other day running program until the fatigue passes.

Easy training weeks. Many runners get stuck in a mileage rut, averaging the same distance week after week. Once a month, reduce your mileage for 1 week by about a third. Think of this monthly rest break as an insurance policy for fresh legs. Your training journal is a great tool for keeping track of these types of "big picture" rest breaks.

Once-a-year breaks. To stay rested and healthy during every running year, it helps to have a clear beginning and end to each 12-month period. So pick a month each year when you'll decrease your overall mileage by 50 percent. Go ahead and incorporate lots of your favorite (and perhaps seasonal) cross-training activities during this month. They'll keep you fit and active. By the end of this month, your partial ³vacation² from running will leave you refreshed and raring to start your next year of running.

Rest By the Numbers
One of the best things about running is that it's an activity we can do for a lifetime. But as we get older, rest becomes more necessary. To allow for added recovery time and to decrease your injury risk as you age, remember these general guidelines:

If you're	Then rest:
under 30	at least 1 day per week
30 to 45	2 days per week
45 to 55	3 days per week
55 plus	every other day

From Runner's World