The Importance of Rest Days For Runners
September 9, 2024
There are so many physical and mental health benefits to running. But while consistent training is essential to improving your running, having a regular rest day is just as important. Taking running rest days is valuable whatever your experience level - whether you’re training for your 20th marathon, or are working towards your first 5k.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about the importance of rest days, how they help with your body’s recovery, and what you can do during that time off. With a better understanding of rest days, you’ll learn how and when to use them to really benefit your training.
What are running rest days?
For runners, a rest day is simply a day where you don’t do any running. There are numerous physiological and psychological reasons to take a rest day (more on these below), but they’re fundamentally about giving you time to recover after serious exertion.
Whether you’re following a training schedule for a marathon or or your first 5k or 10k, you’ll notice that there will usually be at least two or three rest days per week built into the plan. This is done intentionally, so your body has enough time to recover.
Understand the importance of rest days as a runner
You may well have heard of elite runners who’ve broken records for the number of consecutive days spent running full marathons. This is undoubtedly impressive, but these athletes have years of experience and coaching support behind them. For most people, running rest days are an essential part of training. Here are the top reasons why rest days are important for runners.
Your body needs a rest day to recover
Perhaps the most important reason to have rest days from running is that it allows your body to repair and recover.
When you go running, you cause small amounts of damage in different parts of your body. Microscopic tears appear in muscles, your bones get stressed, and your tendons (connective tissues that attach your muscles to your bones) can become inflamed.
The good news is that your body can repair this damage very quickly. For example, recent research shows that the process of repairing small muscle tears takes as little as 24 hours. Repairing this damage also helps to make your bones, muscles and tendons stronger and more attuned to the needs of your sport.
On the other hand, if you don’t include running rest days in your training, your body won’t have time to fully repair the damage. And there’s plenty of evidence that this prevents full recovery. That, in turn, can cause long term muscle soreness, fatigue, heavy legs and other issues.
Preventing injuries
Having a rest day after a long run or an intense interval session at the tracks can help with injury prevention. As explained above, a rest day gives your body time to repair damage caused to your tendons, muscles and bones. But without taking the time off, you increase the chances of experiencing overuse injuries like:
Achilles tendinitis
Runner’s knee
Shin splints
IT band syndrome
Plantar fasciitis
Suggested: Returning to Running Training After an Injury
Running rest days could improve your performance
A rest day will give your body time to adapt to the needs of running, and that means you’ll be able to perform better too. Rest days can help you run better by:
Replenishing glycogen: Glycogen is an energy store in your muscles that you use when running. By having rest days, you give yourself time to replenish that energy store, so you’ll have more energy to draw on for race day.
Stronger body: As described above, running rest days allow your body to repair damage to cells, and optimise your muscles, bones and tendons for the needs of your sport. You’ll therefore be able to run faster and longer.
Running and recovery for mental health
Regular exercise is known to improve mental health. However, over-exercising can cause a variety of mental health problems too, including Overtraining Syndrome. Symptoms include:
Worse sleep quality
Lower mood
General sense of fatigue
Decreased libido.
Having a regular rest day means you can experience the mental health benefits of running, without the drawbacks of Overtraining Syndrome.
Other reasons to have running rest days
If you’ve set your mind on a target, then it’s understandable to want to train as much as you can. However, taking rest days can also be beneficial for other reasons:
Motivation: Overtraining can turn your passion into ‘work’ - thereby reducing the pleasure of running. Taking time off means you come back refreshed and recharged to enjoy your exercise.
Social reasons: Having a regular rest day means you can dedicate free time to spend with your partner, kids, friends or family.
Treating yourself: Your rest day can be a time to treat yourself - with a massage, an ice bath or simply relaxing on the couch.
How do you know if you need a rest day?
If you run regularly, it’s important to listen to your body and watch out for signs that you need a rest. Some of the most common signs of overexercising include:
Continual fatigue and muscle soreness.
Weaker immune system, meaning you get sick more often.
Low energy,
Irritability.
Premature muscle fatigue - getting tired early into your runs.
Getting injured more often.
Plateau or decline in running performance despite increased training.
Insomnia.
Binge eating.
What to do on a rest day from running
Taking rest days from running doesn’t necessarily mean you do nothing on your day off. It is, of course, perfectly fine to spend a day on the couch - particularly after a very long run or intense session. But you can still get out of the house, go to work, and do other general leisure activities.
There are different kinds of running rest days:
Total rest: You do absolutely no exercise. Total rest days are a great opportunity to treat yourself to things like sports massages, ice baths, and other hot-cold treatments.
Very light exercise: You might walk for a couple of miles, do some yoga, stretching or foam rolling. Your goal is to get your body moving, but without significantly increasing your heart rate or stressing your muscles.
Cross training: You do another form of light exercise that mainly focuses on muscle groups not used when running (e.g., swimming, cycling, or rowing). This kind of cross training shouldn’t be high intensity. For example, if you go cycling, it’s about a gentle 30 minute workout on a bike machine, not a serious Spin class.
As mentioned earlier, most distance running training plans will typically have at least two or three rest days per week. You could use these days to rest in different ways. For example, on one rest day, you might do literally no exercise at all, on the second you could spend 30 minutes doing yoga, and on the third you could go for a 30 minute bicycle ride.
Nutrition on your running rest day
Your rest days are dedicated to helping your body repair and recover from your training. So, it’s really helpful to think about nutrition too. Compared to regular training days, you may have more time and energy to prepare meals too, so they’re a good opportunity to eat whole foods that might take a little longer to cook.
Here are some tips for rest day nutrition:
You don’t want to change too much: You still want to eat roughly the same amount of calories, and at the same time as you would on a normal day of training.
Think about protein: Your body uses proteins to repair muscle damage, so eating adequate protein on your rest day is a good idea. Centre your meals around a protein source (such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and lentils), and eat a couple of protein-based snacks during the day.
Choose nutrient-rich foods: With a bit more time on your hands, try preparing whole grains, legumes, meats and vegetables which require slow cooking.
Replace glycogen levels: Your rest days are a good opportunity to replace the glycogen used up during running. Glycogen comes from carbohydrates - opt for complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, oats, or brown rice, which contain additional nutrients.
Build rest days into your routine
Many runners find it hard to ‘switch off’, particularly when training for a big race. However,
there are so many benefits to taking a rest day when you’re running - from improved performance, to having a lower injury risk, to faster recovery. By taking enough running rest days, you can get even more enjoyment from the days you do pull on your shoes and head out the door.
Common questions about rest days
We’ve answered some of the most common questions about running rest days:
How often should I incorporate rest days into my running routine?
As a general rule of thumb, you should aim to have at least two or three rest days per week when running. More experienced runners, who have gradually built up their running muscles over time, may be able to have fewer rest days. Nevertheless, even professional athletes take regular rest days, so it’s important for all runners to include them in their routine.
Can I do any physical activity on a rest day for running?
Yes, doing some physical activity on a running rest day is absolutely fine, and can even help reduce stiffness. Aim to do light exercises which do not put unnecessary strain on your body. Things like walking, gentle cycling, yoga or stretching are all good options.
What are the signs of overtraining, and when should I increase the number of rest days?
Some of the classic signs of overtraining include continual fatigue, muscle soreness, poor sleep quality, irritability, low mood, and getting sick more often. If you start experiencing these symptoms after an extended period of daily running, then it’s likely that you just need to rest more often - aim to have at least two full days of rest per week.
That being said, you should also consider speaking with a doctor - particularly if these issues start happening suddenly.
Can I substitute rest days with cross training activities like cycling or swimming?
Yes, you can substitute some rest days for cross training activities. Cycling, swimming, walking and even very light jogging are all suitable exercises on rest days - and are commonly included in running training plans.
However, you should avoid over-exerting yourself when doing cross training activities on rest days. It’s also important to have at least one rest day per week where you do very little exercise.