Rest Days-- Signs you need one, and WHY you need one!

     "Rest" is a 4 letter word for most serious runners, but with a training program worth it's salt, you will inevitably see at least one day out of your week with "REST" in huge letters.  "Why do I need to rest" you might say?  Well, all that running and cross training does wear down the muscles (you have to tear them down to build them up, literally!) and lead to soreness, depleting glycogen stores, and mental burnout about doing something every day.  It eats into your social life too (but that's another post for another day).

If this is you, you may need to read on, and take a day off!!

    If you find yourself feeling/ doing any of the following things, take a step back and think about taking a day (just one if that's all you can do!) off.  If you see a bunch of them that apply to you, maybe you should take a couple of days!

*Your resting heart rate is elevated-- you'll feel like you do while running (not so intense, but still winded and heart thumping).  It's a sign of stressing the heart too much!!

*You aren't sleeping well or enough--  I'm talking several nights in a row, with very little (less than 5 hours) of sleep.  That takes a toll on you mentally, physically, and emotionally.  Rest up!

*You are cranky-- If you overtrain, your body can release cortisol and other hormones (stress hormones) that will make you feel anxious and irritable.  Running is supposed to relieve that, not cause it by running too much!

This is much more me! :)

*You feel pain-- Not just soreness, but altered gait or inability to carry on fairly normally the next day because of pain.  Bruising, visible knots and inflammation and swelling are things to look out for too, could be an injury!

*You are sick--  Your body works overtime while you are sick to fight the problem, and you need all the energy you can to help it.

*You are worn down-- Not just "I worked out yesterday" tired, but unable or barely able to get through your normal activities (running excluded).  We are notorious for pushing through it, so be honest here!

When you feel like this, just take it easy for a day!

     Those are extreme examples, and warrant at least a day off entirely (that means NO RUNNING), especially if you think more than one applies to you.  It is good to do a little bit on rest days, so instead of a run, try going swimming (not a cross training hard core swim, just gentle aqua jog or laps), or taking a walk at an easy pace (find a nice trail or park, or go shopping!) or a leisurely bike ride (key word-- leisurely).  Anything to keep you moving a little, but not enough to call it a workout (make sense?  Rest...so you recover!).

     Resting is just as important as your long runs are to building up your endurance-- our bodies are awesome, amazing things that can tolerate a lot, but overtraining will only hold you back and potentially injure you..forcing you to rest, ironically-- for weeks, not days!  Keep the rest day sacred, and do something for yourself that day!  Use your roller to massage out those tough knots, take a nice bath to relax the muscles, paint your toenails or something-- anything to make you relax and enjoy yourself for a moment, and appreciate all the hard work you are putting in.

What do you do for rest day?  Have you ever overtrained?  How did you handle it/ what tips do you have?  Tell me below!