Rest days: Recovery run or complete rest

AuldManKing

I have a recovery week coming up and my plan calls for 3 rest days this week.

This got me thinking about if I'm better served running similar volume with lower intensity, rather than not running at all.

I know that we need to allow the physiological adaptations to occur in our bodies, but as a 6 day-a-week runner, would 3 days rest benefit me more than taking 2 of these as recovery/easy runs??

I now plenty of people on here who run 7 days with no rest day so I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on rest days versus recovery runs (irrespective of my own personal predicament) .

TFBubendorfer

My personal experience is that I recover MUCH quicker if I run slowly for 5 miles than if I take a complete rest day.

Three complete rest days in one week seems excessive to me.

pconn062

My down weeks still have 6 days a week running, however the intensity of the running will be greatly reduced. So instead of two sessions a week, there will be one light session instead and the usual 50-60 minute runs are shortened to 30-40 mins. Also all doubles are dropped. I also take a day off every week (Monday), for me I like the break from training one that one day and it leaves me a bit fresher for the rest of the week. I think 3 days could be a bit excessive, however, if you feel you need it then take it. If you are feeling fresh there would be no harm in doing a 30-40 minute run, just keep the intensity really low.

rom

Having suffered from overtraining/un-recovering last year my training has adopted two days where I do 4M at a very easy pace. The goal is 9:20-9:40 per mile (3mins slower than MP) though it usually is 8:30+ per mile at least. I get my fix for the day, some fresh air and I feel I recover much better than having a day off or faster running. It does mean also I am really up for the sessions when I do them and feel fresher. Now I look forward to those days as I earn them with a hard session the day before or after.

RayCun

The risk of doing a recovery run instead is that you run too fast, or too long, for it to be a real recovery. Jogging a couple of miles on grass is a good idea. But unless you're really knackered, or very disciplined, you'll probably find yourself getting close to your normal easy run pace after a while. And instead of capping the run at 20 minutes, you'll go 5 or 6 miles. At which point it isn't a recovery run, it's an easy day.

BeepBeep67

Agree with all that's been said, it's a discipline.
You should feel better after the run than when you started.
I find it quite difficult to run at slower than 8:30 pace, so sometimes use the treadie.

tipping

Felt pretty miserable this morning.
35 minute recovery run in the Gym at lunch. As above treadmill (which I hate) was handy for keeping the pace to slower than easy pace.
Feel much better now.

HelenAnne

I probably don't run as much as the rest of the responders, so this mightn't be any help, but I was a 6-day a week runner, and this year have gone down to 5 days, on purpose, and it's really working for me.

My theory (which may be wrong) is that I need the extra rest day to fully recover from my other runs, partly because I find it hard to run at what's a genuine recovery pace. Despite the best of intentions, I used to do all my 'ordinary runs' (including what I called recovery runs) at the same pace. I started taking two days off when I was coming back from injury, and after a month or two noticed I had very few niggles and no injuries. Now it's been 9 months on a five-day running week and I haven't been injured (touch wood!). My mileage is a bit lower than it was on 6 days (4 miles less, on average), but it's not affecting me, I don't think.

I often feel like a run on a Monday or Friday, but I just remind myself of my injury-free streak and go for a walk instead. It's working for me, but I'd imagine less injury-prone and / or more pace-disciplined runners could do recovery runs instead of complete rest.

Myles Splitz

Personally I am a big advocate of active recovery days. From therapy background the importance of mobility in terms of fascia alignment and muscle regeneration is a huge part of the work I do. Active movement is one of the biggest parts of rehabilitation from injuries and if to a lesser degree micro-trauma from hard sessions.

As was mentioned previously the problem in many regards is discipline to maintain these as recovery runs.

General rules I work by with athletes I coach:

- No more than 30-45 minutes at absolute maximum (even in higher mileage athletes). Anything more and you are not getting a chance to recover
- Much slower than easy pace normally 1 min to 90 sec slower. Many feel these paces are uncomfortably slow but to be honest just like running fast, running slow takes practice and you need to condition yourself to reset the effort perception as often we condition ourselves into thinking that a particular pace is easier than it actually is (perceived effort is derived from conditioning)

demfad

AuldManKing wrote: »

I have a recovery week coming up and my plan calls for 3 rest days this week.

This got me thinking about if I'm better served running similar volume with lower intensity, rather than not running at all.

I know that we need to allow the physiological adaptations to occur in our bodies, but as a 6 day-a-week runner, would 3 days rest benefit me more than taking 2 of these as recovery/easy runs??

I now plenty of people on here who run 7 days with no rest day so I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on rest days versus recovery runs (irrespective of my own personal predicament) .

If you're a 6 day week runner then i wouldn't see much issue with taking 2 days off. I wouldn't take 2 days in a row off though.

You'll know this anyway, but I wouldn't take a day off running the day directly after a session or if the legs are feeling very stiff etc.

Have an active recovery day (as suggested by others) and then take a day off. You'll get a lot more out of the rest day if the legs are flushed out after a recovery day.

As for how many rest days I'd suggest keeping it in line with what you're used to. So if you normally have one day off a week, take 2 and add active recovery days before the rest days as and if needed.

tunguska

AuldManKing wrote: »

I have a recovery week coming up and my plan calls for 3 rest days this week.

This got me thinking about if I'm better served running similar volume with lower intensity, rather than not running at all.

I know that we need to allow the physiological adaptations to occur in our bodies, but as a 6 day-a-week runner, would 3 days rest benefit me more than taking 2 of these as recovery/easy runs??

I now plenty of people on here who run 7 days with no rest day so I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on rest days versus recovery runs (irrespective of my own personal predicament)

Why not give it a go, take the 3 days off and see how you feel. Youre not gonna lose anything in terms of fitness with only 3 days off and Its good to let go altogether and let yourself have a mental aswell as a physical break.

Murph_D

AuldManKing wrote: »

I have a recovery week coming up and my plan calls for 3 rest days this week

Trust the plan!

Krusty_Clown

I won't weigh in on the subject of whether or not to take recovery days, but would question the logic of letting your watch dictate the pace of your recovery runs. Why force a pace like 8:50/mile, when your body might find this uncomfortable, because it's too fast, or perhaps even too slow? Why not hit the local field or park, start a stop-watch (or turn off the pace figures), and run at a pace that accommodates how the body feels?

I'd hazard a guess that running a recovery run too slow could be almost as damaging as running it too fast, by perhaps forcing a stride pattern or range of movement that isn't within your typical set of tolerance levels. Ever paced a marathon 30 minutes slower than your standard race pace? It can be pretty physically uncomfortable. Getting live pace feedback is of little value. Turn it off - run at a pace that doesn't cause any pain or discomfort and enjoy the time-out, from the usual levels of exertion.

dna_leri

Murph_D wrote: »

Trust the plan!

Unless the plan is specifically custom written for you, then always question the plan (and even if it is a personal plan, still question it). Do what feels right for you, trust yourself.

Duanington

Real recovery runs for me - They're actually among the more enjoyable runs that I'm doing at the moment because the pace and effort is so light. Personally, I don't use the watch for recovery runs - I just run at an effort that feels very comfortable and doesn't have me out of breath at all.

I'm not qualified to speak of the long term benefits but in my (short )experience, I find they are actually something to look forward to - there is definitely a refreshed feeling in the legs in the hours after a recovery run, it also serves as an easy win which mentally can be quite beneficial ( maybe that's a personal thing though)