The Rest Week IS Training
Time Off Is Good For You
I’m on a break from training and racing after a very successful spring.
I’m on a break from training and racing after a very successful spring. This is by far the best I’ve run in a really long time, and so, as one might suspect, you may think that I’d want to ride that hot streak into more races.
But instead, I’m taking time off.
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Time off?! Yes. I raced Monday, and so far I’ll have taken completely off Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
I’ll take more time off as well before I jump back into training, but I know that time off training is time well spent.
This is the best training I’ve done in a long time, and I want to push that into the summer and fall training block I’m about to kick off. And because I want my next block to be better than the one I just finished, I need time off to rest and recover.
When I planned this break a few months ago, I thought I would be trashed from all the racing I'd be doing.
Broad Street 10 miler followed by a road mile? A year ago, that would have left me in pieces. I would have been begging for time off.
But this year? I feel absolutely amazing. I finished Broad Street in under an hour and then popped the best race of the year on Monday - 4:44 for a mile.
I know I have all of this in me, but I haven’t seen any signs of it in years. Like years and years. So while this is a strange feeling, it’s not a new feeling. It’s just been hiding away.
Why is Rest Good for a Runner?
We can’t go, go, go for an entire year without taking a break. It’s not good for us to consistently train without resetting. The time away helps us restore, helps us get the sleep we’ve sacrificed, and allows us to be “normal,” even if only for a bit.
When’s the Best Time for Rest?
The best time for a break is before you actually need it. As a high school or college runner, there are natural breaks - after the last race you qualify for.
For a marathoner, it makes sense to take a break after the marathon. But for me, there is no clear end date. I could, in theory, go on and on all year long.
I chose to race from January (indoor 3k), through March (Adrenaline), April (Valley Forge), and May (Broad Street and road Mile).
That’s a good, long season and by most, a quality racing season.
I could have gone for a few more weeks and knocked off an 8k race on our calendar, but for me, it made sense to call it a day when I did.
The best time for a rest is when you want it and before you need it.
Plus, I get to have a fun week or so with the nice weather before I jump back to training.
How Long Should your Break Be?
This is the biggest debate out there.
There isn’t a single right amount of rest you should take. But you should rest.
I’m thinking of taking a week of no running and then an additional week of doing whatever I want - easy runs, biking, swimming, or more nothing. I won’t know how I feel until that time comes.
But you should have a feel for what your body feels like. If you are beat up and worn down, take those two weeks. There is no steadfast guide as to how much rest you should or shouldn’t take. And no, you won’t be so out of shape that you can’t come back from the rest.
If you rest hard and let your body truly recover, you can be back and fitter than you were before your rest within a few weeks.
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