The importance of rest and recovery cannot be overemphasized in any training plan.  There are many factors that go into each individual such as regular miles per week, age and previous injury history.  In order to prevent injuries, one must incorporate rest and recovery.

For me, I run 4-5 days and get in 2-3 boot camps per week, so that involves some days with multiple workouts.  Every 4 weeks, I have a cycle down week (20% less miles than usual) and every 13-18 weeks I take a whole week off entirely.  But I am in my mid-40’s, had a meniscus tear and have run about 35,000 miles in my life.   A younger or beginner runner will have a different rest pattern.

If you run 8 miles a day perpetually, for instance, you can only sustain it for a certain amount of time.  Some people will last several years, but most people will simply break down and get some kind of overuse injury.

But you don’t have to!   I’m not saying you will be getting out of shape by taking rest – your body needs it.  It needs to be part of your training regimen.  Don’t increase your mileage by more than 10% from the week before as well as don’t increase your long run by more than 10% either.

Three times in the past year I saw Facebook posts that said something like this:  “This past month I ran the most miles in 1 month in my life … (by about 50-60 miles).”  Within 6 weeks of each post, all 3 runners were injured.  Three different injuries as well (plantars, foot, knee).   This may not happen to everyone, but why take the chance????

#running #runningtips #rest #recovery #cycling #trainingplan #runningcoach