You’ve been running a lot lately. You are training for a big race and more importantly, you are a runner, that’s just what you do. You run; everyday. Even if you are feeling a little sick or maybe tired, you still go for a run. Running cures everything. “I have a fever and the only cure is…more Running.” Sorry Christopher Walken, but that’s just not the case.
Many runners hate taking a day off from running; conversely, skipping rest is the most common over-training injury. Weird. Your muscles need rest. Running puts strain on your muscles which causes microtrauma and small tears. Your muscles gain strength when your body is able to rest and repair them. Without recovery, these tears become more susceptible to injury and over-training. We as Americans never over-eat, over-analyze, or over-heat (I’m a blog artist, interpret “over-heat” however it strikes you) so why do we over-train?
It is because we live in a go fast, work-hard society which I am all for, but we need to have some perspective on this. For instance, if you are sick, it isn’t a good idea to exercise heavily. A good rule of thumb to keep you from overextending yourself is if the symptoms are from the neck up, like a head cold, you are fine to run. If the symptoms are below the neck, like a chest cold or diarrhea, it’s better to not exercise and stay inside…perhaps close to a toilet. If you are sick, you need to rest and get the sleep you need. One common mistake is to give up sleep to exercise when you are feeling ill. It has been proven for centuries, the best thing for any illness is sleep and rest. I mean, we all know that “Doctors” were created by Universities who just wanted to charge students tuition for 12 years rather than the standard 4. It increased college tuition revenue by 200% but it didn’t change the fact that the universal cure for any illness is rest. So rest.
Believe it or not, you don’t have to run everyday. I read a runner’s blog today who had been running for 6 years and a month straight, without one day off. His 1-mile PR was just under 7:00 min and his other PRs were about at that same level of accomplishment. According to these PRs, I think he would have benefited from a day off. Give your body a rest and take the day off. A good alternative is to stretch or do some light exercise. You can go for a walk with your significant other or children, play a friendly tennis game, or play some B-ball down at your local YMCA. You can still exercise without straining the same muscles you do everyday when running.
I know you are a Serious Runner. You’re on this website aren’t you? It’s fine though. Swallow your pride, put on your comfy pants, sit on the couch, make a bowl of peanut butter and take a rest day. It’s really not that hard.
If it makes you feel better, do like this guy did. Put on your running shoes and clothes and fall asleep on a palm tree patterned couch. Then, wake up and tell yourself you just came back from a 6 mile run! Repeat as necessary.
Looks to me like that guy on the couch is enjoying a rest. Was this before or after a run?