Week 3 run 1 - was tough....!! - rest days... Is that a must...? And diet...??

[Mrsb81]

Hi all, I've just finished my first run on week 3 and I've got to say it was quite tough however I enjoyed it...!! Just a quick question though... I'm getting quite addictive to this running lark... I never thought I'd actually enjoy going for a run!! But how important is it to leave a days rest...? I've been going for a run nearly everyday..!! Last week I completed 5 runs on week 2 programme. Also looking to start an healthy eating plan next week... Can anyone recommend a diet that compliments this running programme?

[rcp27 Graduate]

The rest days are absolutely vital. The human body works in a funny way. If you go and do just a little bit of exercise (say walking to the shops) that is well within your capabilities, then nothing much happens. If you go and massively overload your body, then something big breaks, and you have a great big injury. If you do something in between, though, something peculiar happens. You will create microscopic precursor injuries. Just a little bit of overstretched tissue here and there, not so much as you will notice. The body reacts by recognising that this tissue is not quite up to the demands placed on it, and rebuild it bigger and stronger than it was before. This rebuilding process takes time. If you repeat the process of stressing these tissues before the healing process is complete, you will create more of these microscopic precursors, and you can accumulate them faster than your body can heal them. When this happens, eventually they combine together and form one of the various kinds of chronic injuries associated with running. The purpose of the rest days, and the rate at which the exercise in the C25k program increases is designed to ensure that you always stay on the safe side, so that the healing and re-growing process in your body can keep pace with the new demands you are placing on it. It might feel a little frustrating now, but the alternatives are far worse.

[Rupertlebear Graduate in reply to rcp27]

What an interesting analogy rcp27.

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I've been entering food and exercise into myfitnesspal.com using either the web site or the associated phone app depending on what is more convenient. Basically, it is a calorie counted diet and you are allocated calories depending on the data you input about yourself. With the phone app, you can enter prepared foods just by scanning the bar code on the package, which is very convenient.

I described myself as totally sedentary despite doing C25K. This means that for every bit of exercise I enter, I am given extra calories that day and I can choose to eat as many of them as I want. I just like that feeling of earning extra treats!

I started C25K at the start of January and was watching what I ate in an informal way. I then started using MFP at the start of February. Since the new year, I have lost 15 lbs very painlessly.

MFP also has forums, but I do not use them. In contrast to HealthUnlocked, are too many unfriendly and judgmental people on there!

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The rest days are a necessity if you want to avoid risk of injury. You can do some other (low impact) form of exercise though if you wish to and this can enhance your fitness programme. Best wishes.

[YJB1 Graduate]

Yes, rpc27 is exactly right. In a nutshell, to get fitter your body has to adapt to the strains you put on it. Those adaptations take place while you are resting, not while you are exercising. You may appear to get away with it for a while but if you don't take rest days you will start to notice your fitness declining and you will start to get injured. Later (much later) when you are very fit, you can do a 'hard' run one day and an 'easy' run the next day, but that is a long way off. A running coach I know recommends at least 18 months of regular medium mileage running before you run on consecutive days.

[Windswept1 Graduate]

I would recommend the 'sister' site for weight loss, with lots of advice about healthy eating. nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight/...

Although I eat more calories when exercising hard.

[Mrsb81]

Thanks ever so much for your replies everyone... Really helpful.. Xx