Hi all,
Started this after awful breakup , low self esteem and a 3 stone weight gain !! I’ve just finished W2 and enjoyed it , most of the time .... 😉 I’m desperate to see results and build some confidence I myself , so I want to run most days , but the FAQ’s state to give your body a days rest ... does anyone else run consecutive days ??
Always take your rest days.
Unless you are very fit, running every day is going to cause muscle and ligament damage.
Your muscles are going to get micro tears in the fibres when you run, and need time to repair. If you run on consecutive days, these never fully heal. And it builds up until it starts hurting and you cannot run. And then you’ll spend ages on the injury couch.
If you have loads of energy, find a non-impact activity for your rest days: swimming, cycling, stretching, yoga. Anything to improve both your fitness and tone.
Literally 100,000’s of folks have done C25K: the ‘running 3x per week’ is trued and tested.
Thanks for replying MarkyD.. your advice makes sense , I will keep to the rest days then and find other ways to keep moving !! I’m determined to get fit , happy and healthy 😁
I know how you feel, I've had such a buzz from the runs I've wanted to go straight back out and do the next one.
I've managed to resist, listening to those more knowledgeable on here. Kept myself busy on the forum so still feel involved. And on the rest days I do something else - Zumba, circuit training, walking the kids 👍
Thank you for replying .. it really does give you such a buzz 😀
Well done. Enthusiasm is great but if you are a new runner you really do need to take your rest days, otherwise you will probably not be running in a few weeks time, because the injury risk increases as the demands increase.
You create micro tears in your muscles when you run. These repair and strengthen on your rest days. With no rest, there is no repair, no strengthening and your injury risk rises. It takes many months for your body to develop to the point where it is considered wise to run on consecutive days.
If you want to be the best runner you can be, then doing other non impact exercise on your rest days will strengthen the rest of your body. This is far more effective for a new runner than running every day Running is not just about the legs.
Of course you can do exactly as you wish, but the advice is given to try to prevent the failure to become a runner because you give up due to injury.
There are no safe shortcuts and if you don't have the patience to follow a nine week plan, then maybe running is not an appropriate pastime for you.
Take care.
Great advice, thank you 👍🏻 I will look into other strength exercises, as I want to see this plan through and hopefully carry on to run further ..
Prepare yourself for the avalanche of NOOOOOOO!!
.. but “rest day “is a misnomer. It really means “not impact exercise“. In between runs you can walk, cycle, swim, try strength and flex exercise, Pilates, yoga,-the world is your non-running oyster!
Apparently consecutive day running is fine after a year or two , when your running body is well established. 😀
Thanks Elfe5 .. think I’m just getting I but carried away with the feel good endorphins after 6 months of hell !!! All this exercise makes you want to eat healthy which then helps the brain to think more positively and feel good about yourself 😊 going to give yoga a go I think
Noòooooo I stand on my feet all day and have got on so much better with 2 rest days. Stick with the plan it works 😉.
Yes as I starting week 6 today I’m realising how important rest days are 👍🏻 the plan definitely does work 😁
No don’t run on consecutive days! Do 3 a week 👌🏽
Yes I’m definitely having rest days and have realised how important they are as the weeks have gone on 👍🏻 W6 R1 later 😀😀
Just finished Week 4 Run 2...
Just finished week 2 run 2
Two rest days between every run cheating? 
Just finished run 1 of week 2 - KNACKERED!
Do you run every other day or 3 runs a week? 
