W5+ what should I do on my rest days?

[Fitzy2754]

Hi. I'm new to this community! I've just finished w5r2 (a bit nervous for r3) but now I feel like I need some stretches or something to do on my rest days. And I'm going away for the bamk holiday weekend and won't be able to run but I don't want to lose my momentum.

What exercises do you do on rest days?

(Btw I run every other day rather than just 3 times a week. Do other people do that?)

[telford_mike Graduate]

I find a walk is really good on rest days. If I stay in the house doing domestic stuff the next run is always more difficult, so an hour or two walking seems to keep everything moving and it certainly helps.

[sallenson Graduate]

Low-impact aerobics are good (cycling, cross-training, all that) but you should also be doing some strengthening exercises for your "core" muscles. Bridges, squats, planks, leg raises, etc, etc. All good and will make you a stronger runner too

Don't worry about running every other day, but take an additional rest day if you need it.

Final thought. They're not "rest days". They're "repair days". They when your body repairs all those micro-tears you develop when you're out running. Your "repair days" are when you actually get stronger. So promise me you won't ever skip one

[Matilda2903 Graduate]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I run every other day, but I hadn't been doing any other exercise except walking the dog on my rest days. However, I recently found a yoga for beginners on YouTube and I'm finding that it's really helping with aching limbs etc. Not sure if that's the right thing to be doing, but it's working for me!

Week 5, run 3 is brilliant by the way. Just take it nice and slow and you'll be fine. Good luck 🙏😁👍

[YamCat]

I usually go for a walk on the days I’m not running. A nice long walk and listen to a radio 4 play or some such

[cheekychipmunks Graduate]

Hi Fitzy, I walk my dog and do yoga on my rest days. I like to do something! I occasionally have a total veg day which feels good, but I’m always itching to get back out running. I’d run every day if it was the thing to do! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[icklegui Graduate]

You've had some great ideas here! If you're looking to add something new to your fitness routine you could pop over to the Strength and Flex forum where Realfoodieclub has started a 6 week challenge to add something new to your repertoire. I've started swimming! You could, of course, do the NHS Strength and Flex podcasts themselves

[Crawlhome Graduate]

I also run every other day except when commitments interfere with that.

On my rest days I've found it really helpful to do Pilates which stretches everything , strengthens my core and has helped with various pains I've had along the way, YouTube has some great Pilates videos, because why pay?

I also walk loads but more through necessity than choice!

Good luck and Happy running!