Do I have to have a rest day?

[Monicamoo]

I finished c25k a few years ago and was running regularly ever since. I stop for 2 years because I was pregnant and had a baby. I started again and I’m now on week 5 but because I’ve gone back to work now I can only run at the weekends. My question is can I run Saturday and Sunday? I know the coaches strongly recommend a rest day but is it really necessary?

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

There will be more informed answers than mine, but after a break of 2 years plus having a baby (that changes your body) don't push it, take your rest day, the runs will wait and better to increase your fitness slowly than hobble around for weeks injured. Just enjoy what you are doing and maybe with lighter evenings coming up you may be able to pop out in an evening or two.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Yes. Those rest days, no matter where we are in our running are needed. SueAppleRun has given you some ideas... and maybe, is there any chance of running at lunchtime... run to work , home from work or after work?

The longer runs do increase the wear on tear, micro tears on the muscles which could result in injury! Better to try and find 30 minutes somewhere, to get the runs done... or just fit in which runs you are able.

Good to see you back here and raring to go though

[Tasha99 Graduate]

I didn’t run on consecutive days for at least the first 6 months. Gradually, you can increase and after 6 years I can run several days consecutively but that’s built up over years.

[PaulS83]

The level of relative effort that your body is putting in at the moment means that rest is productive.

Your body isn’t actually resting, but by not running you’re giving it a chance to rebuild / repair / strengthen itself.

Even if running back-to-back doesn’t directly lead to injury (it’s an extreme case), it will give you diminishing returns from the activities (i.e the positive benefits become reduced).

At the moment, your rest days are equally as productive and valuable to your fitness journey as run days, so stick with them.

[Jell6 Graduate in reply to PaulS83]

I mean, you are making actual sense🤣🤣🤣

.

[PaulS83 in reply to Jell6]

Maybe I’m making sense is because I’ve finally infiltrated your mind. 🧐

Now you’re one of us! 😵‍💫

One of us! One of us!

[Jell6 Graduate in reply to PaulS83]

This is deeply disturbing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[nowster Graduate in reply to PaulS83]

I found out the diminishing returns thing this time last year. I properly graduated C25K back in November 2020. (I did finish it back in August but sprained my ankle and couldn't run for a month.)

In 2023 I ran every single day up to and including 30 March. I had a nasty fall (walking) on the 31st which broke the sequence.

What I noticed was that I wasn't properly getting over little injuries. They'd be OK during short runs but doing anything over 5km was troubled with little niggles. And in 2022 I was running 5-6 days in a week without problems: including doing a half marathon distance monthly.

At the end of last year and the start of this one I didn't get much opportunity to run and lost fitness.

I'm going to run every day this month (mostly short, low heart rate ones), but at the end of it I'll go back to adding in rest days regularly.

But for someone who is redoing C25K after a long absence, it is even more important to take those rest days as the likelihood is that you'll subconsciously be pushing yourself harder than the first time.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to nowster]

This is exactly my experience of running every day too. It works for some but I do much better keeping decent rest days and strength training. Running every day just burns me out and kills my enjoyment.

Hope it’s a good February challenge for you and things are going ok with all the busyness of life at the moment.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

Just echoing everyone else. I didn’t start running on consecutive days until six months of regular running. I often do it now but usually one run is much shorter and easier than the other. Couch to 5k doesn’t give you that option. I’d keep the rest day from running and use it for strength training instead which will have real benefits for the runs, perhaps even more than running three times a week! You could do some other cross training such as walking, swimming, yoga, cycling etc as another option. The programme will take you longer but in the grand scheme of things, does that matter?

Wishing you lots of luck!

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

If you can only run at weekends, then my suggestion is to try and space out your 2 runs as much as possible.

Ideally that would be Friday evening followed by a run on the Sunday. But I'm guessing after a week's work that isn't going to happen.

The next best would be Saturday morning, followed by Sunday night - giving you more or less 36 hours rest in-between.

If they end up being only 24 hours apart, you at least then have 5 non-running/rest days - that's a silver lining.

I hope you can work something out.

Good luck!