As you’re all painfully aware at this stage, I’ve signed up to Janathon – a challange where the idea is to work-out every day in January and to blog about it. It’s a great kick off for the year as one of those ‘begin as you mean to go on’ motivators.
So, my work out today? Rest.
Yep, that’s right. I did not work-out. I didn’t run, I didn’t cross-train, and although I danced around the living room for a while with my 14 month old I personally don’t count that as working-out.
So, why am I counting rest as a work-out (under the rules of Janathon, that is)? Take a peruse though the Runner’s World article Are You Overtraining. I am not overtraining, but I know that I have a bit of a habit of getting to a stage where I’m doing too much. Currently I cross-train once a week and run five days a week. My body simply needs one day to rest. I count rest as a work-out for a few simple reasons 1) I’m not resting because I’m lazy, I’m resting because my body requires downtime in order to repair and 2) I want to run a marathon, undertake a 24 hour run (in a team of only three) AND run a 50 miler this year – I can’t afford to take several weeks out because I’ve overtrained.
Knowing when your body needs to rest isn’t weak. I count it because I don’t think it really contravenes the spirit of Janathon. So that’s it. Each Friday during January, as during the rest of 2013, is for rest. No questions.
You are very wise to listen to your body and take rest days. I learned that lesson the hard way.
Yes, I admit that I gave my body a bit of a beating in the past. I’ve also got a husband who – bless him – is more of an undertrainer than an overtrainer so in one way I tried to not make his mistake and ended up making my own!
Wise wise words. Resting is training – it only isn’t training when you do more resting than actual training!
I wish more people understood that rest days should be a proper part of training. As I say (and you as well) resting because you need rest and resting because you’re lazy are totally different things!