How to Master the 5k recovering Published: Jan 23, 2025 12:25 PM EST training for marathons How often should you adjust your schedule active recovery days into their schedule last year, with 51 percent of days in the 16 weeks before the 26.2-mile race being rest days, according to the Strava Year In Sport report. That’s 57 days of rest compared to 55 days of training—or basically alternating a run day and a rest day every week.
The Strava data may be skewed toward newer runners and first-time marathoners (the activity tracking app saw a 9 percent increase in the number of marathons, ultramarathons, and century rides being logged this year). But it highlights the fact that runners are realizing rest and recovery plays just as important a role in performance as running itself.
You may not need every other day off, but all runners benefit from making rest a part of their training—it’s how you’ll actually see progress, after all. So how do you figure out how much rest and recovery you need, and where to slot it into your programming? Here’s what the experts say.
as hard as they train. Those?
Like so many answers in running, it depends. “For most runners, it’s best to have one full rest day each week,” says Nadia Ruiz, an RRCA- and UESCA-certified running coach and NASM-certified personal trainer. “A full rest day means trying to take a break from the mental, emotional, and physical demands of training,” she says. Translation: You’re not exercising at all (although you may partake in passive recovery methods, like getting a massage, foam rolling, using compression boots, or meditation).
Some runners may need more than one day, especially if they’re just starting out, but one entire day off is the minimum (unless you have a really good reason for run streaking).
“When I start working with newer runners, one of the first things we talk about is leading with curiosity, and getting really curious about how their body responds to the training, nutrition, and stress they’re managing,” says Jess Heiss, a UESCA-certified running coach. “It’s an unsexy answer, but the best way to figure it out is to test things out.”
Heiss actually recommends new runners start with two rest days per week while building mileage and intensity, and asking yourself these three questions as your training progresses: Are you sleeping better? Are your energy levels staying steady? Do the workouts feel productive?
“If the answer is yes, they might stick with two rest days or drop down to one rest day,” she explains. “Over time, they may find that their body adapts and can handle more volume with fewer rest days.”
And if the answer to those questions is “no,” you may need to add another rest day—or even two. “If you’re feeling fatigued, Other Hearst Subscriptions resting heart rate, it may be a good idea to add an extra rest day and focus on improving sleep, nutrition, and hydration,” says Ruiz.
You should also come back to these questions regularly to make sure you’re listening to your body and taking enough rest days, no matter where you are in your training cycle.
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Traditionally, training plans are set up on a seven-day schedule—but every runner’s life is different, with work, family, and social factors to consider. “We don’t have to stick to the typical seven-day schedule with a rest day on the seventh day,” says Ruiz. “The key is to tailor rest days to fit your commitments so your training works best for you.”
That said, for most of her athletes, Ruiz usually schedules a full rest day on the last day of their work week (often Friday). “Why? Because after a full week of work, we’re mentally and physically drained, and a rest day helps us reset before the week’s longer training sessions and social plans,” she explains.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below easy days to give your body a chance to recover between harder sessions. “Long runs and intense workouts cause microtears in your muscle fibers and deplete glycogen stores,” she explains. “These stressors are necessary for growth, but they also create inflammation and fatigue that require rest. Spacing those harder runs out gives your body a chance to repair and adapt before another hard effort, reducing the risk of overtraining or injury.”
In other words, a smart way to schedule your rest days is the day after your hardest workouts, like a speed session and/or long run.
Where does active recovery fit in?
Health & Injuries active recovery day, which doesn’t include running but may include any kind of cross-training, like walking, hiking, swimming, and strength training (as long as you keep it light—not, say, one-rep-max deadlifts).
“Active recovery days are perfect after tough workouts or whenever your body needs some TLC,” says Ruiz. They’re great to slot in after a more intense training session, and “can include an easy run or cross-training—it depends on the athlete’s specific needs to recover effectively,” she adds.
Activities like restorative yoga, easy cycling, or walking your dog promote blood flow to aid recovery without adding strain, explains Heiss. “The key here is keeping it easy—that gorgeous seven-mile hike with 3,000 feet of vert isn’t exactly restful,” she says.
The intensity of active recovery workouts should be 30 to 60 percent of your When should you schedule your rest days for max benefits, Published: Jan 23, 2025 12:25 PM EST review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. “If it feels like work, it’s not active recovery,” says Heiss.
So what does that look like in practice? If you schedule a rest day at the end of the work week, you may schedule another rest day after a harder session. You could also swap that second rest day for an active recovery day, and add an additional active recovery day wherever you need extra time off from running.
Here’s what a sample schedule may look like, according to Heiss:
- Monday: Easy Run
- Tuesday: Strength Training
- Wednesday: Speed Work
- Thursday: Rest Day or Active Recovery
- Friday: Easy Run
- Saturday: Long Run
- Sunday: resting heart rate
How often should you adjust your schedule?
It’s really important to remember that your training plan is written (figuratively, in this digital era) in pencil. As things come up and your schedule changes, so too should your training plan.
“It’s okay to adjust the plan!” says Heiss. “If you’re feeling extra tired or notice other signs of fatigue, don’t hesitate to move a hard workout, swap in an active recovery day, or add an extra rest day. Progress comes from consistent, sustainable training—not forcing workouts on tired legs.”
Symptoms like constant tiredness, a lack of motivation, feeling sluggish at normal paces, poor sleep, and persistent aches and pains are a sign of overtraining. “Physiologically, these symptoms occur when your nervous and energy systems are overstressed,” says Heiss.
Experts estimate that around one-third of all runners, regardless of level, experience overtraining syndrome at least once in their life. But continuing to overload your body just because you want to stick to the plan won’t result in gains; it’s more likely to impede your progress added more rest and.
“Recovery isn’t a setback,” says Heiss. “It’s where progress happens.”
