Runners need to take a break once in a while. I recommend getting away from running once or twice a year for a week or two. But isn't it hard to get back into running (or, for that matter, any exercise routine) after a layoff? Yes, it is, but there's a great way to make it easier.
Why is it important to get away from running? Two reasons. Your body needs a break and your mind needs a break. Even if you follow a carefully crafted training plan that includes appropriate resting and easier running, the vast majority of us still need to take a complete (or almost complete) break from it to let our bodies recover. I found it interesting during the coaching training I received over the past couple of years that there are rigorous scientific reasons for doing just about everything, but not so much for this kind of break. The conventional wisdom was more "If you don't take a break once or twice a year, you won't improve as much in the long term." That's more empirical or anecdotal than scientific, but seems to be no less correct.
The second reason - taking a break for your mind's sake - is an easy sell. Everyone starts to get bored with running after a while. It starts to seem more like a chore than a pleasure. Usually, after just a few days of not running, most runners start to wish they were out there running.
But what happens if you sit on the couch for two weeks, then strap on your trainers and head out the door? Ouch. You get sore. You can't run as far. Or as fast. You start to wonder "Why did I take that time off? Now I have to start over." Suddenly, that goal of running a half marathon in June or beating your time from 1997 in Bay to Breakers looks like much more of a reach.
The solution? Don't just sit on the couch. One of the coaches who spoke at a training session I attended last year told a story about one of his collegiate runners who had suffered a torn ACL (or something - I forget). The traditional recovery for the injury was about a year. This runner decided, on his own, to supplement the standard recovery protocol with walking. He came to the team's workouts and walked. If they ran hills, he walked hills. If they ran long, he walked long. To make a long story short, he was back competing within about 7 or 8 months. The key to his recovery was staying active, especially with the walking, which, of course, uses similar muscles to running.
After I ran the Midway Shelter 5k race on December 7th, I needed a break. (Now, you certainly don't have to go overboard being active during a break from running by riding 175 miles in the French Alps over a 4-day span, like a certain someone I know.) From December 8th through the end of 2013, I ran a whopping 30 miles, which is an average of less than 9 miles a week (I usually average between 20 & 30 per week). But in those 24 days, I did a total of 18 aerobic workouts. I walked a total of 13 miles and biked more than 50. Then, when I was ready to get back into running after returning from a New Years in Southern California, I was able to jump right in at almost the same level I was when I took my break. Starting January 5th and including today, I will have run 9 out of 10 days, averaging a little less than my typical mileage (about 4 miles a run instead of 5), and running almost as fast (about 3 or 4 of the runs at under 8:00 per mile pace). Do I feel sore? No. And now I am re-excited to get out and run, and wondering what it will take to make my time goal for Bay to Breakers....
What did you do during your break from running?
Marty Beene, Owner of Be The Runner, holds certifications from USA Track & Field (Level 2 Endurance Coach) and from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (Personal Trainer, Fitness Nutrition and Senior Fitness Specialist). He coaches adult runners of all abilities individually and in groups.
