“Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.”

-          Oprah Winfrey

For months Team GBI has put forth amazing training efforts that include stretching, cross training, cardio training and distance training.  Go Team GBI!  However, today I’d like to remind everyone that what you put into your training also includes what you do on your rest days.  Rest days are important in order to allow our muscles to relax and rejuvenate as injury is the #1 mistake of beginning marathon runners.  Remember that our muscles are resting on these days but our nutritional habits should remain consistent.  

The brain is a powerful thing which can help or sometimes hinder us.  For some of us when we hear the word “rest” we think “take a break” and sometimes this includes a break from being focused on what you are eating.  Keep in mind that rest days are not meant to be rest days with food.  You may even need to focus more on nutrition during rest days because while your body is not exercising, beta endorphins are not being produced.  The production of beta endorphins causes the “feel good” rush you have after exercise.  Another reason you may need additional nutritional focus on rest days is that you may have more down time during rest days.  This can create an environment for possible snacking.  Remember that mental stamina is an essential part of training.

What to do during rest days:

1.      Stay mentally focused by reading motivational books, taking the time to do a meditation, journal your training progress or stretch.

2.      If you have injuries or sore muscles do light swimming, biking or stretching.  Keeping the body in motion may alleviate the soreness.  Remember to be mindful not to overdo it.

3.      Continue to stay focused on hydrating yourself and eating foods that will support your goals like complex carbohydrates and healthy proteins.  Remember, what you eat on rest days will affect how you run the next day.  A perfect example may be our last long run on Sunday.  It was our smallest turn out since we started training. Halloween was the day before.  I trained that day but I have to say that was the hardest training day for me since we started the training.  I ate more candy on Saturday than I usually do which I know affected my run on Sunday.

It’s all about awareness and making choices that will support your intentions as well as creating an environment for enjoying the process of training.  Let’s keep up our good work and give it all we’ve got!

Happy and Healthy Running,

Prudence