You’ve crossed the finish line, collected your medal and maybe even shed a few well-earned tears. Whether it was your first 5K, a half marathon or something longer, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of a race day finish. But now what? If you’re feeling a little lost post-race, or itching to lace up your running shoes again, hold that thought. Because what your body needs most right now isn’t another training plan; it probably needs more rest.

And not the kind of rest where you sneak in a quick 10K because you feel fine, but real, intentional recovery. And this isn’t just about racing either. Building rest into your regular routine as a runner is one of the most powerful tools you have to boost performance, support your hormones and stay injury-free.

Why are rest days so important?

Let’s dive into why rest days are our secret weapon as runners, and how to use them wisely.

It’s tempting to think progress comes from pushing harder, running faster or logging more miles, but real fitness gains happen in the recovery phase, when you give your body time to repair, rebuild and come back stronger. Skipping rest limits your potential and leads to injury, hormonal disruption and burnout.

It can be really tempting to look at the rest days that are planned into your week and use them as an opportunity to take part in another activity instead, such as hiking up a mountain or heading to an exercise class at the gym. In fact, you should treat rest days as days where you do nothing active, and you need to make sure they’re spread out across your training week too. There’s little benefit to training for three or four days in a row and then resting for the rest of the week. The rest days are there to recover from the previous bout of training.

The science behind rest days

Every time you go for a run, whether it’s a gentle jog or a speed session, you create tiny amounts of stress and damage in your muscles. Your body responds by rebuilding those muscles to be stronger and more efficient. This is known as super-compensation, which is a physiological process where your fitness improves after the training session, not during it.

If you don’t allow enough time for that recovery, your body doesn’t get the chance to rebuild. If you train again too soon, you’re piling stress on top of stress. This can often lead to fatigue, poor performance and potentially overtraining syndrome. Taking regular rest days allows your body to repair muscles, but can also help in restoring glycogen (carbohydrate stores), rebalancing hormones and supporting your immune system.

What is DOMS?

As a runner, it’s normal to feel some aches after a run. It’s your body’s way of telling you that you have worked the muscles. It can affect people of all fitness levels and isn’t something to worry about, unless you’re feeling more pain than aches. (If that’s the case, you should see a medical expert for a diagnosis.)

DOMS

DOMS is an acronym for delayed-onset muscle soreness. It’s most commonly felt by runners who are starting out completely new, coming back from a long period of rest or who have either raced a hard race or have pushed themselves hard during a run, like an interval session or hill sprints.

It tends to show itself between 24 and 48 hours after an activity, but isn’t a cause for concern. The reason it happens is because of microscopic damage to the muscle fibres. Scientists believe this damage causes the pain and indicates that the muscle has been worked hard. It is the beginning of a cycle of your body adapting to the training stimulus you have given it. When bodybuilders talk about getting ‘ripped’, it’s these micro-tears and subsequent healing of them that is at play. They are critical to building muscle mass, so you don’t need to be concerned.

What is periodisation?

One of the advantages of having a coach or following a training plan is the idea of periodisation, which means splitting training blocks into specific chunks where there are tougher training periods coupled with planned adaptation periods where intensity and volume might be lower. So, for example, you might do three really tough weeks followed by an easier rest week where you still run but not as hard or far.

Some coaches aim for a period of what’s called ‘functional overreaching’, which is a kind of overload where you push your body very hard for a defined period, and then back off to recover and adapt. This ‘super-compensation’ leads to improved performance.

There’s a very fine line between functional overreaching and just digging yourself a hole from which you can’t recover. For those of us without coaching input, it’s better to err on the side of caution, and this is where monitoring comes in. It involves logging your miles while also thinking about the mix of intensity, duration and frequency of your runs. The way that you structure your running week to allow you to cope and recover is really important.

Using an app to track your training, or even old school pen and paper or a spreadsheet, can help you see it all laid out, and potentially spot any issues, like maybe doing a hard interval workout too soon after a long run. Try and be flexible with it. When life gets in the way, it can be tempting to feel like you still need to do exactly what you had planned.

How to recover after a race

After a race, especially if it’s your first, your body is in a state of controlled breakdown. Even if you feel good, your muscles, joints and nervous system are all crying out for a pause.

72 hours after your race

In the immediate aftermath, prioritise hydration. You’ve likely lost fluids and electrolytes. Sip water and add electrolyte tablets if needed. Water makes up 60% of your total body weight and is lost throughout the day through sweating, urinating and breathing. The loss of water from our bodies is accelerated when we run and exercise, especially in a hard run or race. The best thing you can do for your recovery, as soon as you finish a race, or get back from a run, is to drink water. It’s important to replace the fluids lost during exercise through sweat, as it helps to restore your electrolyte balance. Our electrolytes are essential for our bodies to function because they balance the amount of water in our body, move waste out of our cells and make sure that our nerves, muscles, heart and brain work the way they should.

As a very rough rule of thumb, for every kilogram of body weight you lose on a run, you need to drink one-and-a-half litres of fluid. For most people, it’s easy enough to simply drink little and often throughout the day. There are some really handy water bottles that have drink reminders printed onto them which encourage you to drink a certain amount of water in increments of time.

Think also about your nutrition. Focus on protein and carbohydrates to repair muscles and replenish glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose that’s made up of connected glucose molecules. Glucose, which is considered a natural sugar when consumed directly from whole foods like apricots and dates, is your body’s main source of energy. It comes from carbohydrates in certain foods that you eat.

This is why long-distance runners talk about ‘carb-loading’ before a race. Simply put, carb-loading is topping up those stores to make sure you have plenty of reserves available, which are then topped up during longer endurance efforts with fuel like energy gels and sports drinks. There is only a finite amount of glycogen that your body can store in your muscles. Studies show most people can store a maximum of 15 grams of glycogen per kilogram of body mass.

Some suggestions for post-run food include eggs on toast, salmon and sweet potatoes, or a smoothie with banana and Greek yogurt.

You might be up for some gentle movement when you’re resting. Walking, foam rolling or a light stretch can help reduce stiffness, but skip anything that raises your heart rate significantly. Ignore what everyone else looks like they are doing on Instagram or Strava. It’s not a competition of who can get back out running soonest; that’s a recipe for disaster.

The week after your race

Experts recommend a full week of little-to-no running after a big race. The elites stick to this rule, so there’s no reason we can’t too. Especially if you did a race longer than a 10K.

If you can, prioritise quality sleep. This is easier said than done, especially with family or work commitments. But this is really when the body does its deepest healing work, so if you can get some good sleep in the bag, you’re giving yourself the best possible shot at recovering well.

This is exactly why elite athletes get a minimum of nine hours of sleep a night and also schedule naps into their training days. When we sleep, our body is working away, repairing any micro-damage done to it through exercise. There’s an increase in blood flow to our muscles, which means more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to them to help repair and regenerate cells.

Now, we don’t all have the luxury of daytime naps or uninterrupted sleep of nine hours or more; family, work, perimenopause and sleep problems can all put paid to that. But in order to get the most out of your recovery, getting as much good-quality sleep as you can should be a consideration.

Good-quality sleep can look different to different people, but there are some things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene; a term used to describe your surroundings and sleep habits.

Avoiding caffeine in the afternoon, scrolling on your phone too close to bedtime and making sure you have a dark, cool room to sleep in are some easy wins. More than anything though, listen to your body. If you feel sluggish, sore or emotionally flat, it’s normal; running takes a toll physically and mentally. Allow yourself time to come back. This might mean enjoying some non- running activities, like walking the dog, gardening or leisurely swimming. These help blood flow without overloading the system. Here’s an example of a sensible post-race recovery timeline, which explains what to focus on in the days following the hard effort:

• 0–3: Hydrate, refuel, sleep, gentle walks
• 4–7: Active recovery, no intense training
• 7–10: Light runs, cross-training if feeling ready
• 10+: Resume structured training if fully recovered

Recovery and periods

For women runners, rest and recovery aren’t just about muscles and metabolism, they’re also about hormonal balance. Your menstrual cycle, and the hormonal changes during it, affects your recovery capacity, muscle repair and performance. Understanding this can be a powerful tool in your recovery armoury.

Follicular phase (Day 1-14)

The follicular phase begins on the first day of your period. Estrogen rises, making you feel more energetic and resilient. Your body generally recovers faster here, so you may bounce back from hard sessions more quickly.

Luteal phase (Day 15-28)

Progesterone dominates and estrogen dips. You may feel more fatigued, sluggish or experience disrupted sleep. Recovery takes longer. During this phase, your core temperature tends to be slightly higher and you’re more prone to dehydration and inflammation.

After a race or during hard training weeks, it’s especially important to schedule more rest and self-care during your luteal phase. That might mean longer recovery runs, more stretching, and embracing the nap (if you can). Tracking your cycle (which you can do on several apps) can help you identify patterns and plan around it.

The signs of overtraining

Overtraining is a complex issue, but it’s worth saying that there’s a distinction between pushing too hard on a particular day or during a short period and chronic overtraining syndrome (also referred to as Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome). There are two main symptoms of overtraining; an increased state of fatigue and an increased perception of the effort required during training. But there are many other symptoms as well.

Chronic overtraining and inadequate rest can disrupt your hormonal balance, especially for women in their 30s-50s who may be perimenopausal or experiencing menstrual irregularities. Signs you’re overdoing it include:

• Irregular or missing periods
• Poor sleep, especially waking between 2-4am
• Persistent fatigue or low mood
• Decreased performance despite consistent effort
• Increased injuries, especially tendons or stress fractures

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, more rest, not more miles, is likely to be the solution.

Active vs passive recovery

Not all rest is created equal. There’s a difference between total rest and active recovery and both can have a place in your training plan.

Passive rest is what most people think of as proper rest. It’s zero exercise, like lounging, reading or binge-watching Netflix. It’s essential after races or intense sessions to reduce muscle fatigue and lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

Active recovery is low-intensity movement that promotes blood flow without causing stress. This could be a slow, flat walk, easy cycling, gentle yoga, mobility work or foam rolling. Active recovery can help flush out metabolic waste, such as lactic acid. It can also reduce muscle soreness, and improve circulation.

How many rest days should I take?

Even if you’re not racing, your body needs downtime to process training loads. A common mistake among new or improving runners is thinking that consistency means no days off. That’s not true! Recovery is what allows consistency in the long run.

The number of rest days you need depends on your training intensity, your age and how your body feels.

• Beginner runners
  Aim for at least two full rest days per week. Your body is still adapting to new stresses.
• Intermediate/improving runners
  One to two rest or active recovery days per week. Adjust based on your training block and how you feel.
• After hard sessions (intervals, hill reps, long runs)
  Follow up with a low-intensity day or complete rest.

What if I struggle to take rest days?

Rest days shouldn’t feel like a punishment. But they can often feel forced and like you’re being ‘unproductive’. While running might have started as a hobby, a recent study actually showed that exercise addiction is becoming increasingly common. It affects almost 1 in 10 people. If you catch yourself feeling guilty for not exercising, and feel yourself getting anxious as a result, you might want to have a reset.

Another benefit of taking a rest day is that it allows you to spend time doing other things. Hopefully running isn’t 100% of your life, but sometimes it can feel like our identity revolves around being a runner. Taking a rest day can give you the opportunity to try new things and see friends and family. There’s no magic cure to not feeling the guilt, but there are many ways to embrace the rest day. Do something for you that you might not otherwise have had time to, such as batch cooking, booking a massage, catching up on sleep and taking mindful walks. Use this time to reconnect with your ‘why’ goals, and care for the body that carries you through every run.

Rest days aren’t lazy. They’re part of the plan. They help you become a stronger and more resilient runner, especially as your body changes through your 40s, 50s and beyond. Whether you’ve just crossed a finish line or are gearing up for the next one, don’t underestimate the power of pressing pause. As with other parts of your life, you don’t build endurance by grinding non-stop. You build it by showing up, stepping back and giving your body what it needs.

If you can learn to fully embrace your rest days, your running will thank you. Remember to take that break; you’ve earned it.

Finished a big race? Here’s how to recover after a marathon.