The question I have been asking myself this week is how long do you rest after a race? 13.1 miles is a considerable distance, the longest I have ever run and my legs feel pretty sore and beat up after this distance. I googled this question and the answers ranged from 1 day off for every mile to 1 day easy for every mile to a few days off to no days off. 13 days off seems too long while no days off seems too short.
Normally I would take off a week or so and not give it a second thought but my dilemma after this particular race is that I actually have another 1/2 Marathon on October 2nd and if I want to score a new PR I can’t really afford to take a whole week off from running. The RnR half was essentially supposed to be just another training run for my next 1/2 marathon but of course it wasn’t because it was still a race and I can’t help but push myself a little harder than normal.
If this were just a regular training run I think I could have continued on my regular schedule but of course regardless of it’s purpose a 13.1 mile race puts more stress on my body. For me personally I felt if I jumped right back into running without at least a few days rest I was asking for trouble by setting myself up for an injury. So I decided to listen to my body and ended up resting for three days before resuming my training with an easy 2 miler yesterday.
A slow 2 miles is just what the doctor ordered. This run really loosened up my legs and even though I am still sore from the 1/2 marathon it felt great to get back outside an run. If I feel good I will probably run a 3 miler tomorrow and a longer run on Saturday. There are only 23 days left until my next had-marathon so if I want to achieve a PR I better step it up and train hard!!!
How much time do you take off after a race??


I think 3 days would be perfect!!! Ultimately, I’d just listen to my body (and head). Sometimes I’m mentally exhausted from training… and just want to “shake it out” run. But if you got another big race coming up… I’d probably hit it within 3 days too. Great job on your last Half!
Thanks Jess!!!!