What do you do on your non session days?

wrstan

On the basis that during a training cycle many people will target 3 sessions a week, including a long run, I have often wondered what do people do on their non session days:
How many non session runs do you typically do in a week (during a normal training cycle)?
How long are they and how many total miles do you cover?
At what pace - easy, base, conversational?
Do you cross train - bicycling, swimming, cross country skiing?

I know that the various training logs provide many answers to these Q's, but what I am most initerested in is the why rather than the what! What approach to you take to non session runs, is it planned and goal oriented with specific objectives for each run, or do you just go out there and cover as many miles as you feel comfortable with (or have time for) at a non taxing pace?

Thanks

B

Outside

What ever I can fit in around work/evening schedule really. I find it beneficial by cycling to work everyday, 10 mile round trip, just enough to loosen out the legs. After one of the hard sessions you can't beat a easy paced run to get the blood flowing to aid recovery. I don't even think about pace and just run easy.

ger664

Recovery runs, swim, gym work whatever so long as all are done in a very easy casual manner.

rom

Personally I do as much as I feel like doing. That could mean an easy 4 miles at lunch, easy 8 miles with the club or a double with a 4 mile and 6 in the evening. Day after a long run I like go for 4+ on the grass, usually best for a chat/run to flush out the legs.

Krusty_Clown

I've recently moved from a P&D style marathon plan, to a Jack Daniels style plan, and they are like chalk and cheese. P&D is: run x miles Monday @ y pace, run z miles at x pace on Tuesday etc.

Jack Daniels is completely different. It describes 2 sessions per week, and the rest is mileage at easy pace when you can fit it in (easy pace at vdot 60 = 7:22/mile). He does recommend that the minimum duration of a run be around an hour, but that seems like more for convenience, based on the amount of time it takes to dress, run, stretch, shower etc. I do find this structure works much better for me at the moment, given long working hours, as I can fit the mileage in where possible. I'm running 80-90 miles per week, so I run a number of doubles, just to work around work/family needs (typically 8-9 miles + 5-6 miles).

I don't worry too much about pace of the easy runs (I don't show pace on the Garmin any longer, just time), but find that they naturally gravitate to the prescribed easy pace a day or two after a session or race.

Last marathon plan I was doing three core/weights sessions per week, but these days, I'm just running. I definitely had a stronger core and upper body strength the last time, but I feel the additional mileage this time around is also yielding results. I might try and add some core/weights over the remaining 7 weeks of the plan, but trying to find the time (and energy) is difficult. My last rest day was June 28th, when I took a day off after hurting my back (ironically from doing a core workout!).

I would love to cross country ski, but I find it difficult to locate suitable snow this time of year (and I have no skis).

ThePiedPiper

My rest days have seemed to keep finding their way towards the treadmill, due to family timetables, etc. In general, I start them at 12km/h, and do a 5-7 mile progressive run, usually finishing at less than 13.5km/h. This represents 8:00 down to 7:00 pace, averaging 7:40. When I get out on the road for recovery runs, I try to keep them in and around 7:35-7:45 pace. I think I got too used to running slow last year, so consider anything over 8:00 to be be the devil.

Some of my other easy days could be with the two kids in the buggy and running with Mrs RFR. Due to her increased fitness and the kids getting bigger and heavier, these are no longer as easy as they once were, but they're a good core workout and very enjoyable.

pconn062

I generally average around 35-50 miles a year all year round usually divided as follows:

Two sessions usually on a Tuesday or a Thursday and the sessions depend on what I'm training for: mile/km repeats, 400/800's, tempo/LT runs the usual stuff.

1 long run on a Sunday anywhere from 10-18 miles (usually at 7:40-8:00 pace)

2 easy runs between 5 and 10 miles depending on time (7:00-7:40 pace, I know that's a big time frame but it depends on who I run with)

1 recovery run, usually around 4 miles @ 8.50 pace

No cross training for me, I find this training structure has worked well for me this year, 1/2 marathon is the longest distance I do so no marathon long runs to worry about. My coach prescribes a quality over quantity approach and I run about the same amount of miles per week as his top runners who hit the same mileage but are running super times, sub 70 for half marathon and sub 9 3k's etc.

rom

A big thing is that if say you only do say 2 sessions and a long run then after a while it will feel like all running is hard work and you will lose focus. Now if you have 1 or two social runs a week where you run with someone at an easy pace for recovery/chat then you don't mind the harder stuff as much.

Krusty_Clown

rom wrote: »

Now if you have 1 or two social runs a week where you run with someone at an easy pace for recovery/chat then you don't mind the harder stuff as much.

Or just toughen up.

Pisco Sour

I rest on my rest days.

It's easy to forget that actually resting and recovering is as beneficial as running. On my days off I do anything but run.

woodchopper

Pisco Sour wrote: »

I rest on my rest days.

It's easy to forget that actually resting and recovering is as beneficial as running. On my days off I do anything but run.

Where is the scientific evidence to back up such landish claims?

If you do not want to run every day of the week that is 100% fine and up to you as it is your life. But dont come on a forum and say that not running a tap after a hard workout is as beneficial as a recovery run because that my friend is as Enduro likes to put it is twaddle!

Blood lactate is elevated the morning after a hard workout. By jogging the athlete can lower this back down and thus provide a greater mechanism for recovery.

Regards,
Woodchooper

dernipper

I suspect that's the difference between a rest day and a recovery day !!

woodchopper wrote: »

Pisco Sour wrote: »

I rest on my rest days.

It's easy to forget that actually resting and recovering is as beneficial as running. On my days off I do anything but run.

Where is the scientific evidence to back up such landish claims?

If you do not want to run every day of the week that is 100% fine and up to you as it is your life. But dont come on a forum and say that not running a tap after a hard workout is as beneficial as a recovery run because that my friend is as Enduro likes to put it is twaddle!

Blood lactate is elevated the morning after a hard workout. By jogging the athlete can lower this back down and thus provide a greater mechanism for recovery.

Regards,
Woodchooper

woodchopper

dernipper wrote: »

I suspect that's the difference between a rest day and a recovery day !!

Rest days = I am too lazy to run so I convince myself that by doing nothing I somehow magically improve. Only fooling oneself

Recovery Day = How can I recover fast from workouts whilst running adequate mileage and improve aerobic capability ( recovery days do not improve aerobic capability for 2.03 Kenyans but do for the rest of us ordinary folk). They still do them however to remove or decrease elevated levels of blood lactate after hard workouts.

Pisco Sour

woodchopper wrote: »

Where is the scientific evidence to back up such landish claims?

If you do not want to run every day of the week that is 100% fine and up to you as it is your life. But dont come on a forum and say that not running a tap after a hard workout is as beneficial as a recovery run because that my friend is as Enduro likes to put it is twaddle!

Blood lactate is elevated the morning after a hard workout. By jogging the athlete can lower this back down and thus provide a greater mechanism for recovery.

Regards,
Woodchooper

Sorry, I should have stated that I do sprints. No such thing as recovery runs in sprinting.

TRR

Pisco Sour wrote: »

Sorry, I should have stated that I do sprints. No such thing as recovery runs in sprinting.

No such thing as a hard day either

ger664

woodchopper wrote: »

Rest days = I am too lazy to run so I convince myself that by doing nothing I somehow magically improve. Only fooling oneself

So u guys under 35 and can recovery in less then 24 hours. when u get to my age u'll be glad of a rest every now and then.

BeepBeep67

When I'm in phases that include sessions my week will have a long run target and a total weekly mileage target. The in between days are used to reach that overall target, if I stretch the daily mileage I can 'treat' myself from time to time.
I would agree with chopper, if I'm taking a full day off it will session +2, not session +1.
I've been coached both ways 1) A rest/recovery day is a slow 30-40 min jog 2) Every 5th day had no running, alternating between a 1.5-2hr bike and full recovery. Personally I prefer to get on a roll and only take a day off if really needed or life dictates.

woodchopper

ger664 wrote: »

So u guys under 35 and can recovery in less then 24 hours. when u get to my age u'll be glad of a rest every now and then.

I am most likely older than you sir

Pisco Sour

woodchopper wrote: »

I am most likely older than you sir

A cranky old man

TFBubendorfer

ger664 wrote: »

So u guys under 35 and can recovery in less then 24 hours. when u get to my age u'll be glad of a rest every now and then.

I'm 42 and I still get my best results from running 7 days a week.

pa4

I usually run how i feel although i try and take it handy the day after a session which means i could average anywhere between 6:30 to 7 mins.

wrstan

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I've recently moved from a P&D style marathon plan, to a Jack Daniels style plan

My apologies if this is a very elementary question, but what is a P&D style plan? I've seen a couple of references to it here but I'm not familiar with it.

Ta

wrstan

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

When I'm in phases that include sessions my week will have a long run target and a total weekly mileage target. The in between days are used to reach that overall target

Thanks Beep, using the overall weekly target to determine your non session days makes a lot of sense!

ger664

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

I'm 42 and I still get my best results from running 7 days a week.

How many did u run this week ? :rolleyes:

ger664

woodchopper wrote: »

I am most likely older than you sir

46 ?

BeepBeep67

wrstan wrote: »

My apologies if this is a very elementary question, but what is a P&D style plan? I've seen a couple of references to it here but I'm not familiar with it.

Ta

It's a book by 2 coaches Pfitzinger & Douglas (P&D) called advanced Marathoning. Based on how many miles per week you are willing to commit with detailed sessions that progress throughout the plan.

TFBubendorfer

ger664 wrote: »

How many did u run this week ? :rolleyes:

Ha ha. It is of course entirely typical that this topic would come up in the one week where I'm not running at all! :rolleyes: