Run Slower, Fall Runs, and Rest Days
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby) September does sometimes feel like a season of new starts, maybe because of all our ingrained memories of heading back to school, and it is a great time to take stock of our athletic life. What training patterns worked so far this year? What has been challenging or unaddressed? Are there still goals left unmet, or is it time to take a step back for some rest? If you’re taking the imminent fall season as a signal for rest, read on for some ideas on slowing down and recovering.
But first, maybe squeeze in a short trail run event to send off summer:
September 26 Fidalgo Trail Run Deception Pass, WA
September 26 Santiam Canyon River Run Salem, OR
September 27 The Auburn Half Marathon, 12K & 5K Auburn, CA
October 3 Perpetua Coast Yachats, OR
October 3 Defiance 50K, 30K & 15K Tacoma, WA
Embrace the easy pace! Watch Steve Magness explain why and how to slow down the majority of your running (spoiler: “easy” is a unique term for each of us) for longevity and performance in the sport.
You Need to Run SLOWER | Your Comprehensive Guide to Easy Runs
Embrace some rest! As much as I fight it, I know we can’t just run our little hearts out day after day, week after week, month after month. If we want to keep running year after year, we’ve got to work in rest periods. Those are rest days within a week, down weeks within a training block, and longer transitions between those blocks.
Rest Day Rules: Why Rest Days Help Runners To Improve
Why You Need Recovery Weeks In Your Training Plan
The Transition Period
Our favorite gear: I still need to move my body a bit during recovery periods, and I always turn to simple, gentle yoga-inspired practice: a basic (but quality) mat, two blocks, and a monthly subscription with Yoga Medicine. The blocks - which bring the floor closer to you - are an indispensable investment to help manage our sometimes, ahem, tight runner’s physiology, and Yoga Medicine has an enormous library of classes, offering whatever you are looking for with down-to-earth teaching and approachable practices for athletes.