Today is a rest day

Today is a rest day. This means that today Judy or I do no walking or running at all (of course Judy and I do a certain amount of walking while doing daily activities to keep our house and yard in good shape). Judy and I have walked this week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and we will walk on Saturday (Sunday is also a rest day). This activity will have put a lot of stress on our bodies. Since this stress can lead to injuries, the purpose of a rest day is to allow our bodies to better adapt to our walking or running by giving our bodies an extra day without walking or running. The end result of all of this is that our bodies are subjected to less stress during the week and hence less likely to have injuries during the week.

One problem to be addressed is the possibility of injuries occurring during the days we have walked or run. It is true that our bodies have been subjected to stress during the five days we will walk or run, so it is important that other procedures be performed during those days such that no injuries occur. Experience has shown that the walking or running will not cause injuries if the distance and severity of those walks or runs are kept low enough that injuries do not occur. The length of a walk or run on Wednesday is longer than the length of a walk or run on the other days. So, injuries might occur due to the walk or run on Wednesday. However, the walk or run on Wednesday is such that injuries do not occur.

A walk or run on Saturday is longer than the walk or run on other days, and this increase in walking or running increases the stress on our bodies. Again, the increase in Saturday's walk or run is kept under control such that injuries do not occur due to the longer distance or faster walk or run on Saturday.

If we look at ourselves for the whole week, we realize that the stress on a weekly basis will not cause injuries. It is true that the walk or run on Wednesday and Saturday causes greater stress than the other days, but the walk or run of the other days gives our bodies the days to reduce the over-all stress such that we are able to walk or run free of injuries at any time during the week. Rest days are also included to reduce the stress on our bodies.

The running literature suggests that during one week per month less distance or speed be reduced such that our bodies are given the chance to walk or run with less stress on our bodies. The literature also suggests that every third or fourth month the monthly distance or speed be decreased to reduce the stress on our bodies.

Another factor in walking or running is that increases in distance or speed are made with small increases rather than with large increases. This leads to the so-called 10% rule. It is easier on our bodies if we take several small steps rather than one large step. The literature also suggests that days of heavy (that is, normal) walking or running be followed by days of light (about half the distance or a heavy walk or run) walking or running. This due to the fact that it takes approximately 48 hours to recover from a heavy walk or run. This is known as "heavy/light" running or walking. I don't follow heavy/light running, because I follow the procedure of walking or running a medium and a long walk or run each week. When I did smaller distance or speed I did do heavy/light running. The important thing is that one does procedures to reduce stress.