Day of Rest

One of the hardest parts about running for me is that once I get into a good motivating groove its hard for me to stop and realize my body needs a break. My first reaction is always, "If I stop now my motivation will die." Then I think, "If I don't take a break... my motivation will die!" So if you leave my blog with any more then this tid bit you are in great shape already.

So what to do when you know you need to take a day off but you are in the middle of such a great groove you think, "bring the marathon now!"? I tend to take breaks on the days when I know I already have a lot planned. For example my Saturdays are great days to take breaks because not only do I still work in the am on Saturdays but I teach English for 2 hours, then usually walk down to the market, then explore as much as I can of this wonderfully vast city! Not only am I taking a break from running which is allowing my muscles to rebuild and strengthen which means my running only IMPROVES but I am still burning calories since my entire day is full of walking (and Istanbul is not flat let me tell you...). So its really a win win for me.

Here is an article on why its so important to take a break
http://www.therunnersguide.com/rest/

So today is Saturday and its my rest day. My rest days are never scheduled but I always have at least two a week. For me rest days make me feel guilty like I SHOULD be exercising if I am not sore which is why its important for my rest days to be active days and I plan them accordingly. Today I will walk down the hill to the market which is about 2 kilometers long, walking and shopping. Then I will walk up another hill to Istinye Park mall and do a little shopping there. Not only have I given my glutes a great workout but I might find some goodies for myself!