When you're feeling good, it can be tempting to push yourself too often and run more miles than you can handle. Give in to that temptation, though, and you won't feel good anymore.
If you don't take time for proper R&R, your body won't adapt to the stress of your training-you won't get stronger or faster, explains Stacy Sims, Ph.D., at the Stanford Prevention-Research Center, School of Medicine. And this happens to recreational runners more than you might think. "With deadlines, chores, bills, kids, and lack of sleep, it's more challenging to recover properly from your runs," says Sims.
Pay attention to these five markers. If more than one of these indicators raises a red flag, you should consider taking a day or two off.
1. You're cranky When your body is overwhelmed by training (or other stressors), it produces hormones that can cause irritability or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness probably means not enough recovery.
2. Your pee is dark yellow This can be an indicator of dehydration. The darker the color, the more you're struggling to retain fluids, because there's not enough to go around. You need H2O to operate (and recover).
3. You're sick (or it's that time of the month) Any illness, or even a woman's menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This means fewer resources available for recovering from training.
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4. You haven't been sleeping well A pattern of consistently good sleep will give you a boost of growth hormones, which are great for rebuilding muscle fibers. Several nights in a row of bad sleep, or not enough sleep, will decrease reaction time along with immune, motor, and cognitive functions-not a good combination for a workout.
5. Your resting heart rate is up Take your pulse each morning before you get out of bed to find what's normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is caused by your nervous system preparing for fight or flight, an instinctive reaction to stress. Your body won't know the difference between physical and psychological stress - a hard run and a hard day at work both require extra recovery.
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Tell us: How often do you take a rest day?
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