REST.

Day #25 - One of the reasons I never wanted to run a marathon was because I feared a rest/cross training day. Some of you think this is crazy, you LOVE to rest and do nothing, but my fellow running enthusiasts understand. I thought I would be more in shape if I ran everyday, but I was wrong! In reality, the body actually needs rest days to recover and repair muscles to get stronger.

I learned that taking rest days give your joints a chance to recover. And not to mention, resting gives you a mental break from running. And it's true, I feel more motivated to run when I take a day or two off every week!

Resting from running also taught me that lifting weights and cross training is a lot of fun! So, good news - every once in a while, it's okay to be a couch potato!