I've found I actually end up feeling better with a little light movement on rest days. Not much- we're talking a 15-20 minute low stress walk around the block with additional time to stop and give the neighbor's cat a tummy rub or two. But that's enough for my muscles to loosen up and stretch a little bit without it really counting as some sort of exercise or workout.

I'll typically feel somewhat sore the day after a rest day spent entirely sitting on the couch.

Sitting on my couch in front of my "Electronic Recovery Machine" or XBOX for most of the day.

If you have a hard day at work it should not be a "rest day". I work two eight hour shifts and two twelve hour shifts. For a couple years I was using my 12 hr work days as "rest days".
Needless to say, when you can barely drag your butt home from work that is not a rest day. I now either swim, turbo train or do a light jog after long day at work and rest on easy days at work.

Having read all the well-thought out responses I've decided to alter my trainin regime for the coming season. Now that you've all convinced me of the over-riding importance of rest days here's my weekly plan for 2005:
Mon: OFF
Tue: RECOVER
Wed: REST
Thur: REJUVENATE
Fri: RELAX
Sat: RECHARGE
Sun: REHAB

Repeat for three weeks then make the fourth a complete RECOVERY Week

 I've been competing for 5 years and I have my PhD in exercise physiology and still find it difficult to construct the perfect program. However, the only day I take off is the day after a race...and that's only if I feel really beat up. Other than that, easy days are a great time to do drills in the pool, easy runs or rides with friends and a lot of stretching. I tend to feel flat the day after I do nothing. But the trick is to really make your easy days easy, so you are properly recovered and able to do a quality workout the next day. Too many triathletes don't allow for proper recovery and that just hurts the quality of the next workout.

Joe--Have you counted the spokes and divided the total (both wheels) by the square root of Pi? You may be shocked at the result.

Are you aware that there is an eclipse of the moon tonight? Have you modified your training around this event? I am. I am going out for a run. Maybe I am too early.

You are a good sport.

Isnt the day after a race the WORST time to have arest day, and the best time to have aneasy day. i always feel crap but a light run and swim does wonders for recovery. im sure there is some sfcience behind that

seriously ..has anyone ever run a program with two full rest days in it?

i have had all kinds of illness and lack of motivation so i am looking at ways to re energise!

It is beyond the capabilty of obsessive compulsive people to take two rest days. Just taking one is almost impossible.

You are right. Light exercise helps recover. However, I tend to not race as much, but race in bigger races and try to make them count. Those types of races usually recquire significant travel and sort of mentaly tire me out. I guess I take a rest day after a race to sort of put that race behind me and start a new phase of training. When I use to race more frequently I would deffinately work out after race day.

My only comment is that if cycling is your strength, and you are really serious about Kona, you need to put your swimming and your running ahead of your cycling. In other words, don't focus on your strength (which is what it seems like you are doing from your post).

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A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is just putting on its shoes.
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