That’s where the off-season comes in. While it may sound like something reserved for the elite, all runners—regardless of speed and ability—can benefit from stepping back from the sport every now and then. In fact, going through an off-season can help set you up for your best run yet, so read on for more advice on how to get through your running hiatus.

An off-season is the period after a structured one exercise bike or race – and it is applicable to runners of all levels. “It’s a time of detraining, which means there’s no structured running distance, goal, or progression in training—just maintenance,” says Takacs.

For example, if your goal is to simply stay in shape during an off-season, you could spend a month or two running or doing other activities only when you feel like it. For these workouts, Takacs recommends sticking to a Zone 2 effort, or an effort of about 4 to 5 on a 1 to 10 perceived exertion (RPE) scale, with 10 being a total effort.

If you take some time off but try to stay in shape for one spring competition next yearTakacs suggests maintaining your base but trimming it by at least 25% until you need to begin the actual training plan for that event. “Consistency is most important when it comes to maintaining a base,” she explains. ‘You can make it through cycling or by doing otherwise cardio-based activities which are metabolic but have low effect.’

The first benefit of cutting back is pretty obvious – it gives your body a break. Like Dave Berdan, a coach with Drive the Doyenstates, this is crucial to avoid fatigue and overload injuries. “I’ve seen a lot of runners over the years get injured, myself included, because they didn’t take the time to let their bodies recover and heal after a long season,” he says.

Even if you feel fine, there may be underlying stressors in your body that you shouldn’t ignore. “There is a level of accumulated fatigue that you need to recover from, as well as several physiological processes in the body that you may not be able to see or feel,” adds Berdan. “Over time, this can lead to fatigue, injury or reduced performance if you don’t take the time to recover.”

For example yours the immune system can be dampened due to exercise stress and your hormones being out of whack, which can set you up for injury. “Hard training and racing raise cortisol and lower testosterone,” explains Berdan. “Chronic high cortisol can lead to muscle breakdown and lower insulin sensitivity, while low testosterone is also limiting muscle recovery.’

Additionally, an off-season can help you recover and bounce back from the mental strain of training. This can come from cutting back on your workouts or the number of days you spend running, even for just a short period. “It might not sound like much, but runners often feel rested with as little as a few days off—and research has shown that you don’t really lose much fitness at all after just five days without training,” says Berdan.

The length of your off-season can vary greatly, depending on your goals and how you feel. If you run to stay in shape, you can take a step back almost entirely to winter and turn to other forms of cardio if you prefer. If you compete often, you may want to take a shorter break.

To determine how long you should dial back from running, you should also consider how many miles you ran in your last training cycle and at what intensity. – Training for and competing in a marathon is obviously much harder on the body than run a 5Kfor example and leads to significantly more accumulated fatigue, says Berdan.

It’s worth remembering that marathon recovery looks different for everyone and unfortunately there are hard and fast rules for when to resume running after a 46.2 mile effort. However, Berdan recommends making a pair recovery is running the week immediately following a marathon, followed by at least one week off, with no running at all. Even some professional runners, he says, take a full month off after a tough training cycle, so you can spend more time away from running if it feels right for your body.

If your fall races were shorter and more equal 5Ksthen you don’t necessarily need to take time off from running – instead, during your recovery phase, you can scale back your runs to simple jogs. This way, you can give your body a break while increasing your mental recovery.

Feel free to run outside – or go to treadmill – for certain training sessions. But think about it cross training is also a perfect way to stay in shape and challenge your body in ways you may not have experienced while preparing for a race. Why not turn on swimming pool or stationary bike, take more Pilates classes or get a team sport?

Whatever you do, make sure strength training is part of the equation. “The off-season is a good time to focus on weaknesses or areas that may have been holding you back for your peak run,” says Berdan. As such, aim to do a couple of strength sessions a week to help keep your joints and tendons strong and prevent muscle imbalances that can hamper your performance when your running resumes.

Takacs also suggests prioritizing mobility work and getting enough restorative sleep. To improve your sleep quality and establish good sleep habits during this period, taking steps such as limiting your caffeine intake and avoiding screens for an hour before bed.

Before you take some time off from running, you should also think about how you intend to return to running after the break. “It’s important, when you return to running, to build back up in the first few weeks and not jump right into the same amount of training you did right before the break,” notes Berdan. A gradual return to your regular routine will help you reap these off-season rewards.

The key to all of this is to focus less on doing specific workouts and more on doing what feels good for your body and what you find fun. In other words, don’t be afraid to mix things up to stay motivated and consistent.

Are you ready to wind down from running for a while but not sure where to start? Take inspiration from the following training plan to maintain your fitness in the off-season, without overdoing it.

Monday

• 30-40 minutes of running (light effort)

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

• 40-50 minutes of running (average effort – a little more coordinated than your easy pace)

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

• 40-60 minutes of running (light effort)