Do most U.S. elite runners take at least one complete rest day a week?

I would say once every 10-14 days is pretty solid. Jump on a bike, or do some other cross training or maybe just "run" 3 miles really slow.

This would pretty much give you an off day although your not sitting around doing nothing either. I know a couple elite college coaches with this philosophy.

One of the biggest problems with taking a day off is that you get tight. On that day off, you should warm up and stretch thoroughly. Sit in the hot tub. Do something to keep your body from tightening up. No need to run or get any kind of workout.

If a person begins a workout, provided it lasts anything over a fraction of a second... for the mentally challenged, lets say it is a 60 minute workout, beginning at 8:00 am, and ending at 9:00 am. If you do come back the next day at 8:00 am for a run, that is 23 hours in between training. So, technically, that is less than a day. So... technically... your logic is flawed and you are an idiot.

-John Galt

Ok so there a lot of opinions here and I think I'm just going to take a day off once per week. I sort of think it's a bit too much rest but I hate to admit I think it will help me run harder when I need to during the week.