Understanding Recovery Leads to More Enjoyable Runs
By: Michael Horner
Tags: Fitness, Running, Fitness Tips, Health, Mindfulness

The biggest change I made in 2020 that lead to healthier and longer runs than ever before was paying attention to what I was doing after a run.

It started with a pre-dawn run back in April. When I finished my run, stopped my watch, and since it was a beautiful day and I was working from home, I actually paid attention to the data on my GPS watch.

I switched from Garmin to the Coros Pace at the beginning of 2019 after my watch died 21 hours and 76 miles into my previous 100-mile race. This left me stressed out between every aid station and the last timed cut-off at 94 miles.

The problem is that after most of my runs, it was a mad scramble to get a shower, shove some food in my mouth, and drink my coffee on my way into the office.

One positive of stay-at-home orders during this pandemic is that I had time after my runs to take care of my body before rushing into my day.

This created some very good habits that have led me to the best year I have had in my ten years running.

After distance, pace, elevation, and heart rate, I had never taken note of the data at the bottom of my screen that talked about “Recovery Time.” Having just finished a twenty-mile run where I averaged 10:25 per mile and my heart rate maxed at 167 and averaged 148, I knew it was a pretty good run.

The recovery time data was something I had never noticed before as it said my recovery time was 2 days and 18 hours.

As I looked at it, in my head I was saying, “Like hell, I’m not going to run for nearly 3 days.”

Not understanding, I began to read as much as I could find on what this data meant.

The results were the first year I have run injury-free, over 3,000 miles, and my best year yet of ultra-running finishes and accomplishments.

Being mindful about recovery has led to a year of running joy in a year unlike any other in our lifetimes.

Learn What Recovery Time Means and How to Apply It

Tackle more difficult runs because you learn how to recover. Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash

There are so many great articles that explain this way better than I could possibly do, but I will give it a great attempt.

First, what is recovery time?

Runner’s World has a great article from October 2018 by Kieran Alger that gives a really good look at running data.

“5 things your running tech can tell you and why they’re important” has lots of great information.

Pertaining to what recovery time is, they have defined it as: “an assessment of the time your body needs to fully recover from your recent training.”

Recovery time will predict how long it will be before your body is fully recovered and ready for your next intense fitness-improving type workout.

Recovery makes performance possible. The greater the performance, the more recovery is needed. How much recovery your body needs is linked to the intensity and duration of your activities.

Since we only improve if we give our body time to adapt, recovery is vital to reaching the next level.

What Recovery Looks Like

Recovery is better when you’re active, not slumped on a couch. Photo by Jane Sundried on Unsplash

Think about recovery not as going for a run and then sinking into the couch to eat a pint of ice cream and a bag of Doritos, but rather as taking it easier to allow your body to adjust to the new training.

Let’s say that right now you’re a recreational runner. You run two to four times a week, run one to five miles each time you go out. An average week for you is 10–15 miles.

You decide a half marathon sounds interesting.

You download a half marathon training plan and begin to follow it precisely. You quickly realize that your ten miles per week are quickly going to become twenty and then thirty.

What will happen is your body will begin to speak to you. In the beginning, the language your body is using will be PAIN!

In order for your body to properly adjust to your new normal, this is where active recovery comes in.

Active recovery falls in that happy zone between putting your feet up for three days after a long run and continually putting up high mileage.

Your body needs rest after a strong performance, but the key is it also needs variation so it can store the muscle memory from a hard run.

Rather than kick your feet up or go nail another one, choose instead to go out for an easy run. Easy runs are running at about 70% of the usual pace you run. Instead of 8–10 minute miles, you ease it back to somewhere around 11–13 minute miles.

This not only helps to flush lactic acid from your body but can also cut down on muscle soreness after a long, hard run.

Once I learned active recovery, my body responded with quicker recovery and less muscle soreness.

A great example was in November of this year. I had been averaging 300+ miles per month from May through October. The first Saturday in November, I ran a 24-hour event that had no aid stations or crew. The race became more difficult because I had to figure out what to eat on my own. I managed to squeeze out 73 miles. With a crew, I know I could have gone over or gotten really close to 100 miles. Two weeks later, I ran the JFK 50 Mile race in a PR time for 50 miles.

Two years ago, I would have been down with soreness and tiredness for at least a month after the 24-hour race. However, the week after the 24-hour race, I still managed over 70 miles, and the week before the JFK, I ran 40 miles. The difference was the pace at which I ran. I did two hill workouts between races, but all of my mileage was at 70% or slower than race pace.

My body responded remarkably. The only difference is how I recover now.

I no longer get back from a long run, take a shower and a nap, and put my feet up for the rest of the day. Often after a shower, I will help my wife with a home project, go for a walk, or even some days go to the gym and do a core workout.

Active recovery allows me to give my body the rest it needs, but also to not just halt the progress I am making with my training. Each run is built upon the next run. This is why I can look at my weekends now and figure out how to sneak in a twenty to thirty-mile run while still maintaining a great home life.