Recovery After The Race

Congratulations you have run the race! Now it’s time to rest and recover. Recovery doesn’t necessarily mean not doing any activity. Here are a few pointers on how to recover faster and get ready for your next race.

You should do some training but at an easy/zone 1 level. Active rest will help you bounce back from your super effort. It may take you two or three weeks to feel strong again after a race so you need to take your time back to running fast workouts. Run easy for two weeks and allow yourself to recover.

Another way to recover faster is to try some easy level cross training. Stationary biking, swimming, or pool running can help you get back to full fitness without any impact on your legs or joints. After a race you may have all sorts of aches and pains and going for a run can be too tough so cross training can speed up your return to form.

Other ways to help you get back to top speed is to incorporate mini recovery techniques:

a.       run on soft surfaces;

b.      massage therapy;

c.       alternating hot and cold baths;

d.      running drills and exercises; and,

e.       elevate legs.

If you are properly recovered you can get ready for your next race and have a better chance of reaching your goal. Without rested and repaired muscle tissue your next race may not be as good as you had hoped for. Long term fatigue will slowly build up and each race result will be lessor than the next. If you are rested this won’t happen and you can improve.