Recovery Runs 

So you just ran an epic long run or a heart-pumping workout. What if I told you it was all for nothing and you’ll get no training benefit? If you execute your recovery run poorly the next day, you will diminish the effects of your hard work. 

If you want it to count, do it right. Make sure your recovery runs are just that: runs that help you recover from hard training. 

One of the biggest mistakes runners make is that they lock into a pace that they run every day and struggle to run faster than that pace during workouts or even long runs. Ideally, a runner would be able to run a variety of paces. On one end of the continuum are strides, which are run much faster than 5K pace. Then you have 5K pace, then threshold pace, then half marathon pace, and then marathon pace. 

Finally, you would have your recovery pace. This is the slowest pace you need to run on a recovery day to ensure that you're ready to run well in the next workout. The pace should vary from run to run—sometimes your recovery days are slow, other days you can run a decent pace because you feel nice and fresh.  

But the recovery runs can be tricky for most runners. Even on the days when runners feel horrible as they start their recovery run, they force themselves to run their "normal pace." That's a mistake. Every once in a while, you're going to have a recovery day when you just feel wrecked. And when that day comes, give yourself a break and just run for time, running as slow as you need to. Then move on to the next thing on your agenda for the day and forget about how slow you just ran.

These recovery runs usually come the day or two after a hard workout or long run, and all you need to do is get the oxygen-rich blood to your muscles to help with recovery. After a true recovery run, you'll likely feel good the next day and you'll probably be able to run the next scheduled workout or long run strongly. 

Jay