Runners love to run.
We love to train and we don’t want to lose fitness by resting too much.
But many runners limit their progress and open themselves up to injury by not recovering properly.
What’s more important training or recovery?
98% of runners will say training.
But, to improve our running and to keep our bodies healthy it is important to balance the two
Why?
Recovery days allow our bodies to replenish the glycogen (energy needed for running) in our muscles.
This does not just happen by eating well straight after a run.
Our bodies are not cars that can be topped up at the petrol station and driven hard every day.
Our body needs time to monitor itself, absorb and re-distribute our energy stores.
Muscles, joints, and tendons also need time to respond to the compression and loads they absorb when running.
Weight lifters, who are trying to build muscle, never work their biceps really hard every day.
They understand that after a ‘work-out’ their muscles need time to absorb the load and the work they have done, replenish their energy and strengthen the fibres that have been worked.
Muscles and tendons require at least 24 hours to respond to hard workouts and often respond better with 48 to 72 hours in between.
And what about the brain?
“I hate resting” I hear you say.
“I get restless when I rest” >>> “I’m just better training.”
But what about your energy levels and that feeling of fatigue?
Commonly runners who do not value the importance of recovery, end up running slower with poorer performance. They can feel sluggish and fatigued
And we are much more likely to develop an injury when we don’t allow recovery sessions/time.
Remember, your muscles work hard when running and the tendons like the Achilles, Hamstring and plantar fascia’s have to absorb a lot of load.
If we don’t allow them to repair/ reset/ replenish they may start to complain (that stiffness in the morning- that doesn’t go away – it’s telling you something)
There needs to be a balance of training: recovery
Ok so what’s the best way to recover?
Watch this space
And in the next week we will share some great recovery tips
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