Recovery Runs

I had to remind myself why I used to have a slow run the day after my one fast run of the week that was usually the 5K parkrun on a Saturday. This was followed by that slow run on the Sunday. Looking back at all the four day training schedules from the last few years, these always included that Sunday recovery run. Recently I thought I would drop one of the four day runs and Sunday seemed to be the obvious answer. However, I now think that this was the wrong call. 

That  was when I had to remind myself about what I remembered about recovery runs. There is plenty on the internet and below are just a few of those. So I will go back to my original running schedule, albeit that my Sunday runs will be really slow. 

"Recovery runs are most effective if performed within 24 hours of an intense training run".

What is the Real Benefit of Recovery Runs?

In short, recovery runs do not enhance recovery. Nevertheless, recovery runs are almost universally practiced by top runners. That wouldn't be the case if this type of workout weren't beneficial. So what is the real benefit of recovery runs? The real benefit of recovery runs is that they increase your fitness--perhaps almost as much as longer, faster runs do--by challenging you to run in a pre-fatigued state (i.e. a state of lingering fatigue from previous training.)

Here’s Why You Should Slow Down for a Recovery Run

“The most common mistake most runners make is that they think if they’re running easily, then they’re not getting much benefit,” says Brian Rosetti, a running coach in New York City and founder of the Run SMART Project. That couldn’t be more off-base because easy (or sexy pace) running comes with a laundry list of benefits.

First of all, as your body becomes more adapted to aerobic, slow runs, it’s going to use fat more efficiently, Ghazarians says. “This process is known as the fat adaptation effect,” he explains. “Faster anaerobic runs upwards of two hours mainly deplete stored muscle glycogen from carbohydrates. Slower aerobic runs, on the other hand, use approximately 50 percent fat for energy while the remaining 50 percent is a combination of glucose and protein for energy.”

The reason for this? Fat oxidation requires oxygen—and it’s very hard to run long distances at an all-out fast pace. “Long, slow distance runs are easier to sustain. So during these runs, your body has to constantly replenish the oxygen reserves it’s using to continue to produce energy,” he says. “And since fat metabolism requires oxygen, you condition your body to use fat as its main energy source rather than carbs. Eventually, this adaptation will allow you to run longer distances without having to refuel.”

Easy runs also train the cardio, respiratory, and muscular systems to work more efficiently. “They allow the body to better integrate its various systems,” says Ghazarians. “In turn, this will allow you to run with less effort on your faster running days.” Slower runs also train your slow twitch (type I) muscle fibers, “the ones that allow you to work aerobically to sustain your pace on long distances,” he says.