The Importance of Recovery
Last night was a rest day from my home workout program. Kat went off to the movies, and I stayed home with my daughter. I put her to bed just before seven, and then fell asleep on the couch. I stayed asleep until Kat came home (not counting a quick phone call around half past eight), and then when she got home, I talked with her a little while, but was in bed before ten.
I think my body really appreciated the rest and recovery time. Though I’d run twice that day, just giving myself the evening off seemed like a break. Friday is my only completely clear day off, and that seems very appreciated by my body as well. In his book, THE NEW TOUGHNESS TRAINING FOR SPORTS, James Loehr spends a great deal of time discussing how the way to build toughness of any kind (Mental, physical, emotional) is through fluctuating between stress and recovery. I believe in that theory.
My efforts so far have involved listening to my body. Not the dismissive gripes of a body who doesn’t appreciate getting up at four and running three or four miles before the sun’s fully awake. But I definitely listen to the larger systems at work.
So, it’s worth considering. Remember that recovery is when your muscles repair and grow. Recovery is when all the hard work of your run gets stacked into place. Rest and recovery are about giving your systems a chance to clear the back log. I find it a good thing to train as hard at recovering as I do at running, and I’m going to commit more effort to fitting that philosophy into my days.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Oh ya - I really believe in that theory. Given you are reading that book, this may not be new information but many experts say (and I subscribe) that a very short and very slow run - like almost as slow as you can run without walking is the BEST kind of recovery for runners because it flushes lactic acid without stressing the body.
I have one to two PURE rest days per week (usually one) but out of the five or six runs I do each week, at least two are recovery runs as described above.
I’ve experimented with not running versus recovery running and the latter helps me heal and prepare for the next run much better!