Between the three of us, we often debate the benefit of so-called "Recovery Runs". In those debates, I am most often arguing FOR recovery runs. I have to admit, however, there isn't much that heals the body as well as good old rest. Still, I do recovery runs multiple times per week instead of simply taking those days off. I'm not going to debate whether they promote blood flow, flush your legs of the waste created by harder efforts and so on and so forth. I'll leave that to the magazines and bloggers with a more scientific background. Recovery runs serve a different purpose for me, however.
The primary reason I'll hop on the treadmill for a nice and easy 3 miler, or slowly run a short, flat loop near my house after a tough workout is so that I feel better going into the day after that. Feeling better on that day means I get in a more productive workout. I can't say my legs are "healed", but taking a day off between one hard workout and another hard workout isn't the recipe to success for me on that second workout. If I were to take that day in between completely off, I would stumble through the first few miles of the run before I finally got my legs under me. By doing a recovery run on that in-between day, I tend to start off feeling much more fresh and ready to get into it.
This approach, of course, still takes into account the fact that I need days off. I hope that I can get to the point where I'm able to run every day and be no worse for the wear, but I'm certainly not there yet. I will generally take a day off after an "Easy Run". Easy runs are a whole other beast that I think is very well covered in the linked article over at The Logic of Long Distance.
I think understanding easy runs is a big part to understanding how to approach a recovery run. An easy run is neither too fast nor too slow. It's very much like Goldilock's favorite temperature porridge, JUUUST right (for the day, for your physical state on that day; perceived effort vs. actual effort). A recovery run, in my opinion, cannot be too slow. Whereas on an easy run I would recommend hiding your watch and not thinking about your splits, rather, listening to your body and judging your effort based on how you feel, with a recovery run, i think you actively need to keep your run at a pace you consider SLOW. For me, at this point in my training, I tend to run recovery miles anywhere between 9:00 and 10:00 per mile pace, depending on the conditions I am running on/in and how beat up I feel on that day.
Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Benefits of Post-Run Massage
We all know that massage feels good after a run, whether it is self-massage, the use of a foam roller, or massage from a professional. But does it actually speed recovery?
One recent scientific study suggests the answer is yes. Somehow, the scientists managed to convince a group of young men to engage in vigorous exercise for an hour, have one leg massaged but not the other, and then to have both legs biopsied at various intervals, so that the scientists could determine how massage affected the tissues. The scientists found that the massage reduced the production of certain chemicals that cause soreness, while also stimulating the production of mitochondria.
On the other hand, it is worth pointing out that previous studies have shown that -- contrary to popular belief -- massage impedes blood flow, and impairs the removal of lactic issue from muscle tissue. (But then again, lactic acid may be a fuel, not a caustic waste product.)
One recent scientific study suggests the answer is yes. Somehow, the scientists managed to convince a group of young men to engage in vigorous exercise for an hour, have one leg massaged but not the other, and then to have both legs biopsied at various intervals, so that the scientists could determine how massage affected the tissues. The scientists found that the massage reduced the production of certain chemicals that cause soreness, while also stimulating the production of mitochondria.
On the other hand, it is worth pointing out that previous studies have shown that -- contrary to popular belief -- massage impedes blood flow, and impairs the removal of lactic issue from muscle tissue. (But then again, lactic acid may be a fuel, not a caustic waste product.)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Icing Can Make Sore Muscles Worse
Since we're discussing recovery, a column in today's New York Times caught my eye. Recent scientific studies suggest that, while icing may feel good, it may not be good for sore muscles.
Some of the study results are common sense: if you ice yourself and then jump immediately back into an athletic activity, you may end up hurting yourself, because the cold, numb muscle lacks motor coordination.
But even if you plan to just ice and rest up, these studies suggest that the cooled muscles do not heal any faster than un-iced tissues.
These are just a few, small-scale studies. If icing works for you, go for it! But if not, don't be afraid to question the conventional wisdom.
Related posts:
rest, recovery and active recovery
Some of the study results are common sense: if you ice yourself and then jump immediately back into an athletic activity, you may end up hurting yourself, because the cold, numb muscle lacks motor coordination.
But even if you plan to just ice and rest up, these studies suggest that the cooled muscles do not heal any faster than un-iced tissues.
These are just a few, small-scale studies. If icing works for you, go for it! But if not, don't be afraid to question the conventional wisdom.
Related posts:
rest, recovery and active recovery
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
rest, recovery and active recovery
i've been reading a lot lately about the virtues of both rest and active recovery. there seems to be quite a bit of debate about which is faster at getting you to feeling your best after a hard workout. as someone who would rather spend my free time running, reading (novels) or watching the red sox (the latter of which i am happy to be resting from, and certainly need a lot of recovery from after last year), i won't write today about the scientific backing for each of these approaches. i quite simply don't have all the facts. but from the limited amount that i did read and drawing from my own experience, i have found a recovery program that works for me.
first, let me define the terms i'm referring to:
recovery: any action (or lack of action) you take to bring your body back to peak physical feeling after a hard workout.
rest: inaction.
active recovery: minimal exercise, such as walking or slow jogging, light cycling which slightly elevates your heart rate and allows your muscles to stretch and your blood to flow more freely.
i typically do my long runs on sundays. assuming the long run happens in the morning or early afternoon, i start my recovery process with a stretching routine. following this, i spent at least 30 minutes icing any part of my leg that feels problematic. as someone who has had repeated lower leg injuries, i have found this part of recovery to be absolutely essential. after icing, i put on a compression sleeve and go into a general "rest mode" for the evening. i'll interrupt this rest once or twice for some further stretching or a short walk, just to ensure i don't tighten up too much.
the day following the long run is generally a "rest" day as well, meaning i am not going to run. but i consider this day to be an active recovery day, where i will definitely do some brisk walking, generally on hills, some pretty intensive stretching and some leg strengthening exercises like lunges and weightless squats. i try to get in at least an hour of nonconsecutive active recovery time throughout the day.
2 days after the long run, i schedule a workout that involves running half the distance of my long run or less. i usually run this at as high a pace as i can comfortably run without trying to push myself into the red. i find this "flushes" my legs, if you will, stretches them and allows the blood to get flowing enough to make my legs feel great by the end of the run and beyond. after this, i do my stretching routine again, followed by the ice, rest and a bit of stretching/walking.
after this, i am generally ready to approach the rest of my weekly workouts with ease leading up to the long run again on sunday.
i've found that something about the increased pace of the run 2 days after the long run (not FAST, but definitely not slow) is very important to all this.
anyway, i would love to hear your thoughts about how i can improve this, or to hear what your process is for recovery.
first, let me define the terms i'm referring to:
recovery: any action (or lack of action) you take to bring your body back to peak physical feeling after a hard workout.
rest: inaction.
active recovery: minimal exercise, such as walking or slow jogging, light cycling which slightly elevates your heart rate and allows your muscles to stretch and your blood to flow more freely.
i typically do my long runs on sundays. assuming the long run happens in the morning or early afternoon, i start my recovery process with a stretching routine. following this, i spent at least 30 minutes icing any part of my leg that feels problematic. as someone who has had repeated lower leg injuries, i have found this part of recovery to be absolutely essential. after icing, i put on a compression sleeve and go into a general "rest mode" for the evening. i'll interrupt this rest once or twice for some further stretching or a short walk, just to ensure i don't tighten up too much.
the day following the long run is generally a "rest" day as well, meaning i am not going to run. but i consider this day to be an active recovery day, where i will definitely do some brisk walking, generally on hills, some pretty intensive stretching and some leg strengthening exercises like lunges and weightless squats. i try to get in at least an hour of nonconsecutive active recovery time throughout the day.
2 days after the long run, i schedule a workout that involves running half the distance of my long run or less. i usually run this at as high a pace as i can comfortably run without trying to push myself into the red. i find this "flushes" my legs, if you will, stretches them and allows the blood to get flowing enough to make my legs feel great by the end of the run and beyond. after this, i do my stretching routine again, followed by the ice, rest and a bit of stretching/walking.
after this, i am generally ready to approach the rest of my weekly workouts with ease leading up to the long run again on sunday.
i've found that something about the increased pace of the run 2 days after the long run (not FAST, but definitely not slow) is very important to all this.
anyway, i would love to hear your thoughts about how i can improve this, or to hear what your process is for recovery.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Post Ultramarathon Recovery
There is a rule of thumb among runners: the amount of time it takes to recover from a race is one day for each mile.
I doubt there is any magic to this formula -- someone simply noticed that most people take about two weeks to recover from a half-marathon, and three to four weeks to recover from a marathon. It's less clear that the rule holds true for either 5K races or 100K races.
Nevertheless, it's nice to remind myself that there is no reason to expect that I should be back to 100% yet. After four days of serious soreness, I had several days of random aches and in various places -- a foot, a knee, a hip -- that would appear for a day, and then just disappear. The last couple days, though, I have been feeling great, except for congestion in my lungs that still hasn't cleared up yet. (That's perfectly normal, since running 50K stresses the lungs a lot more than they are used to.)
I've gone for a few recovery runs since the race, which mostly have consisted of shuffling around the neighborhood. I've also started a routine of core exercises to help my running while letter my legs recover. But today, the golden autumn air beckoned and I headed out for my first real run since the race, on my favorite track along the Anacostia River.
Since I last was here, a stretch of trees have been cut down along the water, apparently for some sort of construction project. For now, though, the clearing provided a scenic view of the lazy river. Further on, the course took me along the edge of the RFK Stadium parking lot, where families were already starting to tailgate for the final MLS game of the year. The smell of charcoal briquettes and the laughter of kids playing pick-up soccer games made me want to attend a game sometime, too.
As I looped through Kingman Island -- which was empty as always; my own private off-road trail -- my energy started to flag. I laid off for a half mile, then pushed as hard as I could for the return loop. Still not 100%, but I'm running again.
Click "view details" for splits and other information.
Related posts:
Race Report: 2011 New River Trail 50k
I doubt there is any magic to this formula -- someone simply noticed that most people take about two weeks to recover from a half-marathon, and three to four weeks to recover from a marathon. It's less clear that the rule holds true for either 5K races or 100K races.
Nevertheless, it's nice to remind myself that there is no reason to expect that I should be back to 100% yet. After four days of serious soreness, I had several days of random aches and in various places -- a foot, a knee, a hip -- that would appear for a day, and then just disappear. The last couple days, though, I have been feeling great, except for congestion in my lungs that still hasn't cleared up yet. (That's perfectly normal, since running 50K stresses the lungs a lot more than they are used to.)
I've gone for a few recovery runs since the race, which mostly have consisted of shuffling around the neighborhood. I've also started a routine of core exercises to help my running while letter my legs recover. But today, the golden autumn air beckoned and I headed out for my first real run since the race, on my favorite track along the Anacostia River.
Since I last was here, a stretch of trees have been cut down along the water, apparently for some sort of construction project. For now, though, the clearing provided a scenic view of the lazy river. Further on, the course took me along the edge of the RFK Stadium parking lot, where families were already starting to tailgate for the final MLS game of the year. The smell of charcoal briquettes and the laughter of kids playing pick-up soccer games made me want to attend a game sometime, too.
As I looped through Kingman Island -- which was empty as always; my own private off-road trail -- my energy started to flag. I laid off for a half mile, then pushed as hard as I could for the return loop. Still not 100%, but I'm running again.
Click "view details" for splits and other information.
Related posts:
Race Report: 2011 New River Trail 50k
Thursday, September 29, 2011
injury status report
it's been two weeks now since i made my last mistake of trying to run at any serious pace. since august 20th, when i had to stop my run because of the pain in my calf, i've run only 3 times. 2 of these times were races, and each of these times started great and ended very badly in terms of healing this calf problem.
still, i think the fact that the BULK of that time was rest has been very good for healing not only my calf, but my legs in general. i will say that lately, apart from my calf, my legs have been feeling better than ever. when i was running with a high level of frequency, the down-time would involve a lot of slow, slightly painful slogging around. the idea of running out to catch a football, for example, or play basketball was a painful one, as my legs really needed to be warmed before they were any good. these days, with all that rest, i feel energy back in my legs, the spring back in my step. my feet, which are especially problematic during a heavy running phase, are feeling good enough that i can make it down the stairs in the AM in less than 10 minutes.
the three things i have focused on during the rehab of this injury are compression, massage and minimal exercise. the compression was a surprise and something i tried just for the sake of it. as i've said, i don't really know if it does much for me when running (i also haven't tried it enough to know), but i do know it is very helpful when i am not running. i wear the sleeve at work, walking around home, etc... and at this point i have very minimal pain when walking around. i believe that compression not only just feels good on the leg, it also stimulates bloodflow, which is key to healing injuries.
the stick is another useful too. i wrote previously about using a foam roller to perform self massage, but i found that to be a bit cumbersome for daily use. the stick is a bit easier to use, despite the fact that you will have to put some elbow grease into it if you want to get anything out if it. i use the stick in any situation where i would want to stretch and also in the mornings and evenings. i can't say for certain that it is working, but i'm improving and the lumps i can clearly feel when using the stick on my leg seem to be getting a bit smaller.
the most important aspect to this all is minimal exercise though. if bloodflow is key to healing, doing a bit of exercise is the best way to get the blood flowing. the problem is finding the balance. running is too much. even slow running is too much at this point. i've started using the elliptical for 30-45 minutes a session and swimming (to keep the cardio going). and now i've started walking on the treadmill with it at full incline for a period of time. the most surprising thing is how much of a workout i get! i had though i could do the elliptical or walk on an incline without breaking a sweat... no chance. not only that, but i'm working muscles that are not normally touched in my running workouts... these are the glutes and the hamstrings just below the glutes. i think building strength in these areas is a large part of what is helping me get the spring back in my step.
it'll be a couple more weeks before i start running again regularly, but i am starting to get exciting about the prospect that i can do exercises now that will make me a better runner when i am ready to start picking up the miles. getting injured in the first place was certainly a result of mostly too much too soon, but also a by-product of muscle imbalances and poor form. if i strengthen the areas that are weaker and balance the imbalances, i'm almost certain it will do wonders to improve my form.
it's very, very hard not to be out there pounding out the runs... but i'm trying as hard as i can to do the right thing, let the calf fully heal, and to prepare myself for some serious marathon training come november.
still, i think the fact that the BULK of that time was rest has been very good for healing not only my calf, but my legs in general. i will say that lately, apart from my calf, my legs have been feeling better than ever. when i was running with a high level of frequency, the down-time would involve a lot of slow, slightly painful slogging around. the idea of running out to catch a football, for example, or play basketball was a painful one, as my legs really needed to be warmed before they were any good. these days, with all that rest, i feel energy back in my legs, the spring back in my step. my feet, which are especially problematic during a heavy running phase, are feeling good enough that i can make it down the stairs in the AM in less than 10 minutes.
the three things i have focused on during the rehab of this injury are compression, massage and minimal exercise. the compression was a surprise and something i tried just for the sake of it. as i've said, i don't really know if it does much for me when running (i also haven't tried it enough to know), but i do know it is very helpful when i am not running. i wear the sleeve at work, walking around home, etc... and at this point i have very minimal pain when walking around. i believe that compression not only just feels good on the leg, it also stimulates bloodflow, which is key to healing injuries.
the stick is another useful too. i wrote previously about using a foam roller to perform self massage, but i found that to be a bit cumbersome for daily use. the stick is a bit easier to use, despite the fact that you will have to put some elbow grease into it if you want to get anything out if it. i use the stick in any situation where i would want to stretch and also in the mornings and evenings. i can't say for certain that it is working, but i'm improving and the lumps i can clearly feel when using the stick on my leg seem to be getting a bit smaller.
the most important aspect to this all is minimal exercise though. if bloodflow is key to healing, doing a bit of exercise is the best way to get the blood flowing. the problem is finding the balance. running is too much. even slow running is too much at this point. i've started using the elliptical for 30-45 minutes a session and swimming (to keep the cardio going). and now i've started walking on the treadmill with it at full incline for a period of time. the most surprising thing is how much of a workout i get! i had though i could do the elliptical or walk on an incline without breaking a sweat... no chance. not only that, but i'm working muscles that are not normally touched in my running workouts... these are the glutes and the hamstrings just below the glutes. i think building strength in these areas is a large part of what is helping me get the spring back in my step.
it'll be a couple more weeks before i start running again regularly, but i am starting to get exciting about the prospect that i can do exercises now that will make me a better runner when i am ready to start picking up the miles. getting injured in the first place was certainly a result of mostly too much too soon, but also a by-product of muscle imbalances and poor form. if i strengthen the areas that are weaker and balance the imbalances, i'm almost certain it will do wonders to improve my form.
it's very, very hard not to be out there pounding out the runs... but i'm trying as hard as i can to do the right thing, let the calf fully heal, and to prepare myself for some serious marathon training come november.
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