The famed fictional character Forrest Gump ran for three years, two months, 14 days, and 16 hours with no break. But running nearly continuously for three-plus years isn’t a great idea for several pretty obvious reasons: burnout, injury, exhaustion, to name a few. In fact, you only need to run for a handful of weeks in a row to experience those symptoms.
That’s why recovery weeks are critical to build into your training, regardless of level or goal. J’ne Day-Lucore is a former professional runner who has spent the past 30 years coaching runners and triathletes alike. To her and her athletes, recovery is an essential part of the training cycle.
If an athlete is feeling mentally or physically strained before their scheduled recovery week, we will adjust their recovery time to reflect what the athlete needs.” But taking a recovery week isn’t as simple as sitting on the couch for a few days in a row. It can bring up some loaded emotions, like guilt for “wasting” a week that could have been spent training, and often a desire to train harder than your prescribed easy sessions. Here’s how to go about your recovery week in a way that will leave you feeling fresh and ready to get after the next training block.
Without them, athletes can become injured, burned out, anxious, under-fueled, and experience chronic fatigue. One of the first signs a recovery week should be taken is feeling irritable or generally unmotivated to lace up and hit the pavement. While all of us may need a little self-coercing to get our workouts done, continued procrastination, frustration toward the session, or general dislike of the majority of workouts is something you should listen to.
Running is both a physical and mental sport. When our brain resists something that usually brings us joy, it’s time to pay attention. If your day-to-day life is becoming too much, that’s a sign to dial things back for at least a few days.” Another signal to follow is how you feel physically.
If you’re feeling exhausted from even the easiest of runs or an old injury is starting to rear its head, a recovery week now could prevent you from being sidelined for months in the future. Although it may seem counterintuitive, our bodies actually grow stronger when we rest. It’s the rest period in between sessions and during recovery weeks that allows your body to rebuild that muscle and absorb the new levels of fitness you’ve worked towards.” There are recovery days, and then there are recovery weeks.
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