Recovery: how much time is enough?

Runners spend a lot of time in recovery.

Daily, we stock up on carbs and proteins at a ratio of 3:1 after a hard session (or lie on the sofa after a long run with a pint of tea).

Weekly, we schedule our runs around rest days to give our body the time it needs to make adaptations – or at least plan to, even if occasionally we end up cramming our runs in like we’re sitting exams.

Monthly (at least), we take cut back/de-load weeks, where we reduce the volume of workload so we come back stronger – or need to take some time for life.

Before races we embark on The Taper; the magical yet strange period where we look forward to less running but then lose the plot slightly at not running ahead of a key race.

After those races, particularly long ones or goal ones, we give ourselves some time, “some” being the operative word, before we get back right on the training cycle and do it all over again.

And of course – the infuriating times we pick up a niggle or an injury, when we battle through our recovery, trying out multiple “test runs” just to see if the thing that made you cry with pain 12 hours ago is suddenly somehow not going to hurt with you jogging up and down the living room a few times.

The thing with recovery is runners tend towards the simple concept:

Recovery = not running. Not running = bad. Recovery = bad.

It’s easier to take when the recovery requirement is short and your limbs are smugly satisfied. But the times you need to take more unexpected recovery, then the formula looms large. Even when the cause is lack of mojo post-race, which triggers guilt, panic and general fed-upness. We are all desperate to answer the question "how much time is enough"? But in asking that question, is there a way we runners can view recovery more positively?

Balancing recovery and fitness: Part 1

As a coach, the number one question I get asked from all runners, whether they’re chasing a sub-30 minute 10 km or looking to run their first ultra, is:

“Will I lose fitness if I take time off”?

And as ever I answer:

“It depends.”

Decline in fitness is predicated on a whole number of things – your training experience, age, reason for fitness, length of time off, ability to cross train instead (etc). As ever, a one size fits all approach doesn’t exist.

BUT. There are studies, helpfully summarised by Runners’ Connect [1] , which chart the impact of no running for a runner who has trained consistently for 4-6 months (beginners will lose fitness faster) on VO2 max and muscle strength. Here’s a summary, and I’ve added in what this means for a 25 minute 5 km runner who has a VO2 max of roughly 38.31 ml/kg/min (estimated using calculators)

  So for the first 10 days, there’s no impact. And that 6% can be quickly regained over a week or so of dedicated training.

Balancing recovery and fitness: Part 2

But this is only half the recovery story. We programme in rest and recovery days in response to key sessions to give the body time to implement the work we’ve given it. Failure to do so is a one-way ticket to overtraining and enforced recovery breaks (see above).

The amount of time which takes the body to recover varies depending on the session. Again, Runners’ Connect provide a helpful summary, [2], which I’ve put into the following chart:

  You can see this is why coaches often programme strides for a tune up run a few days before a key race, or why there’s little point in cramming your last long run in 10 days before an ultramarathon from a physiological point of view.

So while your body begins to reap the rewards of your hard effort, rushing through with another hard session in close proximity at best won’t capitalise on the gains you’ve already sought to make. At worst, it is layering on hard workout after hard workout, essentially putting your system into shock, risking fatigue and injury.

Balancing recovery and fitness: the Takeaway

As a very rough rule of thumb, 10 days is the magic number – both before you start losing fitness and before you feel gains.  

But with all rules of thumb, ignore it when you need.

Take the time your body needs to recover. Whether that’s recover from an injury or hard race, or from a key session – your body needs to be able to recoup and reward your effort. Let it.

For many of us, it’s far easier to manage the shorter recovery periods – we often call them rest. But the same principles we use then can be applied to longer lay-offs. Knowing your body is still processing the last long run you did 6 weeks ago, can make you feel better during a recovery period in the middle of marathon training. Knowing it will only take a week or so to feel the benefit of a tempo session can cheer you up when facing lost fitness. And knowing that even if you’re not running, you can still top up the cardiovascular tank through cross training (if injury allows) and strength train to reduce the impact on your muscular system.

As ever, it’s a question of mindset. If we flip the logic of recovery being required to process the efforts of running, it is essentially the positive framing of that equation above. So whether you’re facing a short or long recovery break, try to remember:

Recovery = healing from running. Healing from running = good. Recovery = good.

 Then the question moves from how much is enough - to how much is too much?

[1] Losing Running Fitness: A Scientific Look at How Much You’ll Slow Down When Not Able to Run - Runners Connect

[2] How long before you benefit from a running workout - Runners Connect