Active Recovery for Runners
I get asked a lot about over-training and recovery. There is no straight forward answer because it all depends on where you are at in your training program or the type of running and racing that you are doing. I am a big advocate that the human body can be trained to do amazing things. Take for instance that if it were possible to fly a helicopter to the top of Mount Everest, and you could drop people off on the summit; they would be dead in four minutes. Yet, people can train their bodies to acclimate to the harsh environment and summit Mount Everest and live to tell about it.
On August 21st and 22nd I ran the Leadville 100 Ultra Trail Run, two weeks later I ran the American Discovery Marathon. Although I knew that I was not close to being recovered I still had this grand plan of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I needed to run a 3 hour 20 minute 59 second marathon to qualify. For the first 12 miles I was on pace for Boston. Between mile 12 and 14 my body pretty much shutdown. I was able to eat and drink and had no stomach issues; I was just totally exhausted.
Mile 23 of the American Discovery Trail Marathon
After the 3 hour 40 minute pace group past me I decided to go into ultra trail running mode (a.k.a. very slow). And then from mile 21 my body was done running and I walked it in. So, what really happens to the body after a hard effort? What are some common recovery methods? And, what are some training rules to avoid overtraining and injury?
What Happens to the Body While Running?
When you run you are putting tiny tears in your muscle fibers. As the muscle fibers heal the muscle becomes stronger. Hence, you become stronger. However, if you over work a muscle and do not give it enough time to heal itself, the muscle will become weaker. I think that we have all experienced the great feeling of getting faster and stronger, and then all of a sudden it feels as though we are going backwards in training and slowing down.
When running long distances such as marathons and beyond, there is gradual increased stress placed on your system. The following description of what happens to your body while running without replacement of fuel (water or food), or adequate training.
When you first start you run your heart rate will increase to about 140 and you body temperature rises. After about an hour you will settle down into a comfortable pace and you heart rate will decrease a bit to say 135. At this point you are still using carbohydrates for fuel in the form of glycogen produced from the liver. The body has about a two hour store of glycogen after which it will switch to fat for fuel. At this point you will become increasingly thirsty. Now you are in the two – three hour window and this is where you will most likely “hit the wall”. Your blood sugar is low and your brain needs it to function properly. Your muscles start to cramp up and you can start experiencing stomach problems. Beyond four hours you now place yourself at risk for a heart attack. Because you are dehydrated your blood become thick, your circulations slows, and your heart works harder.
How to Tell if You are over Training
How can you tell if you are over training? An easy method is by using your resting heart rate. What you will need to do is find your baseline resting heart rate. You can do this by taking your heart rate first thing in the morning. It is best if you can take your heart rate before you start stretching and getting out of bed. Once you have done this for a few weeks you will be able to determine your average resting heart rate. Now, during your training and racing season if you find that your heart rate has increased you know that your body is stressed and has not recovered. Or in other words over trained.
Another easy tell-tale sign is not sleeping well. You will start to come up with excuses like, my room is too light, my bed is to soft, my bed is to hard, I drank too much water, etc. You need to wake-up to the fact that your poor race performances might be from being over trained. Unfortunately for most athletes, the hardest part about training is not training. I had this issue when I was racing road bikes. I would go out for a ride the day before a race and wonder why I had a poor performance during the race. Then I one day I read an article in a cycling magazine that said, “It is okay to rest the day before a race; you won’t forget how to ride your bike.” I heeded the advice and carried it over to running. Trust me; you won’t forget how to run by taking a day off from running.
It is very important to give our muscles a rest. Again, you need to find what works best for you, but a general rule is at least one full day off per week. My training schedule has Monday and Friday as my rest days. However, on my days off from running I am not sitting on the couch channel surfing. Here are some tips on how to have an active recovery.
Non-Running Days and Active Recovery
I will admit that I look forward to my non-running or recovery days. I train hard and my body needs a break from the stress I put on it. Although I do not run on my recovery days, I also do not sit idle either. Light exercise will increase your blood flow and help clear waste products that have built up and contribute to soreness. This light exercise is what most athletes call an “active recovery”.
Active Recovery
There are two primary schools of thought when it comes to active recovery. The first is that an active recovery helps facilitate muscle recovery by increasing the blood flow and helping to flush out the lactic acid and other waste built up in your muscles. The second is that lactic acid levels return to normal within an hour even after the most intense workouts. There is no evidence that an active recovery promotes muscle tissue repair, replaces glycogen, or has any other physiological response that leads to muscle recovery. With so much discrepancy between the two schools of thought about active recovery, why do we and so many elite athletes do them?
What both schools of thought will agree on is that active recovery workouts will increase your fitness by training your body to push fatigued muscles. And that an active recovery will lead to stronger workouts. It has been shown that athletes can experience a boost in fitness after performing an active recovery workout. They also agree that sitting around all day can make you actually feel stiff for your next workout.
My mantra “You gotta keep moving” comes into play once again, but you need to keep the intensity low. I find it best to have an active recovery day before my long or hard runs. For me this usually involves a long hike with my buddy Simon (my dog). My friend Neeraj likes to ride his bike on a stationary trainer; whatever you choose just remember to keep the intensity low. If you start to feel any pains, or think that an injury is just around the corner, then truly take a day (or more) off.
So, what is an active recovery? It certainly is not a high intensity cross training workout.
Other Running Recovery Tips
Cool Down After Your Hard Workouts
Resist the urge to sit. A cool down is an important part of your recovery process. It is as simple as walking for about five minutes after your hard effort. I was not a big advocate of the cool down until I read a story in VeloNews. The basic idea of the article was that after a horse races a quarter mile the jockey will cool the horse down for about one mile at a very easy pace. The article went on to say, “Shouldn’t you should at least treat yourself as good as a horse?” Now I have a cool down after every workout, not just my hard ones.
Eat and Drink
After a hard workout it is imperative that you eat. For example, after running a marathon your body will burn more calories than a typical less active person burns all day. At this point your metabolism is high and the window for replacing the glycogen in your body is about 15 minutes. I have also read that the window for replenishing carbohydrates is about 45 minutes, and for proteins it is about 30 minutes. If you do not eat and replenish during the windows then you risk your recovery, instead of taking a short time; can turn into days. If you are unable to eat any solid foods then try to get your carbohydrates and proteins in a liquid form. Fruit juices, carbohydrate drinks, or even chocolate milk are all good sources to replenish your body. I love it when after a long race I feel good enough to replenish my carbohydrates with a nice cold beer. All kidding aside, after a long or hard effort you will most likely be dehydrated and your blood becomes thick. This puts an extra strain on your heart, so get fluids in to start the rehydrating process.
Massage
Massage is a very important part of my recovery program. Research shows that a massage can reduce muscle soreness by about 30 percent. It is best if you can schedule your massage the day after your hard workout where a good flushing of your muscles, rather than a deep tissue massage; will aid in your recovery the best. A good therapist such as the two I see at Boulder Therapeutics will be able to find trouble spots that you were not even aware that you had.
If getting a massage is not in the budget, or within your comfort level; then try self massage. There are many instruments of torture, I mean massage tools; available.
Foam Roller, the "stick", foot roller, and T-bar
The ones that I use most are a foam roller for my legs and back, a rolling stick for my calves and shins, and a foot roller, and I also use a T-bar or what I call a door stopper for getting in real deep.
Sleep
This year I had the unique opportunity to get a good night sleep every night; I was laid off. I really did find that getting a good night’s sleep helped me set all sorts of PRs this year. Sleep is key to recovering both your muscles and your brain. This is the best time for your body to rebuild and repair itself. For me, I like to get about 10 hours of sleep each night.
Ice and/or Cold Water
AVOID THE TEMPATION TO GET IN A HOT TUB AFTER A HARD EFFORT. It sounds so appealing to want to sit in a nice warm hot tub to sooth your muscles, but it is counterproductive to recovery. After your hard workout, soreness and inflammation occurs in your muscle tissue when there is an increase flow of blood to the muscles. Cold water or ice prevents blood from pooling in your muscles and also constricts blood vessels and muscle tissue. This constriction help push waste products from your muscles and the re-warming process will increase blood flow improving the healing process. There are many trail races that I have done where a cold mountain stream is handy to sit in.
Plastic cups for ice massages
If that is not available try taking a garden hose or cold shower to spray your legs. You can also try a light massage with an ice pack or an ice cup massage. I actually have cups with a handle that can be placed in the freezer and are great for an ice massage.
Take Good Care of Yourself
Incorporating active workouts will benefit your overall fitness. Don’t let your body deteriorate during your long efforts, remember to keep eating and drinking. After your hard efforts refuel your body within the windows that your body will accept carbohydrates and proteins and you will aid your recovery. Then get to bed early and get a good nights sleep.
