Recovery strategies for runners

Nutrition and running recovery
Nutrition can help ensure faster recovery through correct use of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and protein), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and hydration strategies.

Importance of macronutrients in recovery
One of the key factors determining when you can train hard again is muscle energy stores. Muscle cells store a limited amount of carbohydrate and very limited amounts of fats. Once you have chewed through this (a hard 90 minute session will be enough), your body needs to get energy. This needs to come from the liver, from fat cells or from food and fluids eaten.

So maximise muscle energy stores by eating easily digested foods after training. The key is that muscles are designed to be able to absorb energy at greater rates after exercise, so the sooner you can eat, the quicker your muscles will be able to replace energy stores for your next workout. If you work hard on optimal replacement of muscle energy stores you will still need at least 36 hours between very intense sessions. If you do a poor job it could take as long as 72 hours.

Micronutrients and recovery
There are several key micronutrients. Antioxidants (vitamin A, C and E) help remove damaging free radicals produced from training; there is some evidence that this will not only help recovery from training but may add to your lifespan. Don’t take too much, though, as this can cause problems. BCAAs are a group of amino acids (proteins) that help aid recovery. A diet high in BCAAs reduces fatigue in the brain. Most health food shops stock BCAAs and can advise the best combinations.

Hydration and recovery
Hydration is obviously important for recovery. Starting a session hydrated is going to be a big help and it’s a good idea to weigh yourself before and after a session, especially in summer. When you finish, aim to get back to your pre session (or race) weight as quickly as possible. Push yourself to do this even if you don’t feel like drinking.

There are other strategies to aid recovery or reduce the impact of a hard training session:

How ice and cold water can help with recovery

Cold water is magic! After a run you can run a cold hose over your legs (especially your shins) and this seems to really help reduce fluid build-up. This is a strategy that horse trainers use all the time. Ice is also very effective and can be applied to localised areas; just be careful to apply the ice in a wet towel to avoid an ice burn.

How elevation can help with recovery
Elevation of your legs after training really helps reduce fluid build-up. This, combined with cold water, is very effective for the injury prone athlete. Even ten minutes makes a huge difference.

Relaxation, sleep and recovery
There is no doubt that having to stand up all day at work after a hard training session is going to impede recovery. So too is a lack of sleep. Schedule harder sessions for days when you can relax afterwards, and aim to get enough sleep. There is some evidence that a short daytime sleep after training promotes recovery by increasing circulating hormones. Just don't let the sleep become too long. Around 20-40 minutes is ideal. Any longer and you may find it hard to sleep at night.

Using contrast therapy to aid recovery
Contrast therapy is basically a more aggressive method of ice and cold water. After you have placed ice or cold water on your legs (could be sitting in a cold pool or bath) you take a very hot shower or get into a spa pool. Once you feel hot and your legs are red with blood you then go back to the cold water or ice. Repeat this several times. This method probably also has benefits for the central nervous system as when you finish you will feel very awake and refreshed!

Recovery runs
Try to schedule short or easier runs between longer or harder runs to provide more time to fully replace energy stores. This is why a hard day/easy day approach is so important for athletes.

Grass and soft surfaces
One of the keys to recovery is allowing your muscles and tendons to recover from the pounding and loading of running. Running on soft surfaces seems to reduce post training soreness. Just watch training when on wet ground, as you are more likely to slide and cause an injury from falling. A good off-road training shoe will help.

Swimming and water running
Exercise in water is a very effective method of promoting recovery. The water pressure helps to remove the waste products and extra fluids that can build up in the legs after running. Swimming is great because it uses the arms, avoiding depletion of energy stores in the legs.

Massage and stretching
Most top athletes with tell you that they have a regular massage and stretch. Combined with contrast therapy they are excellent, but only have a light ‘recovery’ rub after very hard training or races. Hard massage may slow down recovery, especially if you do not have them regularly.