Top 10 Recovery Tips for Runners

We need to take our recovery as seriously as we take our run training. It’s a crucial element in order for us to see the desired results from our sessions. We are also all built differently, so some of these tips might work better and have more of an affect for certain runners, compared to others.

We’re always seeking ways in which we can improve. Your training needs to improve in order to achieve faster times whilst racing. But how can you improve your training?

Fatigue naturally restricts our training, so over the past few years I’ve really focused on recovering as fast as possible. Doing what it takes to get my body into a place where it’s ready to train at ultimate performance.

There’s a fine line between reaching your peak performance and overtraining. It’s also impossible to run to your full potential unless you’re fully recovered, feeling fresh and raring to go.

Here are some of my best recovery tips that I’ve learnt from the past few years of running that have helped me improve my times astronomically:

Protein within half an hour of a hard session

This is probably the most important tip and the thing that has helped me improve the most. After a track, tempo, hill session, hard parkrun or race, it’s crucial to give your body the protein it needs for your muscles to build and recover.

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Think of this as the same concept of a car emptying its tank. The fuel it needs to get going again is the protein your body needs to recover in order to train again. It’s absorbed best within half an hour of doing your session.

I personally have a scoop of diet whey protein within half an hour of every hard session. I use diet whey protein to try stay lean for running and to avoid bulking up.

Hydration in the form of electrolytes, during and straight after a run helps speed up the recovery process. I start every day with a hydration tablet, which is full of electrolytes that my body absorbs and stores for when it’s required on a run.

Loads of fruit, veg and good carbs (before big sessions)

The more natural the food the better. It’s important to bear in mind that everyone reacts differently to different diets and nutrition, so what works for me may not necessarily work for you. I always make sure to get a mixture of good fruit and veg.  

Try not to fall into the trap of eating the same fruits and veggies all the time.

Great vegetables for runners are things such as kale, broccoli, spinach, beetroot, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, carrots, lentils, chickpeas and black beans. When it comes to fruit, look to add in oranges, kiwi, pineapple, berries, tomatoes and bananas do your weekly nutrition.

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Some of the benefits of eating the above include: great source of calcium, vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, potassium and a whole lot of goodness that helps with recovery and keeping healthy by building a strong immune system.

Good carbs are the ‘fuel before the session’, followed by protein which is the ‘post session fuel’.

Pre and Post session stretching and foam rolling

Warming up and cooling down before big sessions is often as important, if not more so, than the actual session itself - and something that a lot of runners neglect. Be kind to yourself and give your body the time it needs to warm up and cool down rather than just doing the session and stopping straight away.

Whether it’s a hard or easy session, allow yourself at least 10 minutes to stretch pre and post run. I know it can be boring and time consuming but it helps release some of the lactate that has built up, and that is the body fluid that makes you stiff.

Foam rolling should be done according to feel. I aim to do a foam rolling session at least 3 times a week – also after my harder session, rolling through the muscles that need the most attention and releasing the tightness from within them so they can recover as quickly as possible.

I know we are all tight for time, but if you could just set aside 5-10 minutes a day for this, that goes a long way!

Yoga or mobility work at least once a week

We all know that running makes your muscles tight but I only figured out just how tight mine were when I went to my first Yoga class about a year ago. I was that guy who could barely touch his knees never mind his toes. ‘Downward facing dog’ was definitely a lot more painful than the pleasurable stretching pose it’s supposed to be (I looked more wobbly than a baby giraffe at birth).

Since that day I found that Yoga is very beneficial to us runners. I now go every week, without fail, and am a whole lot more flexible than a year ago (yes – I can indeed touch my toes now and hold a comfortable ‘downward facing dog’ pose). Considering how much Yoga helps the recovery rate, not just physically but mentally, I wish I had starting Yoga when I first started running.

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Often I do a Yoga session, purely for the mental recovery side of things. Yoga gives you a break from the fast paced world we live in and really allows you to reset the mind, so that you’re in the best possible place going forward, whether it’s in running or just life in general.

At least 8 hours of sleep

Sleep is when your body truly recovers. Aim to get at least 8 hours, even if you’re not in a deep sleep for 8 hours, give yourself the chance.

By sleeping for 8 hours per night you’re allowing muscle regeneration to fully take place, and your body to soak up a lot of the good work that you’ve put in.

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Since having kids, I haven’t been able to consistently get 8 hours of sleep a night. I’ve certainly felt the impact of this and cannot stress how important it is to get a good sleep.

It’s almost impossible to perform to your full potential when you’re not getting enough sleep.

Wear compression tights/socks or recovery boots

Whether it’s during a session or post session, compressing muscles helps speed up the recovery process. Studies have been done to prove this and I can vouch for this, having personally tried and tested various different compression socks and tights.

Often after a big tempo session or race my calves seem to twitch like crazy from the build-up of lactate acid. Compression socks help maintain the blood flow and completely remove that uncomfortable feeling.

Recovery boots have been a great addition. They speed up the blood flow and increase the recovery time. It’s also a form of recovery where you can recover and work at the same time… bonus!

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Elevate the legs

Aim to keep your legs elevated for about 30 - 45 minutes in your day. A good time to do this is often whilst watching TV in the evenings. The point of this is to circulate/drain all the unwanted lactate within the legs, then allowing fresh, nutrient rich blood to replace this.

Have a sports massage before a big race

These are never the most ‘exciting’ massages and can often be very painful, but they are usually worth it. A pre-race, deep tissue sports massage wakes the legs up and rejuvenates the muscles. 

Ensure you go for one about 4-5 days before a big event. Be careful not to go too close to race day as the soreness from the sports massage can stay in your legs for a couple of days. Anything from 4 days before the event can be a deep tissue sports massage, anything closer should just be a light massage.

Massage guns are also very popular. They’re a great way to lose up tight areas too

Keep the recovery days easy

Recovery days should always feel easy. A great way to train is one hard day followed by one recovery day. Often I find that my legs feel fresher if I do a light jog rather than completely rest. However, this isn’t the case for everyone.

This concept took me ages to learn and is easier said than done. When getting fitter, I often found I would get bored on easy runs and time would go slowly and I was worried people would see this slow pace on Strava. Since getting over this fear, it’s been onwards, upwards and progress all the way.

It’s also important to listen to your body. If you have a big session planned, but you’re fatigued and your body is screaming for recovery then it’s best to listen and skip the session. This is not always the easiest thing to do and it takes a lot of discipline, especially if you’ve mentally prepared for the session and feel guilty for missing it. But there are times when you just need to listen to your body.

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Ice Bath and cooling muscles

Ice baths are definitely not the most comfortable thing to do after a tough session, but shocking the muscles by jumping into an ice bath helps improve recovery by reducing the inflation. The cold constricts the muscles, flushing away the waste and unwanted fluids when they open up again.

I once took part in the crazy race called the ‘Kosmos 3 in 1’ where you run a marathon in the morning, a half marathon at lunch and a 10k in the evening – an absolutely brutal race. Ice baths and a freezing cold swimming pool definitely did the trick and was the thing that helped most to ensure you’re recovered by the time the next race starts.

I hope these recovery tips can help you - it’s all these bits in and around training that all add up at the end of the day.

Onwards and upwards,

Coach Nick