Whether you’re an elite or amateur runner a recovery run should form part of your running programme. A recovery run is a low-intensity run done at a slow pace after a more intense workout. This type of running helps with muscle recovery and builds endurance. Let’s look at the benefits of recovery runs and how you can use them to optimise your performance.
Benefits of Recovery Runs
Recovery runs improve your overall fitness by helping you build endurance and boosting your metabolism. They also help reduce stress levels and improve blood circulation, aiding in better oxygen delivery to muscles during exercise. Additionally, they help with muscle repair and reduce inflammation due to strenuous workouts or races. Finally, they help keep your heart rate up while still allowing for muscle repair after intense activities.
Physiological Benefits of Recovery Runs
Recovery runs are an important part of any training plan in order to properly recover from intense exercise. Recovery runs are designed to flush out the by-products of intense physical activity, such as lactic acid build up, and promote blood flow throughout the body. This increased circulation helps the body return to its pre-exercise state more quickly, allowing for improved performance during future workouts. Recovery runs are essential for any runner as they will give your body time to adapt and get stronger after a hard workout.
Psychological Benefits of Recovery Runs
Additionally, recovery runs offer many psychological benefits that can help athletes remain motivated and excited about their upcoming training sessions. After an intense workout, it can be difficult to stay positive and motivated. However, a recovery run provides a way for athletes to take a break while still staying active. This type of active recovery allows athletes to destress and enjoy the feeling of being outside while still working towards their fitness goals.
Focus on Good Running and Recovery Habits
Recovery runs also provide a great opportunity for athletes to practice good form and technique at slower speeds, as well as test different running paces or surfaces without the pressure of competition or speed goals. This is especially useful for runners who are looking to improve form or increase efficiency on their next race day performance. Finally, recovery runs offer an athlete the chance to focus on proper nutrition and hydration habits after an intensive workout session. Eating properly before and after a workout ensures that an athlete has enough energy for future workouts and helps prevent muscle soreness from developing later on in the week.
How to Perform a Recovery Run
When doing a recovery run, it’s recommended that they should last for around 20-40 minutes depending on your fitness level. It’s important to stay within the right heart rate zone — ideally around 60-65% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
Training Zones
Heart rate training zones are specific heart rates that runners should aim to achieve while running. They range from Zone 1, which is the lowest intensity and a good recovery rate, all the way up to Zone 5, which is the highest intensity and a peak performance level.
| Zone | Intensity | Percentage of Maximum Heart Rate | Description |
| 1 | Very Light | 50-60% | Moderate walking pace / slow jog |
| 2 | Light | 60-70% | Comfortable running should easily be able to hold a conversation |
| 3 | Moderate | 70-80% | Running at a moderate pace which makes talking slightly more difficult and slightly out of breath |
| 4 | Hard | 80-90% | Exercising at your threshold where talking is difficult, lactic is building in the muscles and working up a sweat |
| 5 | Maximum | 90-100% | Working to your max. Can only sustain for short durations. Heavy breathing and lactic build up in the muscles. |
To assess your maximal heart rate you need to perform a test to your maximum heart rate, such as a VO2max test. However, you should consider these tests with caution as they are tailored towards athletes with high fitness levels. For a guide, you can also use the following industry standard formula for working out your maximum heart rate.
220 – age = maximum heart rate
Zone 1 and Zone 2 Running
When running in Zone 1 and 2 your heart rate should stay below 70% of your maximum heart rate. This allows for an easy pace that won’t put too much strain on your body or cardiovascular system. Running in this zone allows you to move at an easy pace without pushing yourself too hard, allowing your body to recover faster from the stresses of higher-intensity training. Also, this zone also helps promote fat burning as your body will use stored fat as energy instead of relying on carbohydrates during the low-intensity run. Additionally, running in this zone can help with improving endurance and aerobic capacity over time if done regularly.
Running in zone 2 also helps improve both aerobic endurance and muscular endurance as your body works harder than in Zone 1. But it still has enough breathing room that it doesn’t reach exhaustion levels like with higher-intensity running.
In summary, heart rate training zones are important tools for any runner looking to become more efficient and improve their performance over time. Running in Zone 1 and Zone 2 specifically has many benefits such as aiding fat burning, promoting muscle strength gains, helping with overall fitness levels, and providing optimal recovery times between harder workouts or races. All these factors combined make these two zones some of the most important tools available to runners looking to progress in their sport while avoiding injury or exhaustion due to overtraining or going too hard too soon during a workout session.
When Should You Perform a Recovery Run?
This can vary depending on a few factors, such as your fitness level, training goals and current training programme. But to apply a general rule, a recovery run should be incorporated a day after any intense run. This can be a race, high intensity intervals or hill drills.
Although, elite level runners who may incorporate double run sessions in a day will make their second run a recovery run.
Also, if your training plan incorporates lots of low intensity running then recovery runs may not be essential as you will be running at zone 2 for the most part of your plan.
Types of Heart Rate Trackers
Heart rate monitors are an important tool for running to help track training zones and improve performance. They come in many different forms, from basic heart rate trackers to advanced watches with features such as GPS tracking, activity monitoring and fitness guidance.
Chest Straps
The most common type of heart rate monitor is the chest strap. Polar are one of the leading manufacturers of these chest strap models, setting the standard for reliable and affordable heart rate monitoring. The chest strap has become the go-to choice for those looking for accuracy and precision when it comes to tracking their heart rate while running. It works by measuring the electrical activity of your heart, providing a highly accurate reading on a consistent basis. It also provides detailed data on how long each zone is being reached during a session, which can be helpful in improving your overall performance.
Wrist Trackers
For those wanting a more convenient option, there are wrist trackers such as Fitbit or Garmin watches. These devices measure your pulse through sensors that detect changes in light reflection based on the amount of blood flowing through your veins at any given time. While they provide less accurate readings than chest straps, they are still useful for keeping an eye on your average heart rate during exercise sessions.
Smartwatches
In addition to these two types of devices, there are also smartwatches available such as Apple Series 8 which provide tracking capabilities similar to what you would expect from a dedicated fitness tracker or watch but with additional functionality like notifications and calls (although, why would you want to take a call while out on a run). If you already own a smartwatch then this may provide you with all the tracking you need without having to purchase an additional device specifically for running-related activities.
When it comes to buying a heart rate monitor there are devices available across different budget ranges so it pays to do some research before investing in one that meets your individual needs. For those who just want something simple yet reliable enough to keep track of their training zones then there are basic models available at relatively low prices that should meet their needs without breaking the bank. However if you’re looking for something more advanced with features such as GPS tracking, activity monitoring and fitness guidance then there are more expensive options like smartwatches that come with all these features included in their package.
Make Recovery Runs an Essential Part of Your Training
Recovery runs are essential for athletes who want to push their performance further without overexerting themselves or risking injury due to excessive strain on their bodies from strenuous activities. In summary, doing these types of runs helps build endurance, boost metabolism, maintain motivation, reduce stress levels and inflammation caused by heavy training sessions or races. The physiological benefits of promoting blood flow throughout the body can help reduce fatigue levels and reduce the amount of time needed between workouts in order to maximise results. It’s also important to stay within certain heart rate zones when doing these types of runs which can be easily monitored with the use of various types of heart rate trackers available on the market today. Taking advantage of recovery runs can go a long way towards achieving optimal performance!
