Running a hard workout on recovered legs and then recovering quick enough after the workout to allow for multiple hard workouts during the week are two critical components to reaching one’s full potential. How do you know if you are fully recovered? What can you do to optimize your recovery? Here a few quick tips to consider…

How to know if you are recovered:

1. Pliability – If your muscles are tight or sore and you are jumping off the foamroll, time to keep things
   easy.
2. Resting Heart Rate – Take your average resting heart rate during a non-intensive period of training
   (take a count first thing in the morning for 3 days and take the average), now take your resting heart rate
   the days after a hard workout. If it is more than 4 beats per minutes faster, time to keep things easy.
3. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) – Use your health/fitness watch or ring to get a 3 day average of your
   HRV, similar to above. Now take a reading the morning of a hard workout, if it is notably lower than
   normal, time to keep things easy.

How to optimize recovery

1. Regular, light to moderate pliability and flexibility work.
2. Ice cold water soak of the legs for 8-10 minutes (best to do if still not recovered 48 hrs after the hard
   workout).
3. Eat plenty of carbs directly after a hard workout (after hard AEROBIC efforts your muscles are
   starving for carbs, more than protein, to rebuild).
4. And of course the basics – light running/walking/biking/etc, plenty of sleep, hydrate.

Just run a marathon? Though likely uncomfortable, if there is not acute or asymmetrical pain, a few
short runs afterwards can greatly expedite recovery:

• day 1 (after a marathon) – light foamroll/stretch
• day 2 – 10-20 minutes walking
• day 3 – 4 minutes easy (running), stretch, 6 minutes easy
• day 4 – 20-30 minutes walking
• day 5 – 6 minutes easy, stretch, 14 minutes easy
• day 6 – 20-40 minutes walking
• day 7 – 10-15 minutes easy, stretch, 10-15 minutes easy