Recovery Tools for Enhanced Performance

With the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon just 6 weeks out, those preparing are focused on the prize: completing one of the relay distances, half marathon, or full 26.2 mile journey.  What must not be neglected-even before raceday-is the very essential element of training that can make or break your big day…..RECOVERY!  This isn’t only about going easy on yourself after the marathon, but tending to the rest and refuel needs of your body during its heavy training phase.  The quicker and more complete your recovery from workouts, the faster you can move on to your next quality training session.  The body remembers what it’s done, so the more total sessions you have-as long as you’re not “slogging” through them-the faster and more capable you will ultimately be.

Whatever you endeavor to physically, when you extend yourself, your body requires time to refuel and repair.  You know you’re fully recovered when you are able to put complete effort and focus into a workout.  These higher intensity sessions cannot be done daily, therefore the time should be spent wisely. 

First, as to when and how often to do these higher-level workouts, this is decided on an individual basis.  There are, however, a few standards that I like to remind athletes of, just to store in their “mental repertoire”.  Whether you’re newly embarking upon a workout program, a weekend warrior, or elite athlete, adhering to a HARD/EASY approach is a good guideline to lower risk of injury.  This doesn’t mean “hammering” with all you’ve got every other day; simply that quality workouts of distance, intensity or both should be followed with easier, shorter, or cross-training days.  As for “speedwork”, a key component that fine-tunes runners, cyclists, and swimmers, this type effort should be done only once a week, and in fact, some of those who race often use that workout as their only true intensity training of the week (especially if they feel “on the edge” in terms of staying uninjured.)  Others do a session of “repeats” on a track; a series of quarter-mile, half-mile, or mile time trials to work on turnover (number of steps/minute).

A way to approach speedwork without hitting the track is to do “pickups” or “tempo” running inside of a workout; that is, accelerate 3-5 minutes 6-8 times within a middle-distance workout.  As long as it’s clearly an effort over and above your normal pace, but not out of control, you’ll realize benefits in a few weeks in terms of feeling more comfortable outside your comfort zone.  When these ‘speed breaks’ are finished, resume your normal pace-not slower.  This not-quite recovered state of effort will have you feeling stronger under more physical stress than you previously could take, and translate to faster times.  An added bonus is that your stride is enhanced, and form benefits, making you a more efficient runner.  Plus, it makes a session literally “fly” by.

A few key components are clearly linked to how quickly and completely you can return to full strength from a top-notch effort, whether it be an intense workout or a race.

Daily nutrition habits:

This contours the health status of your body, and dictates how much your body can work.

Sleep habits:

I never took this seriously, thinking one good nights’ sleep could make up for a bad week. It’s not that you can’t recover from erratic rest, but if you don’t have quality “down time”-whether sleeping of whether sleeping or relaxing-it will show up in your athletic endeavors.

Post-workout nutrition habits:

You must replace long-lasting energy (glycogen) within 30-45 minutes of finishing a workout to gain benefit from Glut-4 molecules, which hang out on the muscle cell membrane and grab glucose from the blood, therefore avoiding that blood sugar dip.  Carbohydrates, electrolytes, and protein are needed for muscle repair and antioxidants, which reduce cellular damage from a hard effort.  Remember, that timeframe is critical for optimum benefit.

Stress management:

Easy for me to say, huh?  Chronic stress needs to be addressed though, as it causes illness, injury, and makes the burnout factor less likely.

Pre-exercise nutrition:

Don’t even think about limiting your carbohydrates (within reason) as long as peak performance is your goal; complete hydration and “low glycemic index” carbohydrates (not overly-sugared) will serve you well.

Yoga and massage:

Stretching (both for strength, flexibility, and nimbleness) benefits running greatly (both pre-and-post workout; you know when it helps you most) and massage increases circulation, flushes toxins, and brings fresh blood to your limbs. These also promote relaxation, always a big plus for performance.

If you hammer away daily, without thought to recovery and lesser-intense workouts, chances are injury will rear its ugly head, or you may find you left your best race out there weeks earlier.

MARATHON UPDATE: 

If you’re feeling a little sluggish with just over 5 weeks left before the OKC Memorial Marathon, don’t get caught up in the numbers game; how many long runs have I had?  Am I right on pace with my training schedule in terms of miles put in?  At this crucial time confidence is pivotal, so more important than to hammer out a few workouts on dead legs, take a couple days off, try not to even THINK about training, and note that the spring in your step, and vibrance in your approach, will be back in short order.  This pursuit highlights the best in all of us, and we’re fortunate to aspire to such lofty goals, so don’t let anything cloud your pride factor, and have fun.