The recovery phase as part of your training discipline

The work of recovery

In April I wrapped up a year-long campaign that included 13 marathons in 13 months among other things.  After a long campaign or a hard race or anything that has taken a lot out of you, you need to rest and recover.

But it’s important to understand the difference between recovery and rest.  There is some resting involved but recovery is an active phase of your training discipline that needs to be worked with the same attention as any other training phase.

There is both mental recovery and physical recovery involved and each takes its own form.  You don’t want to just throw your shoes in the corner and put your feet up for a month.  If you do that you’ll set yourself back and set yourself up for the risk of an injury when you start training again.

How do you manage your recovery like a training discipline?

First it’s important to have a ‘clear future’ – to know what your plans are.  They don’t have to be set in stone but you should have some goals for your next campaign.  What you are planning to tackle will dictate some of the activities in your recovery.  Having a clear future will also allow your brain a chance rest and not have to think about ‘what should I do next?’

When you are setting your next goal it needs to be something that stretches you.  It needs to be something compelling with some unknown to it.  It needs to be a bit like entering a dark room where you really don’t know what you’re in for and it scares you and excites you.  If it’s a repeat of something you’ve already done it won’t get your juices running, it won’t be compelling.

When you think you know what that next goal is tell someone. Or tell multiple someone’s.  In this way you are making yourself accountable.

With a clear future, a compelling goal and accountability now you are ready to get to work on recovery and the recovery is now contextualized as preparation for your next big thing.

When you come out of a grueling event or series of events the first step is assessment.  What hurts?  Where did you feel the weaknesses and breakdowns in your competing?  Do a self assessment and list out those things that you think need rehabilitation or strengthening.

Once you have your self assessment share it with your coach or even get a consult from the appropriate physio or medico to see if your assessment is right.  You don’t want to be treating what you think is a sore ligament if you have a stress fracture!

In my case I’ve got a long list of aches and pains coming off of this year of continuous racing that I never had a chance to let heal.  I’ve got ankle pain and back pain.  In the last ½ dozen marathons my pace was very slow – so I have no speed.  My quads were spasming at the end of these races so I know there’s something going on there.  My mechanics never quite recovered from the plantar fasciitis and it feels like I’m still running with a limp.

What is my next big goal?  Well, tentatively I’d like to run a qualifying marathon at the end of the summer.  You might say, how is that a stretch goal?  Well, the last qualifying time I ran was Boston in 2011.  I think I can do it, but I’m not sure and frankly it pisses me off to not be able to do it.  Therefore the goal is compelling for me.

I’ve given myself May as my recovery month.  I may go visit my orthopedic surgeon just to get his opinion and some directional guidance on the ankle and my plantar fasciitis.

Other than assessment and rest, what else do I need to do before I can ramp up my training?

In the recovery phase of training what you don’t do is as important as what you do.  I have to give my ankles and legs a chance to heal so I’m not running.  This sounds easy but on beautiful spring days when the trails are beckoning it takes some discipline to not go run an easy 5k in the woods with the dog.

If you have nagging injuries you need to let them rest.  Most soft tissue injuries (tendonitis, muscle strains or even just exhaustion) will heal up in 2-3 weeks.  Chronic injuries may take 6 weeks.  You have to budget enough time to heal.  Don’t rush it.  You won’t be able to sustain the quality training you need if you’re not healthy.

You are still going to be training 5-7 days a week it’s just going to be focused differently.  For the recovery phase you will focus these days of training on recovery activities.

I believe in active recovery.  It is absolutely possible to speed up the healing process with appropriate ‘self therapy’.  For your injuries or weaknesses find out what the appropriate and effective stretching and exercise is to augment recovery.  You are going to replace some of the time you spent training with recovery therapy.

For example: if you’ve got ITB or Achilles problems you can stretch and foam roll those as part of your structured training.  Instead of hill repeats you’ll do 20 minutes of deep stretching and self massage.  If you know you have hip pain due to psoas tightness at the end of every hard campaign why not start working on it now with the appropriate strength and flexibility exercises?

You also need to keep your cardio up.  Even if you’re not running you may be able to elliptical or bike or swim.  Find out what works for you and get at least an hour of easy, high-rpm, low heart rate cardio in 3 time a week.

What am I doing for my plethora of aches and pains and weaknesses?

For the ankle I’m working in a set of ankle strengthening exercises a few times a week.  You can get these specific rehab exercises from your coach, from the community or from Youtube.  Everything is on Youtube.  Just be careful with the caveat emptor – make sure what you are doing is appropriate for you.

I’m also mixing in some brief, easy, barefoot form drills to strengthen my feet and work on my form and cadence.  I’m doing a full stretch most days that focuses on the legs – Achilles, quads hamstrings – the whole chain.  Additionally I’m doing some breathing meditation and a specific kung fu routine for back and quad strength.  (Youtube again!)

I’m doing core workouts to get strength back into my core.  This will help my back, my form and my ability to train when I get started again.  If my ankle wasn’t buggered I’d be doing leg strength workouts but that will have to wait.

I’m not just mindlessly plunging ahead into the next task, the next training cycle.  I’m giving myself some time to breathe and reflect.  I’m trying some things that will allow me to grow mentally and physically during the recovery phase.

Many times when you are in the heat of battle; during that last hard training cycle or race you make decisions that are colored by the stressed-out position you were in at that point in time.  Right after a marathon is not the place to decide if you’re going to run another marathon.  Give yourself some space in recovery to fall back in love with your sport and your goals.

You have a choice.  Don’t mindlessly start cranking away at the next training cycle.  Take a recovery phase.  On the one hand it should have the discipline and training and persistence of any other training phase.  On the other it should allow you space to recover and to grow.

A well executed recovery phase will put you in the mental and physical position to dive into your next big challenge.