I find it easy to rest after the race is run. In fact, I find it hard to do anything but rest immediately afterwards. Sleep comes easily, I eat all around me to replenish lost energy and I readily accept foot rubs and back rubs to ease sore feet and muscles. But rest and recovery is equally important during the preparation phase. Without it, we won’t benefit from all the work that we’ve put into our training.

Rest gives our bodies the opportunity for regeneration.

When our muscles are worked in physical exercise, they’re essentially experiencing tiny microscopic tears. Working out for several consecutive days straight without rest, therefore, means that your muscles are tearing constantly and are not being given the chance to repair and rebuild. This increases your chances of injury.

Rest and recovery is an important aspect of an exercise program because it allows the body time to repair and strengthen itself in between workouts. It also allows the athlete time to recover, both physically and psychologically. Active recovery with low-impact activities between your main workouts, keeps your muscles and joints mobile.

Recovery days are just as important as rest days because sometimes our muscles need the extra support in their efforts to rebuild. Taking a recovery day is purposefully doing something to help muscles rebuild and put themselves back together. What would constitute a good recovery day would be mobilising, stretching or going for a walk. Additional recovery activities can be something less intense and more focussed on muscle treatment, like yoga or a massage.

After a hard training session, it can be tempting to stay fairly sedentary until your next workout. However, keeping your body mobile while still allowing it to recover can provide benefits, including an increase in your body’s ability to clear blood lactate, improve muscle soreness and reduce post-exercise soreness.

Give your body the support it needs to fuel your recovery. You are what you eat. You’ve heard it before, and it’s true. Every cell in your body, every hair, every bone and every muscle is made from what you’ve eaten and drunk. Pay attention to the food you are building your body with.

Your sleep and sleep quality is an important factor for every runner. Sleep deprivation affects the immune and endocrine systems and can result in impaired cognitive function, increased pain perception and altered metabolism. Good sleep is vital to allow your immune system to recover. I look at the importance of sleep and how to set up a bedtime routine in another blog post Sleep, ignore it at your peril.

Three Tips For Rest & Recovery:

1. Pay attention to the quality of your sleep and make an effort to improve it.

2. A good diet that suits you goes a long way to keeping up your strength and aiding recovery.

3. Don’t be afraid to slow down and give your body time to recover. Not running can be as important as running.