Do either of these “more is better” phrases sound familiar to you? “I want to run faster, so I’m going to skip the recovery day on my training plan and replace it with another tempo run.” Or, “I want to run farther, so even though I’m only getting six hours of sleep, I’m going to get up at 4 a.m. so I can add more miles to my run.”

If you’ve been running for awhile, they probably resonate as something you’ve said to yourself at least once in your running history. That’s because we runners pride ourselves on our ability to do hard things. We wake up early, we run the miles, we drink the coffee (only for those of us who like “the coffee,” of course), and, basically, we get things done. That’s why, sometimes, the hardest thing for runners is taking a break and letting our bodies recover — especially when our training is going well, we’re feeling good, and everything is firing on...

I need to run faster so I will run faster.  I will run farther.  I will sleep less so I can fit in more.  I will squeeze in the workout because that is what the calendar says.  Without the workouts, the rest of my training is pointless, because this is everything or nothing.  This training style sounds dedicated and powerful, but actually misses a major component of any quality plan.

Today we are talking about the often neglected aspect of our training plan: recovery.  How important is recovery in our running?  

Highlights of the Episode

Training requires pushing limits to break down so you can rebuild stronger

How does recovery affect you as a runner?

Sometimes doing the hard things isn't what you think

What are the benefits of proper recovery?

How much recovery do we really need? 

What are the different methods of recovery?

Challenge of the week: Recovery Brag

Tell us what you did for recovery this week!

Thanks for...