NIKE+ RUN CLUB RUNDOWN: RECOVERY RUN

THE RECOVERY RUN

The majority of the miles you do will be on basic runs. Just simple “out the door” or “meet up with friends” runs. We call them recovery runs. Running on the days between hard workouts help you recover from the previous workout while preparing your body for your next. Done correctly, they can make your speed runs and long runs better. 

“I believe the in between days are the most significant days of the week. If done too aggressively you are unable to recover enough for the next hard effort. If done too conservatively you have missed many opportunities each week to improve," said Nike+ Run Club Head Coach, Chris Bennett.

SO, HOW DO I RUN A RECOVERY RUN?

Recovering better means running progressively. Every run you do should progress from a slower pace to a faster pace. Running your slowest miles first and fastest miles last will help you hit your goal average pace quicker. This is a chance to teach your body that the longer it runs the faster it runs. 

There is no prescribed pace or distance for recovery runs. Start with how you currently run your basic recovery runs as the foundation. 

Using Nike+ Running to track your runs, consider the following: How did you feel? How far did you go? What was your average pace? How did the individual miles progress? Did you start slower than you ended? 

Once you understand how you have been running your recovery runs, you can start to work on running them the better. 

Once you are consistently running recovery runs as progression miles, pay attention to how you feel on harder workout days – speed runs and long runs. If you feel sufficiently rested then experiment with the pace of your next recovery run. Perhaps start a little faster than you have been. You may be fit enough to recover at a faster pace. 

For example, if you can fully recover averaging 9:30 miles why would you do your runs at 10:30 pace? However, the key is to recover. So, conversely, if you need to run 10:30 miles to recover fully then you should not be running 9:30 miles on your recovery runs. 

It will take time to adjust running in this way, so be patient and have fun.