Post-Run Recovery – 3 Steps after a Long-Run

Monday I talked about the importance of the R.I.C.E. method for post-run recovery. Today I want to discuss what you should be doing immediately after a long run or any particularly hard training session.

1. Light jog and stretching. Try not to hate me for saying this, but as soon as you finish your run you should do a very, very slow jog of about 50 meters. If even a slow jog is too much to handle (I’ve been there), just walk for about 60 seconds. Your legs need a transition between the effort of your workout and stopping completely. One of the absolute worst things you can do following a run is to pop down on the couch and not move for an hour.

2. Drink a large amount of water. As soon as you finish your light cool-down, it is time to start replacing the fluids you lost while running. And that means  a lot of water. There’s a good chance you are going to stop feeling thirsty before you’ve drank enough liquid to recharge your body. A good method to combat this is to get a gigantic nalgene water bottle and carry it around with you for the next several hours and make it a reflex action to take a drink out of it every few minutes.

3. Eat something as soon as possible. I’ve had training runs where my stomach cramped up so badly afterward I couldn’t even drink water. So I understand it can be hard to make yourself eat right after running, but try and get some carbs down immediately following a run. Even calorie and carbohydrate-heavy liquids like Gatorade or, better yet, a fruit smoothie will do wonders to speed up your recovery. Bananas, chocolate soy milk or peanut butter are all my go-to post-run snacks.

Remember, do not immediately sit down and transition from heavy effort to absolutely nothing. Just staying on your feet for twenty minutes, while refueling of course, will greatly improve your chances of not feeling like absolute crap the following day.

Do you have any additional post-run habits or tips?

photo by betsyweber