Your Running Plan Has Every Mile Covered. What About Recovery?

It is easy to be precise about mileage and vague about recovery. Advice from physiotherapists and a personal trainer offers a more considered approach to rest days, strength work and reaching the start line ready to run.

A missed run can feel like unfinished business, particularly with a race in the diary. But running recovery deserves a place in the plan before tired legs or an injury make the decision for you. The miles may be neatly accounted for; the time needed between them can be rather less organised.

In a UK survey, 56% of respondents said they had tried to carry on as normal with a muscle injury before being forced to stop and rest. Just 54% said they built recovery time into their exercise programme.

The survey was commissioned by Deep Heat and Deep Freeze; the three specialists quoted here also have advisory or advocacy connections to the brands.

Those figures describe people’s reported experiences, rather than establishing what caused their injuries. They do, however, give runners something useful to consider: does the training schedule allow for recovery, or merely hope it will happen?

Give running recovery time a purpose

Personal trainer and functional fitness competitor Elyn Marwick explains why the quieter days deserve attention.

“When you train hard you create small amounts of muscle damage and fatigue. Rest days allow tissues to repair and grow stronger.”

Her advice is to make room for that process within the programme. Waiting until you cannot comfortably complete the next session leaves the decision rather late.

Physiotherapist and Pilates specialist Clara Kervyn recommends mixing demanding training with rest days or lower-impact activities such as Pilates. The aim is to give muscles, tendons and joints a break from repeated impact.

This is where a training diary can earn its keep. If it records every hard session but leaves recovery unspecified, it tells only part of the story. Planning an easier day gives it a reason to be there, rather than making it look like an empty square you ought to fill.

Let an injury change the session

A schedule written weeks ago cannot account for exactly how your body will feel today.

“A simple issue can turn into a full-blown injury too,” says Marwick.

She advises resting and addressing an injury early, with help from a physiotherapist where needed. Continuing as though nothing has changed can turn a manageable interruption into a longer setback.

There is a distinction between adjusting a programme and abandoning the goal. A race entry gives the training direction; it should also leave room for sensible decisions along the way.

Kervyn explains that long-distance running puts muscles and joints under repetitive load. As muscles tire, she says, they absorb shock less effectively, increasing stress on joints and tendons. That is part of her case for varying the demands of the week, rather than treating every outing as an opportunity to work harder.

Count strength work as training

Mileage is a convenient measure of effort. Resistance training does not add to it, which can make an otherwise useful session look suspiciously unproductive on a running log.

Physiotherapist Sammy Margo recommends strength work alongside running, particularly for the glutes, core and legs.

“Building strength in the glutes, core and legs improves stability and reduces the strain on joints such as the knees and ankles.”

The practical point is to leave room for this work when planning the week. If every available training slot is already assigned to a run, strength work becomes something to squeeze in later.

Margo also says stronger muscles absorb impact better. Her advice gives runners a reason to consider how they prepare for the miles, as well as how many they complete.

Prepare for the run you are doing

A warm-up deserves its own allocation of time. Margo recommends dynamic movements such as leg swings and walking lunges to prepare for exercise, followed by a cool-down after the session.

Allowing for both when organising a run makes more sense than hoping there will be a few minutes left at either end.

Footwear requires individual consideration too.

“With running for example, everyone’s foot shape, gait and biomechanics are slightly different,” says Margo.

She recommends properly fitted trainers and suggests a specialist shop where feet and running style can be assessed. A shoe that suits a friend may not suit you, however persuasive their recommendation.

The useful question is whether it is appropriate for your feet and running, rather than whether somebody else has declared it the best thing they have ever bought.

Resist the last-minute mileage

As race day approaches, doing less can feel oddly difficult. There is a goal in sight, and another session offers the reassuring sense of having done something towards it.

Margo recommends a taper: reducing training volume before the race to allow recovery while maintaining fitness.

“You want to arrive at the start line feeling rested, with muscles repaired and energy stores topped up, while still maintaining your fitness.”

That is a clear purpose for the final phase of preparation. Leave the last heroic effort for the race.