Recovery Runs: The Most Important Run You're Probably Skipping

Why Recovery Runs Are the Foundation of Smart Training

Coach Lydiard used to say "you have to learn to run slow, to run fast." He was getting at the fundamental training concept: Stress + Rest/Recovery = Adaptation. Stress without rest and recovery leads to illness, injury, and compromised race day performance.

How Recovery Runs Fit Into the Lydiard Week

In Lydiard training, Saturdays are a higher intensity workout — an Out & Back or a Progress Calibration Run. Depending on where the runner is in their training cycle, the pace for these may be approaching goal race pace. That effort is followed the next day by a long aerobic recovery run. During this run you are burning fat, building capillaries, and servicing repair of your muscle fibers.

What Pace Should Recovery Runs Be?

For a 3:30 marathoner running 8:00 race pace, aerobic recovery run pace is 9:00-9:30. The cycle I ran 2:21 (5:22 pace), I generally hit my aerobic runs at 7:00-7:30 pace. And Kipchoge? Even the best in the world builds slow, easy aerobic recovery runs into their training — his recovery pace starts at up to 9:30 per mile for runs of 12 miles.

Want a personalized recovery strategy? Bob and Jennifer at Running Niche are both Lydiard Certified Coaches who build smart training plans that balance effort and recovery. Join our Run Club or stop by the store to learn more.