Train to recover -- Don't recover to train

By Matt Fitzgerald
For Active.com

Running doesn't make you fitter. If it did -- if you actually got fitter while you ran -- you would be a stronger runner in the last mile of a marathon than you were in the first. And we all know that's not the case!

It's recovering from running that makes you fitter. The stress of running flips a number of hormonal and genetic switches in various parts of your body, allowing each part to adapt in a way that renders it better prepared for the next workout. But these adaptations can unfold only when your body is at rest.

For example, running stimulates the genes responsible for building mitochondria, the organelles within muscle cells where oxygen is used to release energy. As a result, the number of mitochondria in your running muscles increases between workouts, boosting your aerobic fitness.

Since the majority of fitness adaptations occur through recovery, the goal of your training program should be to maximize recovery. In other words, instead of recovering to train, as many runners do, you should train to recover.

What's the difference? When you recover to train, your focus is entirely on the workouts themselves. Rest is just a necessary evil. You assume that merely completing a workout suffices to deliver benefits -- which isn't true.

When you train to recover, you look at workouts against the backdrop of the recovery opportunities that precede and follow them, and without which running delivers no benefits. This leads you to adopt better ways of balancing your workouts and rest periods -- such as the following four -- that will allow you to experience greater fitness gains from the same amount of training.

Obey the hard-easy rule

The strongest recovery response follows from the most challenging workouts -- runs that are near the maximum limit of what you can handle at your present fitness level. But you can't do such challenging workouts every day; two or three per week are plenty. Your other runs should be easy, so they don't interfere with your recovery from the most recent hard workout or spoil the next one.

A typical runner might train five times per week, with each run representing a "5" on a 10-point scale of difficulty. It would be better to do two "8's" and three "3's." Both schedules add up to 25 points, but the latter schedule will stimulate more recovery and, consequently, bigger gains in fitness.

Train opportunistically

In order to get the most out of your tougher workouts, you need to do them on days when your body is ready to perform at a high level. Since it is often difficult to know whether your body is primed for a good effort until you start running, it's a good idea to train opportunistically.

What does this mean? It means don't lock yourself into your plans. If you start a planned hard run and feel sub-par, substitute an easier workout. Likewise, if you start a planned easy run and feel you're on the verge of a breakthrough, take advantage of the opportunity by switching to a challenging workout.

Scroll down for a few examples of "Plan B" workouts.

Grade your workouts

Remember, when your goal is to maximize recovery, it's not enough just to complete your key workouts -- you also need to perform well in them. By grading your workouts you can measure how much you're getting out of them and adjust your training appropriately when it's not enough.

After completing each run, give it a grade in your training log: for example, "great," "good," "fair," or "bad." Three consecutive "bad" days indicate that you are not getting enough recovery to perform adequately in workouts and should rest or take it easy for a day or two. A full week without any "good" or "great" workouts indicates the same.

Use step cycles

Step cycles are two-to four-week blocks of training in which your training load steadily increases until the final week, when it is cut back for recovery. Like the hard-easy rule, step cycles allow you to train harder when you mean to train hard, yet also absorb your hard training more fully, than when your training load is less varied.

You may need to experiment to find the step cycles that work best for you. A good place to start is with a three-week cycle with a 20-25% reduced training load in the recovery week, as in this example:

Week One: 25 miles (three hard runs)
Week Two: 28 miles (three hard runs)
Week Three: 20 miles (two hard runs)

Plan B workouts

You've scheduled an easy workout today, but when you start running, you feel ready to race. Don't waste this opportunity to perform a breakthrough workout.

Head to the Hills

Alter your planned route and make a beeline to the nearest hill. Charge up the hill at an effort level of 9 (on a 1-10 scale) for 60 seconds, then jog slowly back down. Complete 6 to 12 intervals and cool down with 10 minutes of easy jogging.

Race Me to the Lamppost

Turn your planned easy run into a fartlek workout. Scatter 6 to 10 hard efforts lasting 20 to 60 seconds apiece throughout an otherwise moderate-pace run. Make it fun by picking landmarks ahead and running hard until you reach them.

You've begun your warm-up before a planned hard workout and you feel like death. What should you do?

Super-Long Warm-up

Although it's unwise to force yourself through a hard workout when you're poorly recovered from previous training, don't give up too easily. Sometimes it takes a while to find your legs. Try doubling or even tripling your normal warm-up; if you start feeling better, proceed with the planned workout; if not, try again tomorrow.

Option X

If you feel too depleted to do a planned hard run but don't feel like taking a day off, do an easy cross-training workout instead. Non-impact activities such as swimming and cycling will give you an aerobic training stimulus without hindering your running recovery.