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Running has many amazing benefits for mind + body, but it also puts considerable strain on your cardiovascular system, joints, muscles, and bones! Proper post-run recovery is critical to avoid injury, maximize benefits from your run, and stay healthy. Post-run recovery is just as important if not MORE important to avoid injury and reduce the amount of recovery time needed. Runners often forget to listen to their body and take the proper steps towards recovery. You don’t have to wake up the next day sore as you take each step! Don’t be the runner without a recovery plan – that’s why we have 5 Tips to Recover Post Run!
After a good run, you feel like you are on top of the world, the feeling we all know as runner’s high. At the end of the day, you put those legs to rest, and wake up the next morning with sore feet, tight calf’s, and possibly even shin splints. Why make yourself suffer when you can take 5 simple steps to accelerate recovery?
For those of you who decide to go for a long run without a cool down session – STOP! Cooling down the body after an intense workout is crucial. Many nutritionists and physical trainers argue that the cool down is in fact more important than your warm-up! Cooling down is important to lower your heart rate, decrease your body temperature, and prevent blood from pooling in your legs. For those of you who skip the cool down, have you ever gotten dizzy after your run? That was most likely the blood pooling in your legs and lowering your blood pressure. Here is our suggested amount of cool down time based on the intensity of your run!
Immediately after your workout is the best time to use your foam roller! Using a foam roller can get the blood moving in your legs and relieve muscle tightness which can negatively impact proper running technique. By using the correct rolling techniques, you can accelerate recovery. So, get foam rolling!
Here is a list of recommended foam rolling exercises to do following your run! We suggest foam rolling for about 5-10 minutes immediately following your run. This can help reduce next day sore-ness and prevent blood from pooling in your legs.
Another tip for a speedy post-run recovery is purchasing some recovery shoes! The key to recovering your sore feet lies in wearing the proper footbed. By selecting the correct foot bed, you can in fact accelerate recovery time!
Recovery shoes are designed for runners to recover from the miles of stress exerted on their feet and body. If you haven’t tried them, you must! PR SOLES® feature an Acupoint® footbed with dual-action technology. The Acupoint® footbed helps absorb the impact while walking and cushions your feet. The raised bumps trigger active massaging of the feet. Yup, that’s right! These shoes massage your feet while you walk for full body recovery. The benefits of applying massage action to the feet are:
You burn a lot of calories and produce a great amount of sweat while running! Don’t forget to refuel your body with the fluid lost during your workout. Scientists suggest drinking water within 20 minutes of finishing your run since your metabolic window is still open. Based on the number of miles and the intensity of your run, the amount of water your body needs will vary. Consider including an electrolyte tab in your water to replace lost electrolytes during run! The most important part is getting that H2O you burned back into your body! Your muscles need water to recover!
Recovery drinks, protein shakes, and carbohydrates can be great for post-run recovery! While running, your muscles use up their glycogen to power through the workout. You also break down protein in your muscles, which will need to be replaced in order to regrow the muscle. By eating the correct nutrients after your run, you will easily replace the burned glycogen and add new protein which initiates muscle growth. This can enhance the recovery process and speed up the time needed to recover. Just like water, don’t forget to eat something within 20 minutes after your workout since your metabolic window is open!
Adding proteins to your body is the key to repairing and building new muscle. Consuming carbohydrates will help replenish the glycogen burned during your workout. Some healthy proteins and carbohydrates we suggest are almonds, eggs, chicken breast, oats, tuna, lentils, and broccoli!
