3 workouts for AFTER a race

We’ve spoken before about the best ways to help recover from a big race such as a half marathon & marathon. With so many people recovering from last weeks SMH half marathon (& so many OUTFIT runners doing so well) we wanted to give you 3 workouts which will let you ease back into training & also provide a bit of an insight how you’re feeling after the race. It’s often not til you start running faster again that you realise you still aren’t quite recovered form the big event.
Blog: Post Marathon recovery

1 – Progression Run
The Progression run is a simple progression through 3 speeds starting with a longer block of easy paced running, then progressing to a slightly faster medium pace & finishing with 5-15mins of faster running. I’ll typically do a 20min Easy, 15min Med & 5-10min Fast progression run for a solid 40-45mins.  Make sure you do a good cool down walk & long stretch to continue to assist the race recovery.

2 – Fartlek
The range of intensities and lengths of hard efforts in a Fartlek workout make it perfect for a recovery run if you’re good at ‘going by feel’ & listening to your body. Set yourself 6 – 8 faster intervals (of anywhere from 20sec to 3mins) and settle into the run with a good 10-15min warm up (including dynamic warm up drills). Each of your 6-8 intervals let your body guide how long and how fast you can run. Keep jogging in between for an active recovery & start the next interval when you’re ready (not ‘fully recovered’ but mentally ready to push again). I tend to naturally fall into a rest:work of about twice as much rest to the hard intervals but don’t be confined by numbers. Truly listen to your body & let your legs guide the efforts. It’ll give you a good insight as to whether or not more recovery time is needed or you’re ready to return to harder training again too.
For more Fartlek options check out our Friday Fartlek blog

3 – Cross training intervals
Utilise the local gym or your own equipment to provide a non weight bearing workout to help maintain the cardiovascular fitness but give the legs a break from the high impact of running, especially after pushing yourself in a major race. My favourites are the rowing machine & Elliptical x-trainer, however the bike is another good option and the stepper or swimming can be other options if you need.
Start with an easy paced warm up (or a lower resistance level) for 5-8mins t increase blood flow & help flush out fatigued muscles. Then start a series of short intervals designed to increase your heart rate & respiration but not overload the legs. Using a 30-60s hard/fast interval with a 2-2:30min active recovery (on a lighter resistance) this cross training interval can be a great 20min+ workout. 5 intervals (30-60s hard/fast interval with a 2-2:30min active recovery) will only take 15mins + your warm up, so if you have more time you can extend for 7 or 8 intervals.

Whats your best workout to get back into training & ‘blow out the cobwebs’ after a race?

If you need help tracking your recovery monitor your resting heart rate. More info in our blog.