Recovery Runs Can Be a Critical Tool to Bounce Back Faster. Here's How to Use Them

You’ve pushed yourself hard, giving your run everything you had and then some. Now what? Runners tend to fall into one of two camps for their post-run plans—those who go all-out on their next run to keep up the momentum and those who put up their feet for a full rest day. While there’s a time and place for both of these things, there’s a third often-overlooked option that might actually be your best bet: a recovery run.

Recovering while running may sound like an oxymoron, but this technique can be a valuable tool in your training. “Recovery runs are just as important as the hard workouts, and if you skip them, you’re shooting yourself in the foot,” says Matt Moran, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Sacred Heart University, the director of the university’s Pioneer Performance Center, and the president and CEO of the coaching company RunTrix. “If you don’t take the time to recover, you start to plateau with your training and increase your chances of being injured.” 

We spoke to Moran and Peloton Tread instructor Marcel Dinkins to find out exactly what constitutes a recovery run, how they can benefit you, and what to keep in mind when you go on one. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is a Recovery Run?

A recovery run is a short, slow-paced run that occurs the day after a hard, high-intensity run. Its goal (as its name implies) is to help your body recover faster. How, exactly? The light activity increases blood flow to the muscles that are part of the running process, which can expedite healing without causing further damage. As a result, you may feel better faster—less sore and less fatigued—and potentially get back into fighting form faster. 

Both experts we spoke with emphasized that a recovery run should be short and sweet—20 to 30 minutes max for the average runner, according to Marcel—and that you shouldn’t worry about the pace, since it will vary by running level. The two most important factors to pay attention to are your heart rate and your rate of perceived exertion. “Make sure you’re staying in zone 1 or zone 2 if you’re wearing a heart-rate monitor,” Marcel says. If you’re not, Marel recommends aiming for a 2 or 3  rate of perceived exertion on a scale of 1 to 10.

What Is the Difference Between a Recovery Run and an Easy Run?

Recovery runs and easy runs are very similar, but the difference lies with intent, timing, and time spent running. “The only difference between a recovery run and a low-intensity aerobic run is that a recovery run is typically done for a short period of time and follows an intense training session,” Marcel says. It helps you when you’re super stiff—you feel the difference right away.”

Moran adds that you can “almost think of a recovery run as a sort of dynamic stretching that will help you feel better if you have residual tension or tightness.” The goal is not to stress your body, adapt, and get better; it’s to soothe your body and let it get better on that less intense day. Although the workout triggers the adaptation, he notes, “you actually don’t improve until after the workout.”

Easy runs, on the other hand, are “the meat and potatoes” and “foundational core” of your running, according to Moran. (It’s no wonder elite runners frequently train at a slow pace.) Easy runs are a little higher in intensity than recovery runs, but they should still be at a conversational pace. Also called maintenance runs, they allow you to maintain the gains you’ve made without overreaching. The other difference is that they can last longer than recovery runs.

4 Benefits of a Recovery Run

Recovery runs have a number of physical and mental benefits that you won’t get from a full rest day—or from another tough workout. Moran notes that new runners often skip them because they think training harder all the time is better, and that’s a mistake.

Your Muscles Recover Faster

Faster muscle recovery, of course, means that you can get back out there at full intensity sooner, as well as improve your strength and endurance. As noted earlier, this has to do with the increased blood flow to your muscles. Blood flow helps flush out the toxins and acidity your body produces after a run, as well as stimulates protein synthesis to regenerate and build your muscles, Moran explains.

Remember, adds Marcel, “when you do an intense session, you create micro-tears in your muscles. A recovery run increases the blood flow there to help with the repair, as well as reduces stiffness.” Of course, getting rid of that stiffness will make you feel a lot better, even though your muscles will need more rest before they’re ready for a full run.

You Won’t Be Tempted to Overreach or Overtrain

When it comes to running, it’s possible to do too much of a good thing, especially if you’re training for a race. Intense back-to-back runs can hamper your progress, not boost it, because they don’t give your body the downtime it needs. “The way you get better is on your recovery days,” Moran says. “If you push yourself every day and overtrain, you’ll feel flat and stale. Though a recovery run is not the most glorious run, it is one of the most important runs.”

You’ll Be Less Likely to Incur Bone-Stress Injuries

“If you’re continually pushing yourself with harder runs, you can get muscle fatigue, and that precedes bone-stress injuries,” Moran says. “They happen because the body can’t support the skeletal system in the same way and it has to adjust.” That kind of injury can knock you out of running for a good amount of time, so you’re not doing yourself any favors by pushing yourself every day. However, both recovery runs and maintenance runs can give your muscles the time they need to get stronger, as well as help you focus on having the correct running form instead of accidentally overcompensating. 

They’re Fun

The pressure is off for a recovery run, which means you can just clear your head, soak in the great outdoors (or indoors) and enjoy yourself! “We can be so enslaved to hitting a certain pace when running, and that entraps us,” Moran explains, adding that you should ditch the GPS for these runs. “There’s no watch on this run and you’re not worrying about how many minutes you have to go. Once you take those shackles away, it’s enjoyable, and that’s the goal here.” Of course, having this sort of pressure-free fun can also boost your mood and remind you why you like running in the first place.

When Should You Do a Recovery Run?

Morning, afternoon or night—it doesn’t matter when you do a recovery run as long as it follows an intense effort. Generally speaking, that will be sometime the next day, but depending on your mileage and your running level, it could even be later the same day, Marcel says. 

Just note that post-marathon recovery for less-experienced runners may be a different story. Moran says that since you’re incurring structural damage when you run a marathon, as several studies have noted, a recovery run could actually hamper the recovery process. In those situations, recovery runs should be limited to runners with a higher running volume; others might benefit more from a brisk walk.

4 Tips for a Better Recovery Run

It’s all too easy to do too much on a recovery run. Follow these tips to keep your run within the correct parameters.

Run on a Soft Surface

“The surface that you run on makes a huge difference in terms of eccentric (lengthening) muscular contractions,” Moran says. “When you run on hard surfaces like concrete, your muscles need to do more work, and, as a result, they incur more damage.” That’s why softer surfaces are better for recovery runs. Think: a trail, grass or a turf field, which some coaches say is “like a massage for your legs.” 

Most treadmills are also more compliant and give more, making them perfect for recovery runs. If you’re using the Peloton Tread, Peloton Tread+, or Peloton App, be sure to check out the 15-, 20- and 30-minute recovery-run sessions programmed for just this purpose.

Stick to Easy, Flat Terrain

Going up (or down) steep hills or navigating other tricky surfaces can raise your heart rate too much. You can also lose the “fun,” mind-clearing aspect of a recovery run if you’re too focused on not losing your footing over roots and rocks. Remember: Keep things simple in every way.

Choose Your Recovery-Run Music Wisely

Whatever you’re listening to helps set your pace … which is very different than what you’re probably used to! “If you’re a person who enjoys music during your runs or maybe there’s a podcast you like, make sure it’s not something that gets you so amped up that you lose track of the pacing,” Marcel says. “Make sure you’re able to focus and stay in your zone.” As a reminder, that’s zone 1 or 2. Here’s a handy breakdown of the zones to give you a better idea of what to expect in each zone.

Know When to Stop

“Don’t try to use recovery runs to tack on more training—this is not about adding on extra mileage or making up for something,” Marcel says. “Make sure you are using them as a gentle way to break up the training.” Again, the goal should be to shake out your muscles, get your blood flowing and break up the fatigue. Once you feel like you’ve loosened things up, she says, call it quits.

How to Incorporate Recovery Runs into Your Training

How often you do recovery runs really depends on how often you run, as well as your level of experience and the intensity of your regular training sessions. But generally speaking, more casual runners may want to incorporate them once a week—if they are doing truly hard efforts, that is—while more serious runners will be looking at one or two times per week. 

Moran offers this gauge: If you’re running six to seven days a week, you might do two hard runs (like a tempo run or a long run), interspersed with two recovery runs, and then two maintenance runs. Another option would be to hop on a bike instead of doing a recovery run, especially after a race. As Moran explains, “you still get that improved vascularization, but not the pounding associated with running.”

The Bottom Line

There’s a time and a place for a full rest day, but recovery runs—or any sort of active recovery—may help you feel better than you would if you were actually “resting.” And if you’re thinking of pushing yourself even more after a hard effort, resist the urge. “Many people new to the sport think that every run needs to be hard and they need to feel fatigued, and that is diametrically opposed to what we want runners to do,” Moran says. “Moderate, long-term gains are going to be based on those moderate-intensity runs.” Slowing down, enjoying yourself, and making sure your body recovers properly will actually get you to those goals, as well as help you stick to your running routine.