Recovery Tips from New York Road Runners

 A marketing graduate of Lehigh University, Jennifer Heiner once served as the marketing director of a running company in New Jersey. Currently serving in an inside sales and customer service role, Jennifer Heiner is an active runner herself.  Jennifer Heiner has also helped to organize a number of training runs for the New York City Marathon, including the 20-mile Three Bridges Run, where she was also a pace group leader.

Training for a 26.2-mile marathon requires organization, persistence, and discipline. The first training element is base mileage, which requires running three to five times per week and gradually increasing weekly mileage. Over the course of 10 to 20 weeks of training, runners should plan to build their mileage up to around 50 miles per week. Avoid increasing mileage by more than 10 percent per week. Every 7 to 10 days, runners should plan on a long run to help the body adjust to long distances. 

This distance should increase over time, then drop back down in order to let the body recover. These long runs should be taken at a slower pace in order to help the body adjust and learn to utilize fat for fuel. A peak run, such as the 20-mile Three Bridges Run, ensures the runner is prepared for marathon day. A marathon training schedule should also include rest days, which are essential for muscle recovery and injury prevention.

Competitive runners and those who regularly run as a form of exercise may experience a range of injuries to their lower extremities, including hips, hamstrings, knees, and ankles.

Finding the right physical therapist and trainer who understand your problems is crucial to staying healthy and injury free. Hospital for Special Surgery is second to none, and they have a wide network of approved physical therapists across the country.

There are also many other recovery techniques that one should follow or utilize during recovery to stay as healthy and injury free as possible. There are some things that we as runners can do both before we lace up and after we are done with a run or workout to aid in the recovery process. Many physical therapists, trainers, and coaches will agree that routine foam rolling can lead to improved range of motion, flexibility and movement, increased blood flow, and will assist in returning your muscles to normal function.  Foam rolling can even aid in the removal of scar tissue or muscle adhesions that limit mobility. 

Foam rolling in conjunction with dynamic stretching can also go a long way in maintaining a runner's healthy form. Stretching before a run can help reduce the risk of injury - doing some sort of warm up routine prior to running is always a good idea so that your body is ready to move effectively and efficiently. Conversely, stretching after a run can help reduce soreness and stiffness. An effective warm-up before a run will include dynamic movements to use the quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip flexors and get blood flowing faster and more efficiently. 

Sports massages are also a great way to help maintain overall muscle health. Regular massages with the same therapist can help to identify areas of tension and weakness, thereby addressing them before a potential injury occurs. Similar to foam rolling and stretching, a good sports massage can increase tissue flexibility, improve range of motion and relieve trigger points. 

These three tactics combined can help a runner remain active, optimize his or her training, and maximize performance. Take this week of your taper to focus on some of these injury prevention methods so that you arrive to the start line in top form and ready to race your best. 

More recently, New York Road Runners has published some additional recovery tips that are helpful for all runners, old and new alike, regardless of the distance you are training for. While their latest posts are focusing on the New York City Marathon and marathon training specifically, these tips and tricks are useful across the board. 

Training for the Virtual TCS New York City Marathon involves running lots of miles, which can leave our bodies feeling tired and sore. This means taking the time to recover is equally as important to logging our miles. Every person is unique, so your body will respond better to different recovery methods. Over the next couple of weeks, try to incorporate some of our 10 recovery tips to see what works best for you! Or better yet, connect with our recovery partners at Hospital for Special Surgery to meet with an expert. Learn more here: https://www.hss.edu/.

1. Foam roll. Five minutes of foam rolling either before or after a run can help get your body moving! Find a sore spot and try to relax on the ball or foam roller for five seconds. Then lightly roll over the spot before moving onto the next area.

2. Stretch. Do dynamic movements pre-run to stretch out your muscles and static stretching post-run to loosen up at the end of the day.

3. Cool down. Include easy jogs or walks after every hard session to give your heart rate a chance to gradually slow down and recover while you’re moving.

4. Heat. Soak in an Epsom salt bath at the end of the day or use a heating pad to ease sore muscles.

5. Ice. Hop in an ice bath to alleviate soreness. Icing too often can slow muscle adaptation, so consider saving cold therapy as a less-frequent recovery method.

6. Elevate. Raise your legs above your heart to increase blood flow to your legs. For example, lie with your legs up against the wall for five to ten minutes.

7. Compress. Wear compression socks or wraps, or try using specialty compression machines to improve blood flow.

8. Rest. Take a day off! Relax at the end of a hard workout day. Rest is truly the best recovery.

9. Sleep. Get a good night’s sleep. Aiming for eight or more hours of sleep (not just time lying in bed) makes a big difference in recovery.

10. Massage. Getting support from a professional can really help you release trigger points.

What’s your favorite way to recover post-run? Leave a comment below.