March 16, 2023

Ideas for Optimal Post-Race Recovery

A lot of us are drawn to trail and ultra running because we want to push ourselves, and we’re happier moving than sitting around. The training can feel relaxing and add a sense of purpose to our daily life, and the race is like a culmination of everything, giving us a sudden big dose of challenge, inspiration, endorphins, and social connections, all in one shot.

So, it comes as no surprise that recovery after a race can be a big challenge for some of us. You go from having this purposeful daily training as an athlete, and being outside and having adventures, to having all the emotions and fun of the race, and then, nothing.

It’s tempting to get back out there, especially if your race didn’t go as well as you hoped. This was something I was really terrible at in the past. After races in which I DNF’d, I’d be out running again a few days later, as I felt like I didn’t need the recovery. Other times, I saw photos of professional runners being out and running the day after an ultra, and I think it signified strength to me, the ability to get back out there again immediately after a race.

It’s no surprise that during those years when I didn’t invest in recovery, I was frequently iron deficient, to the extent that I always had to end my season earlier than I wanted. Now that I’ve been in the sport for a decade, I can see how shortsighted it is to skip post-race recovery. I’ve found ways to make it manageable — even enjoyable, and it’s resulted in feeling energized and healthy. It’s a small investment with a lot of payoff.

Black Spur Ultra 2022. Believe it or not, I’m in second trimester here. (THAT would be cool study…) Awesome race with super-fun trails!

Why post-race recovery is key

Think of it as a big reset. It’s not only the race you’re recovering from here. The many weeks of long runs and intervals you did leading up to your race likely took a toll on your body (and often, your mind as well!), and it’s important to reset your body to a healthy homeostasis before diving back into training. Running an ultra can cause significant inflammation and muscle damage, as well as impairments to neuromuscular function, and two studies I examined (one published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and another published in PloS One) report that a typical 24-hour or 100-mile race requires a full two weeks for blood markers and perceived recovery to return to baseline. (Note that the studies often only include male participants.)

It’s important to start your next training block fully recovered, or you may be more likely to experience injuries, burnout/exhaustion, and be less likely to fully absorb the training.

Post-race recovery tips

You’re likely already aware of the basic ideas around post-race recovery: try to sleep a lot, try to eat a lot of foods (anything you’re craving, and ideally nutrient-dense), refrain from running (especially in the first week post-race), refrain from fast workouts/intervals, and slowly re-integrate running as your perceived recovery and/or coach allows. Here are my tips to make this fun, and avoid a lot of the post-race blues that can come with a sudden reduction in the thing you love doing!

Get outside

For many of us, part of the reason we love running is that we love spending time outside, and trail running allows us to get to spectacular places really quickly. During recovery, it’s important to honour that and still carve out time to spend time outside. It may look different than usual, but this is the time to get creative. If you live near a ski hill or gondola, why not take a gondola up and have coffee/beer or just wander around at the top? You can also drive to a local park, creek, or river, and literally just sit outside, alone or with a friend, with a book or with nothing at all.

Recover actively

Recovery does not necessarily mean that we need to be a sloth.

Some of us may want to be sloth-like for a bit, and that is totally okay and awesome. But for those of us that don’t thrive well without daily movement, you can definitely incorporate active recovery into your post-race rest. Consider doing something like a long walk, a yoga class, or even an easy mountain bike ride or resort ski, if that’s what you like. The key idea is to keep the effort level, time, and intensity low, and to make sure that you’re feeling energized from these activities, as opposed to them being “workouts”. This is a great time to try something new: try a local yoga studio you’ve always been curious about but never have the time to attend, rent a mountain bike and take it for a short spin, or call up that old friend you haven’t seen in a while, to go for a bike ride!

Get lots of social time

Many people also really enjoy races because of the social experience, it’s sort of like a big outdoor birthday party! It’s ideal if you can inject some fun social outings into your recovery time, to ensure that you still have fun things to look forward to when you may be running and training less. For me, this is a great time to connect with my mom, my sister and my dad, as well as with old friends I haven’t seen in a while. I love planning a low-key post-race dinner at a local pub about a week after the race, as a way of celebrating.

Continue adventures

While you may be doing fewer trail running adventures during this time, it can be a great opportunity to explore and adventure in totally different ways. The week or two after a race can be a great time to go on a vacation, and I often schedule holidays right after races. It works really well for me as I’ve gotten a lot of running out of my system, and I’m generally more able to relax and just be on holiday right after a race. As I’m less focused on training, I’m able to really enjoy the holiday and be present with that experience. This obviously takes some advance planning, but it’s always worked out really well for my family and I! For example, this year, we’re planning a week in Slovenia a couple days after I run Lavaredo 80k in Italy.

Rebalance your time

Training often requires us to shift and balance our priorities, and the time post-race is a really good time to re-invest in other areas of your life, whether it’s your work, family, other hobbies, or any volunteering commitments. For example, in the summer of 2021, I invested more time volunteering for search and rescue during my post-race recovery.