Perhaps the most often misunderstood concept of training is the role of aerobic endurance versus speed in racing success. It’s easy to think that not being able to race faster at shorter distances, or not being able to kick the last 800 meters of a race, is due to a lack of speed. This is why so many runners spend so much time on lung-busting 400’s, 800’s or mile repeats to help them get faster.

This confusion stems from the fact that what you feel doesn’t always correlate with what is happening physiologically in your body. For example, the heavy, cement-like feeling in your arms and legs at the end of a 5K isn’t a sign of muscle weakness. Rather, this feeling is caused by the release of hydrogen ions when racing beyond your anaerobic threshold, which creates an acidic environment in the muscles and impairs muscle contraction. To avoid this feeling, and the reduced race pace it demands, you are better served hitting the roads for a tempo run than you are hitting the weight room or even the track.

Are you focused on the wrong weakness and thereby not maximizing your training time or your workout effectiveness?

How much speed do you need?

If you can already run far faster than your goal race pace, the problem isn’t your speed. You need to focus more on improving your aerobic endurance and lactate threshold.

From a training standpoint, speed is rarely the limiting factor in how fast you can race, even for a distance as “short” as the 5K. Let’s look at this idea in more depth as the great coach Arthur Lydiard once did when he popularized training 800 and 1500 meter runners with a steady diet of 100 mile weeks.

If you want to run 20 minutes for the 5K, you need to average 6:25 pace per mile. Technically, that means the fastest pace you need to be able to run is 6:20 per mile. If you’re a 21-minute 5k runner or a 3:25 marathoner, I have little doubt you can run a 6:20 mile; you’re probably capable of running a mile close to 6 minutes. Thus, the problem isn’t that you don’t have enough speed to run a 20-minute 5K, it’s that you lack the endurance to run three 6:25 miles without stopping.

Therefore, when you’re examining your training and identifying your strengths and weaknesses, the most obvious areas of improvement are going to come from and . If you can already run far faster than your goal race pace, the problem isn’t your speed.

Aerobic capacity and lactate threshold, what running coaches refer to as “strength” work, are the backbone of your ability to sustain a fast pace for a long period of time.  In short, the higher your aerobic capacity, the longer you can run near your maximum speed.

Finishing Speed

All runners want to open up the stride and . Not only does it feel great to pass droves of competitors, but finishing strong helps motivate you for the next race. Actual speed, however, has little to do with how fast a runner can finish the last 400 or 800 meters of arace.

As discussed above, most runners already have the absolute speed necessary to fly through the finishing shoot. A 20-minute 5K runner can crank out multiple 400-meter repeats at about 5:30 pace (60 seconds faster than race pace). However, finishing the last 400 meters of a 5K at 5:30 pace is often next to impossible for that same runner. Again, the ability to kick and finish fast is not limited by absolute speed. Rather, the limiting factors are the ability to run fast when tired or to hit the last 800 meters in a less oxygen-deprived state.

Therefore, if you’re a runner who is trying to improve your finishing speed or you tend to fade during the last mile, your training time would be better spent improving your aerobic capacity, not necessarily your absolute speed. Tempo runs and cruise intervals are going to address your late-race “speed” weaknesses better than a steady diet of faster-than-race-pace track repeats.

What role does speed play?

Certainly, speed is a component of a well balanced training plan, and it’s important to include speed workouts to . If you completely neglect speed altogether, or any energy system for that matter, your performance will suffer.

Perhaps the biggest role speed plays is that it helps . In unscientific terms, speedwork helps you run goal race pace with less effort.

However, there is a limit to how much you can develop your absolute speed. also goes a long way, and piling it on quickly leads to burnout and increased risk of injury. Plus, at some point, your body approaches its natural talent point, and working to improve speed provides diminishing returns.  Luckily, improving your aerobic capacity is virtually limitless.

Therefore, once you’re able to run about 20-30 seconds faster than your goal 5K pace for a full mile, you’ve probably developed enough speed to comfortably race your goal pace. The focus in your training should then be turned to improving your aerobic capacity and lactate threshold, which will help you develop the physiological fitness to race faster and maintain a top end speed for longer.

The next time you’re analyzing your training and looking to identify the areas you need to improve the most, ask yourself whether it’s really your speed that is holding you back or if you actually need to get stronger aerobically. Then head out and get in those long miles.

Originally published January 2014

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Running is difficult enough when you consider the very real threat of prolonged injuries that keep you off the roads for weeks or months at a time. But what do you do about those more frequent — and extremely painful — annoyances like black toenails and that, while not classified as injuries, can be very difficult to run through?

In addition to treatment and prevention, how do you decide whether you can or should run with one of these very painful annoyances?

To make the decision more confusing is that more serious injuries, like Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, often begin with pain that is very slight and easy to run through. These “smaller annoyances” are often extremely painful from the start but typically don’t last long. You certainly don’t want to take unnecessary days off, especially if complete rest won’t speed up the healing process.

To help you make sense of these smaller, yet very painful “injuries,” I am going to outline the three most common injuries that aren’t really injuries. More importantly, I am going to detail treatment and prevention methods and help you decide when it’s safe to keep training and when it’s not.

Black And Dead Toenails

Black toenails are the bane of sandal-loving runners everywhere. However, in addition to looking hideous, they can also be very painful, especially in the first few days after the blood blister is formed.

Generally, black toenails are caused when your toe rubs up against the front of your shoe or your sock. When the nail tissue gets damaged, fluid builds up behind or below the existing nail, which creates a great deal of pressure. This pressure is what causes black toenails to be very painful. The black color is due to the blood capillaries breaking underneath this pressure.

Almost every runner gets a black toenail at some point in their career. In my opinion, having your first black toenail is the mark that you’ve really begun training hard.

Treatment

Generally, it is best to leave the toenail as is and not try to release the pressure. The pain should subside in a few days without intervention. Attempting to release the pressure could result in infection.

If you decide that you can’t bear the pain and need to release the pressure, consider visiting a doctor to be safe. However, if you are determined to do this at home, you certainly can.

First, sterilize a paper clip by putting it over a flame and heating the tip. While it is hot, place the hot end on the nail, where it will quickly melt through and create a hole by which the fluid can escape. To be safe, after the fluid is drained, put some antibiotic ointment in the hole and on the nail.

Prevention

The most effective way to prevent black toenails is to run in shoes that fit properly. You should have a thumbnail’s width of room between your big toe and the front of your shoe while standing, not sitting. You should also wear moisture thin, moisture-wicking socks to prevent increased heat build-up.

You should be able to run through this “injury,” provided the pain does not cause you to limp or modify your form. Generally, the pain will be extreme the first few hundred meters or even the first mile, but it will often go away. If your toe hitting the front of the shoe is causing the pain, you can try running barefoot in the grass. Unless you’re well-conditioned to , you’ll only be able to run a few miles, but you’ll still be able to run and you’ll strengthen your feet in the process.

Pain On The Top Of Your Foot

Generally, pain on the top of the foot is an inflammation of the tendons that straighten the toes, which run along the top of the foot and are called extensor tendons. Thus, the clinical name for this injury is extensor tendonitis.

Extensor tendonitis is most often caused by lacing your shoes too tightly or having an ill-fitting shoe, in which case the lace creates a pressure point along the top of the foot. Swelling can often occur and it’s very likely you see a large bump or nodule somewhere on the tendon itself.

As with black toenails, extensor tendonitis can be extremely painful as the tendon will rub against the shoe with almost every step. Luckily, despite the presence of a nodule and swelling, this “injury” is not very serious.

Treatment And Prevention

The most effective treatment is to change your shoe lacing pattern and loosen your laces slightly, especially while you’re bothered by the pain. Arthur Lydiard developed a lacing pattern , which reduces pressure on the top of the foot by not allowing the laces to cross over the middle of the metatarsals. for detailed instructions on how to lace your shoes this way.

You can also ice the top of your foot frequently to reduce inflammation. Once the tendon is no longer inflamed or tender to the touch, you’ll be relatively pain-free.

This is an “injury” that you can run through if the pain is not impacting your gait. If you do find running in shoes to be too painful, even after switching up your lacing, you can try running barefoot in the grass. Just be sure not to overdo it if your feet aren’t accustomed to barefoot running. You don’t want to develop a more serious injury.

Cramps And Side Stitches

and side stitches are “injuries” that every runner will experience at least once, if not multiple times, in training. Researchers believe side stitches are actually spasms in the diaphragm or the ligaments that support the diaphragm.

The exact cause of this spasm could be general tiredness or overuse, just like any other muscle used while running; or there could be increased demand on the diaphragm, like when you eat a large meal before your workout.

Treatment And Prevention

Most conventional wisdom says slow down, stretch, and wait until the ache subsides. Great advice when you’re not in the middle of a race or an important workout. Luckily, here’s a great way to while running — force your stomach to do the opposite of what it naturally wants to do, which is expand when you breathe in and contract when you breathe out.

To visualize this, place your hand on your stomach while you take deep breaths. You’ll notice your stomach expand (press against your hand) when you breathe in and contract when you breathe out. Simply reverse this process and contract your stomach when you breathe in and try to press your stomach against your hand when you breathe out.

It’s a little difficult to get the hang of at first, but practice a few times and it will become easier. Once you’ve got the rhythm down, make your breaths deep and forceful, taking all the air in that you can and then letting it out forcefully. You’ll still have to slow a little at first because of the change in breathing rhythm, but you won’t have to stop completely. The more you do it, the better you’ll get and the more efficient at relieving cramps you’ll become.

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Training plans are filled with instructions to run at threshold, VO2max, steady state, cruise, marathon pace… the list goes on. Even if you know what these terms mean, there is still the task of understanding what they feel like, which is the most effective way to gauge your effort in each type of workout.

The ability to properly as an experienced runner is critical when you’re pushing for that last one percent improvement to break through a plateau. When you learn to comprehend exactly what certain workouts should feel like, you can easily adjust for weather conditions, workout days when you’re not on your game, and any other wrench that might get thrown into your training.

Here, we’ll explore three important types of workouts — steady runs, tempo runs, and VO2 max work — and how to properly “feel” the proper pace and effort while doing them.

Steady State Runs

Steady state runs, or runs done at or in close proximity to your marathon race pace, are a great way to build aerobic strength, which is the foundation for your best performances from 5K to the marathon. From a pacing perspective, steady state runs are completed anywhere between 10 seconds faster and 30 seconds slower than your marathon race pace. That’s quite a pace range, which is just another reason why learning to run steady runs by feel is important.

What are the training benefits of a steady state run?

Running at your steady state pace maximizes development of your aerobic threshold, or the fastest pace you can run while still remaining completely aerobic (meaning your muscles have enough oxygen to produce all the energy they need). Developing your aerobic threshold is important because the aerobic energy system supplies more than for distances of 5K or longer. The more you can develop your aerobic system over months and years of training, the faster you’ll be able to run moving forward.

What does a steady run feel like?

A steady state run should feel “comfortably hard”, meaning you could keep up the pace for an hour or more, but it’s not exactly easy. Since “comfortably hard” might mean something different to every runner, you can monitor your breathing rhythm to get a better feel for what a steady state effort means to you.

Steady state runs should typically be performed while breathing at a 3:3 ratio (three steps: one with your left, one with your right, one with your left, while breathing in;  three steps: one with your left, one with your right, one with your left, while breathing out). A 3:3 breathing rhythm ratio enables you take about 30 breaths per minute, which is needed for running “comfortably hard.” Note: some recommend an to land on a different foot on each exhale, which is supposed to spread the stress.

The Talk Test

Another easy way to test whether you’re running in the range of steady state pace is to perform the “talk test.” While running, try to speak out loud, or to your running partner. If you can get out a full idea using three to four sentences, but can’t quote Shakespeare at length or sing a song, you’re running at steady state pace. If you can only blurt out one or two sentences before you start gasping for breath, you’re running too hard.

Tempo Runs

The tempo run, or threshold run, is the bread-and-butter of most training schedules. Running them at the proper effort is critical to extracting maximum benefit from the workout. From a pacing perspective, tempo runs are usually completed between 10-mile and half marathon race pace, depending on the distance of the workout.

What are the training benefits of a tempo run?

A is defined as the fastest pace you can run without generating more lactic acid than your body can utilize and reconvert back into energy. Your body can only “clear” or reconvert a certain about of lactic acid back into energy before the lactate floods our system and contributes to fatigue. To race faster, you must teach your body to .

By running just below your lactate threshold you can begin to decrease (or improve, depending on how you look at it) the pace at which you begin to produce too much lactic acid for your body to manage. This will enable you to run faster and longer before you produce more lactate than your body can clear, thus enabling you to run faster.

However, running too fast or too slow for a tempo run diminishes the benefits because you’ll either produce too much lactate quickly by running too fast, OR you’ll not produce enough lactate because you’re running too slow and not challenging your body. Therefore, it’s critical that you learn how to feel the pace of a tempo run.

What does a tempo run feel like?

A tempo run should feel like a “hard, but controlled” effort, or “fast, but still fun.” You should be able to maintain your tempo run pace for 30 to 45 minutes. Again, you can use your breathing rhythm to monitor your effort.

Tempo runs should typically be performed while breathing at a 2:2 ratio (two steps: one with your left, one with your right, while breathing in;  two steps: one with your left, one with your right, while breathing out). A 2:2 (or 2:1) breathing rhythm enables you take about 45 breaths per minute.

The Talk Test

Like with steady state runs, you can use the same “talk test” to determine if you’re running in the correct effort range. During a tempo run, you should be able to say one or two sentences out loud before catching your breath, but forget about speaking in full paragraphs or articulating complete thoughts. Try this talk test during your next tempo run and see if you’re in the correct effort range.

VO2 Max Workouts

VO2max workouts, or classic “speed” workouts, are many a runner’s favorite training day because they’re allowed to run hard and push their limits. However, it’s still important for you to learn what these paces feel like so you don’t start a session of 12 x 400 meters too fast and fall off pace during the final few intervals, or even finish the workout at all. From a pacing perspective, VO2max workouts are completed at 5K pace or faster.

What are the training benefits of a Vo2max workout?

In simple terms, VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise. It’s a combination of how much oxygen-rich blood your heart can pump and the muscles’ efficiency in extracting and utilizing the oxygen.

Training at VO2max pace increases the amount of oxygen your body can use, and the more oxygen you can use, the faster you can run. In addition, since VO2max workouts are much faster than most every other workout, they force you to run more efficiently and with better form. Developing a proper feel for VO2 max work will enable you to push yourself further during speed sessions and complete workouts strong.

What does a VO2max workout feel like?

A VO2max workout will often feel close maximum effort. You should be breathing very hard and feel like you would only be able to keep running for another 100 meters or so after you finish your interval.

Typically, a VO2 max workout will require a very short breathing ratio to maximize the amount of oxygen to your lungs. Most runners use a 1:2 ratio (one step breathing in, two steps breathing out) or 2:1 ratio (two steps breathing in and one step breathing out) breathing rhythm. This will increase your oxygen uptake to 60 breaths per minute.

The Talk Test

The talk test for a VO2 max session is simple – during the first part of an interval you can blurt out a few words — “Good. Thanks.” — but definitely not a full sentence. In the final half of your interval, you shouldn’t be able to talk at all.

While understanding training terminology is important, to translate these efforts appropriately to your training you need to appreciate what they feel like.

Learning to feel the proper pace of a given workout in training isn’t just a concept for beginners to master. Too many experienced runners neglect what their body is telling them and are driven by the numbers on their watch, which often results in overtraining and not getting the most bang for your buck from a workout. In addition, new and experienced runners alike can use the information about how a certain workout should feel to adjust their training for hot summer weather, hilly courses, and bad training days. Learn to listen to your body and train smarter this summer.

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Many new runners don’t feel that “real runners” respect them if they aren’t running the entire distance. When implemented correctly, however, alternating running and walking is an effective training method that can help you increase your fitness faster, with less chance of injury.

Even more advanced runners can benefit from walking breaks, to recover from hard workouts and return from injury with less chance of relapse. As a new or experienced runner, you shouldn’t be ashamed of utilizing the run/walk method.

Advantages For New Runners

For beginner runners, the run/walk method allows you to exercise for a longer period of time each session. This increases your aerobic capabilities more rapidly, burns more calories, and reduces your risk of injury.

Most beginner runners struggle to run more than 1 to 3 miles at a time—at most. As such, their time spent running is typically only 15–30 minutes per session. From research, however, we know that aerobic development peaks between 30–90 minutes of exercise. Therefore, any training method beginners can implement to increase their exercise time in the early stages of their training will help them develop more rapidly.

By breaking down a training run into a run/walk session, it provides new runners with the ability to recover their breathing and gives their muscles a rest. This can help them extend their training sessions beyond 30 minutes, while also making it less difficult on the body. Not only does this help increase fitness, but it reduces the likelihood of injury since they are not stressing the structural system beyond its capabilities and people tend to run more efficiently when not fatigued and going at a comfortable pace.

Furthermore, studies have shown that there is only a small difference between the number of calories burned while running easy and the number of calories burned at a brisk walk. When you factor in the fact that the run/walk method allows a runner to almost double or triple their time spent exercising, new runners are able to burn more calories than they would simply by running alone.

To run/walk, simply run for as long as it feels comfortable, then walk for a while until you’re ready to run again. Or you can use a time ratio such as 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking—to keep yourself honest. Gradually increase the time running as you feel comfortable and are able to keep striding strongly and smoothly.

Why Transition Away From It?

Eventually, beginner runners will get to the point where they no longer need walk breaks to extend their run beyond the 30- to 45-minute mark. When this happens, it’s generally better for fitness progression to run the entire way since running stresses the aerobic system to a greater degree.

Furthermore, as runners become more experienced, they tend to develop specific race time goals, like breaking 30 minutes for the 5k. The fitter you become and the higher you set your goals, the harder you will need to train to attain them. Reaching faster time goals will generally require running for the entire race distance. As such, preparing for this during training is important.

How To Transition

Transitioning off a run/walk is pretty simple. Slowly increase your run to walk ratio each week while keeping the total time exercising the same.

For example, if you’re comfortable run/walking at a ratio of 6 to 4 (6 minutes running, 4 minutes walking), you can transition to 7 to 3 (7 minutes running, 3 minutes walking). Once this feels comfortable, you can increase to 8 and 2 or 8 and 3, whichever feels more comfortable.

Once you’re comfortable in the 8 -to 9-minute run and 1- to 2-minute walk ratio, the next step is to break your run into larger run/walk segments, such as 20-minute run, 2-minute walk. This is a transitional step to prevent injury so you don’t immediately go from run/walk to 60 minutes of running.

I also recommend keeping one longer run at a run/walk for three to four weeks as you transition to running only. This will enable you to increase your long run distance and tolerance without placing additional stress on your structural system (muscle, ligaments, tendons and bones).

When to Keep Using Walk Breaks

Many runners who have transitioned to steady running are too stubborn or proud to see the value in the run/walk method at certain times in their training. However, when used effectively, it can be smart way to enhance recovery and prevent injury.

Run Recovery

I have  found the run/walk method to be helpful in reducing soreness and injury potential after hard workouts.

Most runners are mileage hounds, even when we’re well aware that the purpose of a recovery run is to facilitate recovery. Stubbornly, most runners will continue with the distance scheduled for the day, and try to hit a “respectable” pace, regardless of how tired it’s making them. I know I have felt absolutely thrashed during a recovery day and yet didn’t back off the distance—or the pace.

Implementing a run/walk, even if it’s as simple as a 1-minute break every 10–15 minutes, can dramatically reduce the stress on your structural system and help keep a recovery run a real recovery run. It may be a hit to the ego for some, but I’ll trade a smart implementation of the run/walk on a recovery run if it means I can workout harder and race faster down the road.

Injury Recovery

I recommend all runners returning from a difficult injury utilize the run/walk method. If you were laid up for more than a couple of weeks or if the injury is particularly troublesome, the run/walk method can prevent re-injury and help you transition back to normal training faster.

When returning from a difficult or persistent injury, the injured area is likely to be sensitive and prone to re-injury. Moreover, you’ll likely compensate for weaknesses or pain by limping or firing other muscle groups to take pressure off the injured area — often without realizing it. You could potentially be stressing other areas of your body to compensate and set of a chain of injuries.

Implementing a run/walk will help take pressure off your structural system while enabling you to get out and run for a greater total time while transitioning back to normal training.

As with any specific training method, learn to think creatively rather than listening to those who only see one way of accomplishing a goal. When used correctly, the run/walk method can be a critical tool in the hands of both beginner and experienced runners alike.

Originally published November 2013

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One of the biggest mistakes marathon runners make is not taking enough recovery time after finishing the race. After 26.2 miles of hard running, and the months of dedicated training that went into that effort, the body needs a break.

Understandably, for a dedicated runner, taking an unforced day off (or worse, a full week off), is about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist for a root canal. Most runners have an irrational fear that missing a few runs will dramatically diminish their hard-earned fitness.

Moreover, after a great race—you want to capitalize on your fitness and continue to set new personal bests, right? Likewise, after a disappointing race, the last thing on your mind is resting; rather, you want revenge and you’re anxious to get back on the starting line as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, not taking enough time to fully recover after a marathon often leads to overtraining and injuries. Not only does resting for seven to ten days have little negative impact on your current fitness, the long-term gains will outweigh any temporary reduction in fitness.

How The Marathon Damages Your Body

Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and almost every physiological system is challenged when running a marathon. It doesn’t matter if you crushed your goal or struggled to walk/jog to the finish, 26.2 miles is a long way to go and your body endures tremendous physical duress, even if you don’t feel sore immediately afterward. Here are some of the scientifically measured physiological systems that are impacted after running 26.2 miles.

Skeletal Muscle

One looked at the damage done to the calf muscles during a marathon and concluded that both the “intensive training for, and the marathon itself, induce inflammation and muscle fiber necrosis that significantly impaired muscle power and durability.”

This study makes it clear that your muscles are undoubtedly weakened and need extensive recovery before returning to full training. Given this study also examined calf muscles during an extended training block, the need for downtime applies to any arduous training segment.

Cellular Damage

Cellular damage post-marathon is best measured by the presence and production of creatinine kinase (CK)—a marker that indicates damage to skeletal and myocardial tissue — and increased myoglobin levels in the blood stream.

concluded that CK damage persisted more than seven days post-marathon while  discovered the presence of myoglobin in the bloodstream for 3-4 days post race. Both of these studies clearly indicate that the body needs rest after a marathon to fully recover from the cellular damage caused during the race.

Unlike muscle soreness, these markers of hard training and racing aren’t always noticeable. This is why you need to take downtime after a marathon, even if you don’t feel sore.

Immune System

Finally, studies have shown that after running 26.2 miles, which increases the risk of contracting colds and the flu.

A suppressed immune system is one of the major causes of overtraining burnout. Therefore, skipping a much-needed rest period could lead to interrupted training down the road, which could significantly derail your long-term goals.

Anecdotal Evidence From Elite runners

While scientific evidence helps support training assumptions, perhaps the most obvious example of the importance of taking downtime is exhibited by elite runners. Elite runners are advised by the best coaches in the world and their livelihood depends on consistent training and racing.

Professional runners who make their living running races still take downtime after marathons and long training segments. Olympian and Boston champion Desiree Davila, and all members of the successful Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, take a fairly significant rest period after marathons. Davila has said that she took after finishing second at the Olympic Trials.

Time Off Won’t Negatively Impact Your Fitness

It’s not hard to persuade a runner that a marathon is difficult on the body. However, it’s quite another to convince the same runner that taking 7 to 10 days off to rest up and recover from their effort won’t hurt their fitness.

The Science Of Rest

Because VO2 max is one of the best measurements of a runner’s physical fitness, it’s the most useful baseline to compare the effect of detraining on your aerobic system. To be brief, VO2 max is an individual’s maximum ability to transport and use oxygen during exercise.

Recent studies show that there is little reduction in VO2max (1-3%) in the first 6-7 days following inactivity in well-trained runners. Furthermore, even after two weeks of not running, studies show that VO2 max decreases by only six percent.

While percentages are fantastic, what do those numbers really mean for runners? Let’s use an example of a 20-minute 5K runner. A 20-minute 5K runner has a VO2max of roughly 49.81 ml/kg/min. After 7-10 days of no running, the hypothetical 5K runner would lose about 3% of his or her VO2 max. Accordingly, after downtime, his or her new VO2max would be 48.49 and he or she would now be in 20:30 shape. While no one wants to drop 30 seconds, after a week of not running a single step, it’s certainly not a big loss and fitness that can be regained very quickly.

Anecdotal Evidence From Elite runners

Luckily, this slight reduction in fitness is easy to gain back. After a marathon, it only takes three to four weeks to return to hard training and near peak racing shape.

Meb Keflezighi might be the best example to illustrate how quickly a runner can return to peak fitness. After the 2012 New York City Marathon, Meb was forced to rest for three weeks due to an . With just 70 days to prepare for one of the biggest races of his life—the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials—Meb regained his fitness quickly to dispatch one of the most heralded fields in U.S. history and punch his ticket to the London Olympics.

in preparation for the Olympic Games. Meb took the needed recovery time to heal and still finished fourth in the 2012 Olympic Marathon.

How long should you plan to rest?

Most coaches and after a marathon, with a few very light jogs or even easy walks if you get too antsy. After a week off, training should be very light for two weeks post-race. It might sound like you would be holding yourself back by being so cautious, but your long-term progression will actually benefit as you allow your body to recover and get fully rested for your next training segment.

Here is a sample schedule for runners following a marathon:

Updated from an article originally published in September 2013.

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The long run is a staple in almost every runner’s weekly training schedule. Whether you’re training for the 5K or the marathon, at least one day a week is reserved for going long.

Despite the near universal application of the long run, however, many runners don’t know how fast they should be running for optimal benefit. If you run too slow, you won’t produce significant stimulus and adaptation. Run too fast and you run the risk of not being . Making things more difficult, long runs can serve multiple training purposes, each with its own set of intensity and pace recommendations.

How do you determine the optimal pace for your long runs? Let’s look at the science.

What is the purpose of your long run?

The first step to determining the pace of your long run is assessing the purpose and intensity of the run itself. Not all long runs are created equal. Some are designed to simulate marathon conditions or teach you how to finish fast. These types of long runs are considered a hard workout and you should have extra recovery days scheduled after your session to recover accordingly.

On the other hand, some long runs are done at an easier pace and lesser intensity to build aerobic endurance and put “time on your feet.” These types of long runs aren’t exactly recovery runs, but they aren’t designed to be hard, either. If your long run is designed to be a relatively easy day and you run too hard, you’ll start your next workout too fatigued and risk poor performance and injury.

Race-specific long runs in have predefined paces aimed at helping you get more comfortable at running race pace. But what about those “easy” long runs on your schedule? How fast should they be? And why?

Why You Run Long

The optimal pace of a long easy run is determined by the physiological benefits it is intended to induce. Long runs create a number of training adaptations in the body.

Capillary Development

Capillaries, the smallest of the body’s blood vessels, deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscle tissues. The greater the number of capillaries you have surrounding each muscle fiber, the faster you can shuttle oxygen and carbohydrate into your muscles.

Various studies have shown that capillary development appears to peak at between 60 and 75 percent of 5K pace. This isn’t to say that running really slowly (or much faster) on occasion doesn’t have any benefit. However, running much faster or slower than this pace doesn’t significantly increase or decrease capillary development.

Increased Myoglobin Content

Myoglobin is a special protein in your muscles that binds the oxygen that enters the muscle fiber. When oxygen becomes limited during exercise, myoglobin releases the oxygen to the mitochondria. Simply speaking, the more myoglobin you have in your muscle fibers, the more oxygen you can sequester to the muscle under aerobic duress, like in a race.

While all muscle fibers contain myoglobin, the ones we’re most concerned with targeting during the long run are the Type-I (slow twitch) muscle fibers.  Research has shown that maximum stimulation of Type I muscle fiber occurs at about 63-77 percent of VO2 max. This is about 55-75 percent of 5K race pace.

Increasing Glycogen Storage

The body stores carbohydrates in the muscles for usable energy in the form of glycogen. While this isn’t important for races that last under 90 minutes, when racing the marathon, the more glycogen you can store in your muscles, the longer you can prevent the dreaded bonk.

The goal with easy long runs is to deplete the muscles of their stored glycogen. The body responds to this stimulus by learning to store more glycogen to prevent future depletion.

The faster you run, the greater the percentage of your energy will . While there isn’t any scientific research on the optimal pace that burns significant carbohydrate while still providing enough energy to get through a long run, my experience and studying the training of elite runners has shown that a pace of about 65-75 percent of 5K pace is optimal.

Mitochondria Development

Mitochondria are the microscopic organelle found in your muscle cells that contribute to the production of ATP (energy). In the presence of oxygen, mitochondria break down carbohydrate, fat, and protein into usable energy. Therefore, the more mitochondria you have, and the greater their density, the more energy you can generate during exercise, which will enable you to run faster and longer.

Two researchers, Holloszy () and Dudley () published some of the defining research on optimal distance and pace for mitochondrial development. In short, Holloszy found that maximum mitochondrial development occurred at about 2 hours of running at 50-75 percent of V02max. Likewise, Dudley found that the best strategy for slow-twitch, mitochondria enhancement was running for 90 minutes at 70 to 75 percent V02 max. So what does this mean in real-world terminology?

Summing It Up

The body of evidence is clear: your optimal “easy” long run pace is between 55 and 75 percent of your 5K pace, with the average pace being about 65 percent.

The research shows that running faster than 75% of your 5K pace on your long run doesn’t provide a lot of additional physiological benefit. Pushing the pace beyond 75% of 5K pace only serves to make you more tired and hamper recovery.

In fact, the research indicates that it would be just as advantageous to run slower as it would be to run faster—to an extent. Regardless of your ability level, 50-55 percent of 5K race pace is pretty easy, but the research clearly demonstrates that it still provides near optimal physiological benefits.

If you’re feeling tired and the long run isn’t scheduled to be a “hard” day, don’t be afraid to slow it down. Start on the slower side of the pace recommendations (50% of 5K pace) and slowly pick it up throughout the run if you feel good. The long run is one of the stapes of your training week—make it count!

—

Coach Jeff Gaudette has been running for 13 years, at all levels of the sport. He was a two-time Division-I All-American in Cross Country while at Brown University and competed professionally for four years after college. Jeff has competed all over the world, in numerous marathons, and recorded Olympic Trials qualifying times in the marathon and 10,000 meters. He is the Founder, CEO and Head Coach at .

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The next time your running friends brag about their last track workout, ask them what their recoveries were.

When analyzing training schedules and discussing workouts, most athletes focus exclusively on the distance and speed of each fast repeat. The recovery portion of the workout is often ignored or not methodically planned in the same way as the intense portion. When you tell your running buddies about your last killer track session, how often do you mention the amount of rest you took between repeats?

Although not as exciting as the fast splits you share with your friend, the rest portion of your workouts is one of the keys to maximizing fitness and integral to the meaning and training effect of those splits. By varying the rest period during an interval workout, you can change the focus of the session, more specifically target certain energy systems, and control the effort of your workout.

Not all your workouts should include long, standing 3-to-4-minute rest periods. Longer rest periods let you work on your leg speed. The shorter the rest period, the more you work your endurance and stamina, and the closer the workout comes to mimicking a race. Vary the duration and speed of your rest periods to create innovative and race-specific workouts that will take your training to the next level.

Let’s take a look at some different ways you can manipulate the recovery periods of your workouts to create innovative, race-specific sessions that will help you get the most out of your training.

Short-Rest Cruise Intervals

Typically, threshold runs are 3- to 6-mile sustained efforts that fall somewhere between your 10-mile and half-marathon race pace. Holding this pace for these distances will typically take you right to the edge of your lactate threshold and help boost your endurance faster than nearly any other type of workouts.

But, what if you want to work on running faster (mechanics, speed, form, and efficiency) without sacrificing the long-term goal of progressing aerobic development? The answer is easy: You can add short rest intervals to break up your tempo runs to run faster or go longer.

Inserting short rest periods will allow you to run faster than a tempo pace (usually 6-7 percent faster, or right around 10K pace), but because the rest is short, you can maintain a threshold effort for the faster portions of the workout. My recommendation is to break up these runs into half-mile or mile repeats and take between 30 and 60 seconds rest between intervals, depending on your ability level.

Legendary running coach Jack Daniels calls these types of workouts cruise intervals, and they are a great way to inject a little speed work into your marathon or half-marathon training. By taking short rest intervals and speeding up the pace, you’re able to maintain a threshold effort while giving the legs a break from the monotony of sustained-paced runs.

Another option is to add a short recovery period between repeats of two or three miles in duration. This will allow you to extend your tempo session by a few miles, which lets you run just below your threshold for a little while longer.

My favorite workouts for this are 2 x 3 miles or 3 x 2 miles at half marathon pace, with 3:00 recovery between intervals.

Jog-Recovery Intervals

One of the most frequent questions asked by new runners is what to do during the rest periods between intervals. Should they stop, walk around, jog or sit down? The answer to that question uncovers another way to manipulate rest periods. By changing what you do during your rest breaks you can alter the difficulty and specific purpose of a workout.

If you’re training for shorter distances like 5K and 10K, you can run workouts at goal race pace while taking a short, jogging rest. These types of sessions are very because they not only teach your body how to run comfortably at race pace, but by keeping the rest moving, you develop the ability to recover while running.

A sample workout for a 5K runner might be: 8 x 600m at goal 5K pace with 200m jogging rest between intervals.

Marathon-Pace Recoveries

For marathoners, running your rest periods at marathon pace or slightly slower can teach your body how to burn fat and while running at goal pace. Since we know from research that one of the most important determinants of marathon success is how efficiently your body can use fat as a fuel source, workouts that specifically teach your body to burn fat while running at goal marathon pace are critical if you want to avoid bonking.

One of my favorite workouts that utilizes marathon-pace rest periods is the modified . Plan to run a moderate long run (about 60–70 percent shorter than your longest run of the marathon training segment, which makes it 12 to 16 miles for many marathoners). Insert a series of 90-second to 2-minute surges at 10K pace with the “rest” between each surge being marathon pace or slightly slower.

Here is a sample workout: 14-mile long run: First 3 miles easy, miles 4–12 alternating between 90 seconds at 10K pace and 6 minutes at marathon pace (or 10 seconds slower), miles 12–14 easy.

Manipulating the length and pace of your rest intervals opens up infinite possible workout combinations, each providing a different training stimulus to hone you into a complete racer.

Adapted from an article originally published November 2013

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Competitive runners are always looking for that extra edge to help push them to the next level and beyond. They’ll scrutinize their diet, turn their training logs inside out, and search the Internet for that one secret workout. However, finding that extra bit of improvement might not come from tweaking a small aspect of training. Instead, it might be time to reassess one of the fundamental structures of the training plan: the 7-day training week.

The 7-day training cycle evolved through our natural inclination to conform to the traditional calendar. Monday was the start of the new week, weekends afforded the most time for training, and two other hard workouts needed to be fit in during the week. If our work and family life is structured around these principles, it would make sense that our bodies would naturally follow the same path in training.

Unfortunately, our bodies rarely conform to man’s manufactured measurement of time. Monday doesn’t automatically mean your body is starting fresh, nor does Sunday automatically provide the optimal training benefits for a long run. Sometimes, your Sunday long run wipes you out and you’re not nearly recovered enough for another hard workout on Tuesday. Likewise, you might find that doing a long tempo session on Friday leaves you too tired to run a quality long run over the weekend.

In the 7-day training week, it can often be difficult to fit in all the quality workouts you need to engage all the right energy systems. Likewise, for the injury prone or Masters runner, a 7-day training week may be too intense to stay healthy, given the tightly structured recovery periods.

If you’ve found yourself at a plateau, or you’re constantly getting injured or rundown, perhaps transitioning to a longer and more flexible training calendar — be it a 10, 14, or 21-day training cycle — might be just the change you need to break through to the next level. Interestingly, elite runners have long adopted extended training cycles in the quest of improving performance; perhaps the most well-known implementation of an extended training cycle has been the Hansons Olympic Development Program, which uses a 10-day training cycle. , coach of Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson, also uses a 10-day to 2-week schedule. Here’s how you can benefit from a longer, more flexible training calendar and how, with a little extra planning, you can make it work with your schedule.

Benefits Of A Longer Training Cycle

1. Improved Recovery
By implementing a longer training cycle, you can afford to be more liberal with your and give yourself a few more days to absorb your hard workouts. Instead of trying to cram a long run, speed session, tempo session and a steady state session into a 7-day stretch (leaving just three days total for recovery), you can still get in all of those same workouts in a given training cycle, but also give yourself the proper amount of recovery between each workout. This will decrease your chance of getting injured, becoming overtrained, or breaking down during your training segment.

2. Better Quality Sessions
Along the same lines, by implementing a longer training cycle you’ll have more productive quality sessions. In a 7-day training cycle, it’s possible that you’ll hit your Tuesday speed session still fatigued from your long run, meaning you can’t hit your prescribed paces or you’re too tired to finish the workout strong.

Instead of maximizing your potential physiological adaptations, you only absorb 80-85 percent of the benefits. During a 10 or 14-day training cycle, you can attack that speed workout completely recovered and ready to fully capitalize on the potential benefits.

3. More Flexible Schedule
Finally, a longer training cycle actually provides more flexibility should you miss a workout or need to rearrange your training. Instead of being stuck having to do your threshold run on Friday because you need Saturday to recover before your Sunday long run, you can more easily shift your training schedule to accommodate almost any hiccup.

How You Can Adopt A Longer Training Cycle

I often get a lot of push back when I suggest athletes might benefit from a 10-day training schedule. Work and family commitments can often seem like an insurmountable barrier; however, with a little planning and flexibility you can actually incorporate a longer training cycle with relative ease.

The most important aspect of adopting a longer training cycle is to plan out your calendar in advance so you can schedule your longest workouts or long runs on the weekend and then build in extra time you might need during the weekdays for any harder runs. Once you have a solid schedule in place, it’s much easier to stick to it and make it work around your life.

Since you shouldn’t be running a truly long run every weekend, you can easily schedule your important long runs every two weeks so they fall on a weekend. Likewise, if you know you have to drive the kids to school on a Wednesday, you can avoid scheduling your workouts on that day or simply plan ahead to wake up extra early.

Sure, a longer training cycle might require more advance planning and be a little unorthodox at first, but adopting this method could be the change you need to finally stay healthy or bust through a plateau.

Originally published April 2014

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One of the most important functions of muscles and tendons in running is to store energy. Like a pogo stick, your body can store energy from impact and then release it to propel your body forward. As such, a large portion of your propulsive energy actually comes from the energy stored in your legs from impact previously made with the ground. This is why you can leap higher and longer if you do a “countermovement” before jumping, like swiftly bending your knees, which allows you to reach much higher into the air than slowly bending your knees.

While this “stretch-shortening cycle” has been known about for some time, standardized methods of training this reflex are fairly new. Improvements in your muscles’ ability to elastically store energy have obvious implications for runners, as more stored energy means you can maintain a given pace using less overall energy. In short, your efficiency would improve.

Plyometrics are exercises that aim to develop strength and speed by conditioning the neuromuscular and elastic characteristics of the muscle. The main objective of plyometric training for runners is to produce greater power by training the muscles to contract more quickly and forcefully from an actively pre-stretched position.

Over the following pages, we’ll take a look at the research backing the benefits of plyometrics for runners and then explain how to effectively incorporate these exercises into your training program.

How do plyometrics benefit you?

Numerous studies have confirmed that adding plyometrics into your training routine can improve VO2 max, running efficiency and help you improve performance at shorter distances up to 10K.  conducted on beginner runners showed that after completing a six-week plyometric routine, the runners demonstrated a 2.3-percent improvement in their running economy at speeds between 10:00 and 7:30 mile pace—meaning they used less oxygen at these speeds than they did before the plyometric training. The control group, meanwhile, demonstrated no significant changes in running economy.

Obviously, that’s a large range of paces and might not be pertinent to runners who are more experienced or trying to race faster. , however, provides insight for faster and more experienced runners. In this study, researchers found that after plyometric training subjects demonstrated improvements of 2.7 percent in their jumping ability, 3K time, and running economy at 8, 7, and 6 minutes per mile. This result is encouraging, showing that for more experienced runners, the potential benefits of plyometric training is even greater.

It’s always helpful to conduct these types of training studies on elite athletes as well. Unlike recreational runners, elites are more likely to be training optimally compared to non-elite runners. As such, gains in fitness and physiological markers are less likely to be attributed to simply adding more exercises.

conducted on elite runners found that after nine weeks of plyometric training, runners showed a 4.1% improvement in running economy at 5:20 mile pace and a nonsignificant trend toward improvement at 6:00 and 7:00 mile pace. The authors interpreted this as an indication that plyometric training is more beneficial at higher speeds, since the impact forces are much higher. Additionally, since there was no change in maximal oxygen uptake ability (VO2 max), the results point to the muscles, not the heart or blood vessels, as the cause of the improvement in economy. While the blood delivered the same amount of oxygen to the muscles before and after the nine-week training program, the plyometrics-trained runners could go faster with it.

This series of studies makes a fairly convincing case for the merits of plyometric exercises in a training program, and the results indicate that the faster you’re trying to run, the more important muscle explosiveness and elasticity become. So, how can you add plyometrics into your training schedule?

Incorporating Plyometrics Into Your Routine

Because plyometrics are explosive and require a quick and forceful recruitment of muscle fibers, they are the last building-block of a successful strength training regimen and should only be implemented once a solid foundation has been built. I recommend at least six weeks of strength training (general strength work, core and leg work) if you’re athletic or have done lots of strength training in the past.

For beginners, you should take eight to ten weeks of general strength and core work before adding plyometrics into your routine. Furthermore, it’s essential that you practice good form when implementing plyometric exercises since performing them incorrectly can significantly increase injury risk. Ensuring that you have the proper strength, coordination, and rhythm will mitigate potential issues with form.

Following the “hard days hard, easy days easy principle,” your plyometric workouts should come after your hardest workout days. I prefer to do plyometrics only once a week and use other strength training days for core, hip and preventive work. I suggest implementing plyometrics exercises after speed workouts, since you’re engaging the same muscle fibers in similar bouts of explosive recruitment. If you want to add a second plyometric day, I would suggest having it follow your tempo or threshold session.

Just like a sound running schedule, there isn’t a “best” or “secret” plyometric routine that is better than any other. As long as the exercises are specific to running, your performance will benefit. Keep the exercises to eight to ten different movements to prevent yourself from doing too much.

Here is a sample from our strength training for runners program:

1. Water Pump (x 15 each leg)

Balance on one leg with your other leg behind you. You can place the trail leg on a bench or other support structure. Slowly bend down, as if in a one-legged squat position. Raise yourself back up.

2. Water Pump Hops (x 15 each leg)

Perform exactly as the regular water pump, but jump in an explosive fashion when driving the leg up. Take a four second break between each jump to allow the stabilizing muscles to be engage by trying to balance and steady the body.

3. Height Skips (x 15 each leg)

Skip across the ground, jumping as high as you can with each skip. Concentrate on the height of your skip, not the distance. Practice landing softly on the ball of your foot.

4. Ankle Jumps (x 15) 

While keeping your legs straight, jump into the air using only your ankles for power. Don’t bend your knees or your hips.

5. Jumps For Distance (x 15) 

From a standing position, jump as far out and forward as you can – like a standing long jump.

6. One-Leg Connect Four (x 3 cycles each leg)

Visualize a square with 4 separate quadrants. Balance on one leg and jump to each quadrant continuously until you’re back at the starting point. That’s one cycle.

7. Toe Taps (x 15 each leg)

Find a surface that is 2-3 feet high. Stand in front of the surface and perform a version of high knees, except tap the top of the surface with each foot.

8. Rocket Jumps (x 15 total)

From a standing position, squat down and jump into the air as high as you can. Jump and land with both feet.

9. Split Squats (x 10 each leg)

From a lunge position, jump into the air. While in the air, switch your legs so that whichever leg was in front of you, now becomes the trail leg. Land with your legs switched and drop into the lunge position again. Repeat.

Start with the easier exercises first so your legs have a chance to ease into the explosive movements. Don’t force the repetitions if you start to get too tired or your form falters. It’s better to perform 10 strong, correct repetitions than 15 sloppy ones.

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Overtraining. It’s a word that strikes fear into the hearts of runners everywhere. Researchers estimate that 61 percent of all serious runners will go through a period of overtraining at least once in their running career. That’s not an encouraging statistic when you’re pushing the limits to reach your goals.

What makes overtraining scary is that runners have very few tangible ways to identify and measure whether they are overtraining. Overtraining isn’t so black and white like a stress fracture or so painfully obvious as when you run out of energy during a long run—there is no pain associated with overtraining and there are few clear signs.

Researchers can measure advanced physiological factors such as catecholamine excretion and neuromuscular patterns to determine if a runner is overtraining, but us runners on the road have little conclusive evidence to determine if we’re just tired from training or going over the edge. While the signs and symptoms of overtraining aren’t overt, it is possible to identify which activities present the greatest danger to overtraining, recognize subtle signs that suggest you’re approaching the precipice, and discuss how to come back if you believe you are overtrained.

Causes Of Overtraining

Overtraining is a result of not properly recovering between workouts on a repeated basis. Some types of workouts and training will make you more susceptible to overtraining, but the underlying cause is always a lack of recovery. While all driven athletes are prone to pushing too hard without properly recovering, researchers have identified a few training situations that make runners more vulnerable to overtraining. They are:

Reaching too far in one training cycle

Perhaps the most common cause of overtraining I encounter as a coach is by athletes who attempt to break their personal bests by too much in one training segment. While it can be especially difficult for a beginner runner or someone who is rapidly improving to assess what their potential might be, it’s important that every runner approach improving on a step-by-step basis. Skipping a step or trying to make the jump from a 3:20 marathon to a 3:05 to qualify for Boston in one fell swoop will often lead to overtraining.

Jack Daniels has been a pioneer on appropriate training levels and progression thanks to his VDOT tables, which give runners the opportunity to measure their training and racing performance. In his best-selling book Daniels’ Running Formula, he insists that runners train at their current race fitness until they record a new personal best that proves they have taken the next step in their fitness. In my experience, I have found training at your current fitness level, indicated by your most recent personal best, to be the safest and most consistent way to improve and avoid overtraining.

Not taking a break between training segments

Another common cause of overtraining is not giving your body enough rest between training cycles. I work with many runners who want to jump from one training cycle to the next with little or no rest between. Many runners tend to finish a tough training segment where they pushed their bodies to new limits and raced well and immediately jump back into hard training toward the next goal. In doing so, these runners never give their bodies a chance to fully recover and absorb all the training from the last segment. They carry that fatigue with them and drastically increase the chance of overtraining.

To improve long-term, it is absolutely critically that you give your body a substantial rest period after long training segments and big races. I suggest one week off for a 5K training cycle, 1-2 weeks off for a 10K or half marathon, and a full 2 weeks off after a marathon. It might sound like you would be holding yourself back by being so cautious, but your long-term progression will actually benefit. Even elite athletes realize how important a break between training cycles is.

Too many intense speed workouts

Finally, performing too many speed workouts or VO2 max training sessions in one training cycle has been proven to increase the risk of overtraining symptoms. From a physiological perspective, researchers have hypothesized that the increase in overtraining symptoms by runners who performed eight weeks or more of speed work is the result of a rise in pH levels (to be effective, speed work should actually bring your pH levels down) and a stagnation in blood lactate levels. To buffer yourself against the possibility of overtraining from too much speed work, make sure you’ve developed and maintain a solid foundation of aerobic conditioning in your training.

Symptoms Of Overtraining

As I mentioned previously, it can be difficult to accurately determine if you are overtrained without a lab coat and fancy equipment. However, here are some clues you can use to help you determine if you’re recovering properly.

Heart Rate

During overtraining, you may have a higher than normal heart rate while resting and while sleeping. Record your heart rate each morning as soon as you wake up and before you get out of bed. Keep a small notebook by your night stand where you can record the data each day. If you find an extended period of time where your heart rate increases in the morning, you could be suffering the effects of overtraining.

Caveat: Heart rate can be affected my numerous factors outside running fitness or your training state. Stress, hydration, caffeine and hours of sleep are just some of the variables than can effect heart rate. Don’t get too worried about small fluctuations, instead look for ongoing trends.

Moodiness

Overtraining can lead to a decrease in hormone production, specifically the hormone catecholamine, which can influence the sympathetic nervous system. This can lead to increased feelings of stress and moodiness. If you’re feeling increasingly irritable or stressed, it might be a sign that you’re training too hard.

Susceptibility to sickness

Overtraining impairs the immune system, which leaves you more susceptible to contracting colds, the flu, and other viruses. If you find yourself getting sick more than usual, especially repeated bouts of the same virus, it could be a sign of overtraining.

Disturbed sleeping patterns

Finally, overtraining interferes with the bodies circadian rhythms, which can cause you to have trouble sleeping. Symptoms include waking up much earlier than normal or trouble getting or staying asleep.

Caveat – circadian rhythms are also effected by seasonal changes in the amount of daylight available.  If you’re having trouble sleeping during a change in seasons, it could be a natural reaction to when the sun rises and sets.

While non of these symptoms should be taken as a clear indication of overtraining on their own, if you find that you’re experiencing three to four of these  indicators, it could be time to take a little rest.

Digging Yourself Out

While I’ve spent a good amount of time discussing the causes and symptoms of overtraining, the treatment will be much shorter. You’ve probably even guessed it already—rest. If you’re overtrained, you need to focus on rest and recovery.

How long to rest?

Researchers and coaches vary on the exact amount of time you’ll need to fully recover from a bout of overtraining. Primarily, the rest period will depend on how severe your symptoms are and how quickly your body responds. I suggest taking at least three weeks before you even think about running again. More than likely, you’ll need at least 6-8 weeks of complete rest before you’re full recovered. It’s critical that you listen to your body and be patient or you’ll find yourself right back in an overtrained state within a matter of weeks.

Speeding up the process

To speed the recovery process up, you should continue to focus on maintaining a healthy diet–eating nutritious food and eating plenty of them, as well as the typical recovery protocols such as stretching, massages and getting plenty of sleep. By educating yourself about the most common causes of overtraining and recognizing the symptoms early, you can prevent yourself from stagnating in training and setting yourself back weeks, if not months.

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