Recovery Is the Key to Success
Every so often, one of the popular running publications features a runner who has a streak of not missing a day of running for years. Should you be impressed or envious? Probably not! Indeed, my reaction is that the magazine is doing a disservice to its readers by making a big deal out of the streak. While I am sure that it is a matter of great pride to the runner who has such a streak, it sends the wrong message to those who want to train smart and remain injury-free.
As a coach, I often have to teach my runners how to back off and recover. Most adult runners are highly motivated individuals who have amazing willpower—training under adverse conditions, running marathons when the body is really built to call it quits at 20 miles, etc. At the same time, this strength can also be a weakness. Many motivated runners figure, "If I do x training and improve, then 1.5 or 2 times x will be even better." Unfortunately, that is not the way your body works.
It takes roughly 48 hours for your muscles to recover from a hard workout when you have exercised above 75 percent of maximum heart rate (using the Karvonen formula explained below). By allowing 48 hours for recovery, what happens in layman's terms is that you have torn down your muscles but have allowed sufficient time for healing so that at the end of the 48 hours your muscles are stronger than they were prior to the initial hard workout. If, on the other hand, you exercise at 75 percent or more day after day, your muscles never have the chance to completely heal and consolidate the gains from working hard. This is the reason why many runners do not see improvement in their racing times.
I know this from personal experience because years ago I used to do all my training runs too fast and, as a result, was always disappointed in my race times. I did not realize that I was beating the daylights out of my body. It was only after I began heart monitor training at the age of 46 and slowed down my easy days on average by more than 30 seconds per mile that I started running PRs at all distances. For the first time, I was able to run my hard workouts in a completely recovered state so that my body was able to fully assimilate the hard effort.
So how do you know when you are making a 75 percent effort? It is quite easy if you train with a heart monitor. You take your resting heart rate, subtract it from your maximum heart rate, multiply the difference by 75 percent, and add that number to your resting heart rate. For example, take a runner with a maximum heart rate of 190 and a resting rate of 50. Then 190 minus 50 equals 140, and 75 percent of 140 is 105. Add 50 to 105. Then 155 represents a 75 percent effort. This means that if you stay below 75 percent on your easy days, you will be allowing your body to recover and rebuild itself.
For those who have not yet seen the wisdom of training with a heart monitor, a 75 percent effort translates to roughly 90 seconds per mile slower than 10K race pace. An 8:00/mile 10K runner who trains at a 9:30/mile pace or slower will probably be under 75 percent. As I have written in previous columns, training by pace is less precise than by heart rate. This is the reason I require my runners to train with a heart monitor because it removes any guesswork.
If you are one of those runners whose race times never seem to match your training paces, you may be a candidate for strapping on a heart monitor, slowing down, and racing faster.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.
