Recovery Strategies
To enhance recovery, you should adapt and habituate to each level of training before increasing the level. Every few weeks, cut the training volume by about a third for one recovery week before increasing the training load. Train in cycles, using the final week of each cycle as a recovery week to absorb the training, make the necessary adaptations, and recover so you can handle the upcoming training load.
Polarize your training: Work out easy on easy days so you can truly recover, and work hard on hard days to provide stress. When both stress and recovery are given equal attention and diligence, your training becomes an elegant system that works.
More: How to Troubleshoot During Run Training
Refuel
Refueling nutrient-depleted muscles is possibly the single most important aspect of optimal recovery. The most important nutrient to replenish is carbohydrates. Athletic performance is influenced by the amount of stored carbohydrate (called glycogen) in skeletal muscles, with intense endurance exercise decreasing muscle glycogen stores.
Muscles are picky when it comes time to synthesize and store glycogen. Although glycogen will continue to be synthesized until storage in muscles is complete, the process is most rapid if athletes consume carbohydrates within the first 30 to 60 minutes after their workouts.
More: 5 Best Carbs for Athletes
Indeed, delaying carbohydrate ingestion for two hours after a workout significantly reduces the rate of glycogen resynthesis within the first few hours. To maximize the synthesis and storage of glycogen, athletes should consume 1.5 grams of simple carbohydrates (sugar, preferably glucose) per kilogram of body weight every two hours for a few hours after their workout or, if they can eat or drink more often, they should consume 0.4 to 0.6 gram every 15 to 30 minutes.
Protein is another important nutrient to consume after hard and long workouts, especially when trying to build muscle. To repair muscle fibers damaged during training, athletes should consume 20 to 30 grams of complete protein, or sources that contain all essential amino acids, after their workouts. Chocolate milk, which contains both carbohydrates and protein, is a great post-workout recovery drink.