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How long is recommended for recovery after a major "A race" event?

dlmckinnon3
dlmckinnon3 Posts: 1 Member
edited August 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I had my A race event this past weekend, a trail race where I ran a total of around 25 miles. I had a good race but was wiped out afterwards and still feel low on energy.
It's been three days and I did a light recovery spin and stretch this morning, but wondering what is recommended as far as time off goes before resuming running workouts or long training runs?

Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom!
-Trey

Best Answer

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,770 Member
    Answer ✓
    What I've read is that there should be one day of easy/recovery for every mile run. So for you, three to four weeks of only easy running or cross training. I've run 5 marathons, and I usually mostly rested (still walked the dog) for a week after the race, then did a reverse taper for a couple of weeks, then ran normal mileage but all easy until I felt like running was comfortable again. I am older, so it probably took longer than it would for a younger runner. For me, running was a struggle for 6 weeks or so after a marathon, but I could do 30-40 mile weeks without injury after a month of easy running. I'm not sure whether trail running is different since it is usually more of a mix of walking and running than road marathons.

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