Recovery for first 5mile run

angel0225mel
angel0225mel Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone. I just started running 2-3 miles 2-3 times a week. I took a week off and today ran my first 5 miles. Any suggestions on what I can do to help my body recover? TIA
BTW feels great to run my first 5miles of my life!

Replies

  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    Well done on your progress. I would have tomorrow off and then do some walking the day after. See how you feel after that. If your legs are still heavy just walk the day after that as well :-)

    keep it up though, you are doing great
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    It's not uncommon to schedule a rest day after your long-run days. Also? If you do a light *easy* jog or walk, just for a mile or so (based on 2-3 miles being your norm), that can help ease/prevent soreness. And then stretch - gently!

    Or another activity like swimming, yoga, cycling...but keep it relaxed & fairly short. :-)

    Nice job on your first five!

    ETA: Davert123's post reminded me to clarify. My suggestions are one perspective on "rest" days. Nothing wrong with doing NOTHING, either, as he suggested. YMMV which approach is best for you.
  • angel0225mel
    angel0225mel Posts: 11 Member
    Tomorrow for sure is a rest day! Thanks for the advice!!
  • bobbijodmb
    bobbijodmb Posts: 463 Member
    Congrats-- rest for a day and drink plenty of water.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    Tomorrow for sure is a rest day! Thanks for the advice!!

    After my 10 mile run recently I needed a day to recover. It wasn't just an, "Oh, I'm feeling lazy today." It was an, "Oh ****, can't stand up for more than a minute." So expect to really do absolutely nothing the next day.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Congratulations on your first 5-miler!

    I like doing a little light exercise after a long event--maybe 15-20% of the distance, at a very slow pace. Or just take a walk. A small bit of stress seems to speed the recovery process for many people, though I think most of the studies have been done with experienced athletes who have been training for years.

    If anything hurts, stop. The biggest risk for beginning runners is overuse injuries, due to doing too much, too fast. Jeff Galloway has some useful advice on this website: http://www.active.com/running/articles/how-to-run-injury-free

    Joseph Ellis's book "Running Injury-Free" is useful if you find that you're really getting into running.

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