Shakeout: Take a Step Back

Recovery for growth

Here’s one way to know you’re in a productive training groove: The idea of a recovery week sounds like an opportunity to rest and reset. Not because you’re spent, wasted, or trashed. Because you feel like your fitness is in such a good place that a little extra recovery time will boost your running to the next level.

As 21st Century humans, we are conditioned to think that we must maximize our productivity at every opportunity. If some training is good, more training must be better. Here’s the thing: More training is better … if your only goal is increasing fitness gains as quickly as possible. As tempting as that sounds, more training is not always better if you’re trying to build a sustainable running practice.

The human body can only take so much stress. More training piled on top of more training inevitably leads to physical breakdowns, mental burnout, and emotional exhaustion. No one in the history of running has ever been immune from this vicious cycle. Without making time for rest and recovery weeks, how much progress are you really making? Some incremental moving of the needle may feel good in the moment, but for tangible gains that stand the test of time, a little rest goes a really long way.

For paid subscribers in this week’s Shakeout: More on utilizing rest and recovery weeks to build resilience. Plus, a short lactate threshold test along with a few tips on incorporating deadlifts into your strength training routine.