Runner's Recovery Guide: The evidence behind what works

Pushing hard during training is important for reaching your goals, but what happens when you stop is just as important and often overlooked.

Recovery is when your body repairs, adapts and comes back stronger.

Dr Shona Halson, Professor of Exercise Science and recovery researcher, shares eight evidence-based ways to help your body recover after hard training.

“Sleep is the most important thing you can do for physical and psychological recovery,” says Shona. “It supports everything from muscle repair and immune function to mood and cognitive function.”

It’s recommended that adults aged between 18-64 get seven to 9 hours of quality sleep a night.¹ The best way to achieve that is through good old fashioned sleep hygiene.

Sleep tips²:

• Try to keep your bedtime and wake-up time as consistent as possible.
• Create a simple wind down bedtime routine. Spend time doing something quiet and relaxing.
• Try to minimise screen use at least an hour before bed.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the 8 hours before bed time.
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.

Myth: You can catch up on sleep later.

Bust: Sleeping in after a rough night can help, but it’s not a magic reset button. Your body recovers best when sleep is regular and consistent, so try to protect your sleep the same way you protect your training time.

“Research shows that mental fatigue can affect physical performance³,” says Shona. “Giving your brain genuine downtime is an important part of managing overall wellbeing.”

How to switch off:

• Take time to relax with a book, nice meal or massage
• Catch up with friends
• Go outside for a walk or sit in nature
• Simply give yourself permission to do very little

Myth: Mental fatigue is all in your head.

Bust: Think again. Mental fatigue can make exercise feel harder and leave you feeling like you’ve got less in the tank. Research suggests that when your brain is tired, you may not be able to exercise for as long or perform at your best.

“After hard training, your body needs the right fuel for recovery,” says Shona. “Include both protein and carbohydrates in your post-workout meal or snack. Protein supports muscle repair and carbohydrates help replenish your energy stores.”

How to refuel: Aim for around 15–20g of quality protein and 1g per kg body weight of carbohydrate⁴ in your post workout snack or meal.

Recovery food suggestions include:

• Eggs on grainy toast
• Fresh fruit topped with Greek yoghurt
• Small tin of tuna on crackers
• Lean chicken and salad roll

Myth: You can eat whatever you want after a workout and recover optimally.

Bust: Your body needs more than calories to recover. After a tough session, prioritise foods that give you the carbohydrate, protein and fluids needed to refuel, repair and rehydrate.

“Rehydration is about replacing what you’ve lost. After a long workout, water may not be enough on its own. You may also need to replace electrolytes to help your body recover,” says Shona.

Tip: If you want to get a better idea of how much fluid you’ve lost, weigh yourself before and after training. For every kilogram of weight lost, aim to replace around 1.5 litres of fluid over the next few hours.

Recovery doesn’t always mean putting your feet up. Active recovery with low-intensity exercise can help you loosen up and may reduce stiffness and soreness.⁵

Tip: Try an easy walk, gentle cycle or some stretching for 10-30 minutes. Keep the intensity low enough that you can comfortably hold a conversation.

Myth: The harder you train, the faster you’ll improve.

Bust: Not necessarily. If you keep pushing your body to extremes you may become overtired and increase your risk of injury and getting sick.

“Water immersion is one of the most widely used and researched⁶ recovery strategies in sport,” says Shona. “Cold water can reduce muscle soreness and tiredness.”

Tip: A bath, shower or even a dip in the ocean is an easy and simple way to get your cold water fix. No memberships or equipment needed.

Myth: The colder and longer your ice bath, the better.

Bust: Not necessarily. Research⁷ suggests you don't need to make cold-water recovery as extreme as possible to get potential benefits. Moderate temperatures and relatively short immersion times can help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness.

Compression garments may help reduce muscle soreness, support blood flow and improve recovery. Shona suggests wearing them for at least 60 minutes after a hard training session.

Massage and foam rolling may also ease soreness and help with mobility.

Myth: The tighter your compression gear, the faster you'll recover.

Bust: Not quite. Compression garments may help with recovery, but cranking up the pressure doesn't mean better results. They should feel comfortably snug, not painfully tight.

Rest days are an important part of recovery. Without it your body can become overly stressed and your performance will suffer.

How to recover better:

• Build rest days into your training plan rather than waiting until you're exhausted.
• Listen to your body. Persistent soreness, unusual tiredness or declining performance can be signs you need more recovery.

Myth: No pain, no gain.

Bust: Not always. Training is supposed to challenge you, but ignoring ongoing fatigue, soreness or poor recovery can backfire. Recovery isn't slacking off. It's part of training well.