Although a recovery week is essential when running, there are many runners who skip this critical phase in their training plan. The short-term satisfaction of another hard training session or weekly kilometers collected is then placed above long-term success and your own health. But what is the regeneration week when running actually all about? Who is it relevant for and how do you design it correctly?
In this post you will find out:
Running regeneration week – why is it important?
A recovery week while running is a completely normal part of training planning, for example if you are preparing for a competition or another big running goal. Typically this is every third to fifth week in your training plan, where you reduce your training volume and give your body a chance to recover and adapt to the previous stress.
Because your body not only adapts to the stress you place on it from run to run. On the contrary: adaptation takes weeks and months. For example, tendon tissue takes three months to change. It’s only logical that you can’t just keep improving all the time.
Exhaustion from training will accumulate over several sessions and weeks. Then you need a break to reduce unnecessary risk of injury and overcome plateaus.
The supercompensation
The underlying principle behind it is called “supercompensation”.
Immediately after a training stimulus, your body is initially weakened and less efficient. The subsequent break allows you to recover and the next stimulus, which is well timed, allows your body to adapt to the stress.
This means: you will never last longer while jogging if you never take a break.
Quite the opposite: you get stronger and better during the break.
That’s why it’s important to optimize your regeneration after running and take good care of yourself.
As described above, supercompensation not only works from run to run, but can also accumulate. Then we talk about “cumulative supercompensation” and it is precisely this effect that we want to use during the regeneration week when running.
Are you losing fitness during this break?
If used correctly, a regeneration week will not only not harm your fitness, but will actually increase it. You will reduce states of exhaustion, allow microtraumas in your tissue to heal and then overcome plateaus.
During such a break you can recharge your batteries and completely replenish your glycogen stores. Your body gets the opportunity to repair tiny injuries and rebuild structures.
Who should take a recovery week while running?
Basically, all runners who improve their running should plan a regeneration week.
Depending on how quickly you increase your intensity, this regeneration week can be more or less important. If you only increase your training volume minimally each week, you may be able to go much longer without a regeneration week. If you are improving by 5-10% or more each week or are preparing for a tough competition, then recovery weeks are non-negotiable.
If you are in a so-called “off-season” or if you are currently only receiving your running training at the same level, a regeneration week is probably not necessary or less necessary because then you are not providing any stimuli from which your body has to noticeably recover.
Running regeneration week – this is how you go about it
A running coach plans a recovery week typically every 3-8 weeks in your training plan.
For my training plans for beginner runners for 10 and 21.1 km, I use the 3:1 model – three weeks of increase are followed by one week of regeneration.
In my individual coaching sessions, this model can be very different – depending on how much your running training is currently increasing and how well you react to the stimuli.
During this recovery week when running, we typically reduce the training volume by 10-40% of your highest volume of the increase weeks. We also reduce the training volume at high intensities – i.e. in higher heart rate ranges and at a fast pace such as interval training and tempo training.
How exactly you plan your regeneration week while running depends very much on your individual reaction to training, your level of exhaustion and your training experience.
7 tips for your regeneration week of running
- Plan for a recovery week every 3-4 weeks for intense training or every 6-8 weeks for less intense training.
- Reduce your weekly kilometers by 10-40% compared to your highest training volumes in previous weeks. A particular focus should be on shortening the long run.
- Train less at high intensities. If you are still at the beginning of your running career, this may mean that you forego speed training completely and just integrate a few increases over 60-100m into an easy session. If you are more advanced, you can simply shorten the duration of your intervals or endurance runs. For example, instead of 4x400m you can run 1-2x400m or 2x200m.
- Eat enough. Despite reduced training volumes, your body needs calories, carbohydrates and protein as well as micronutrients in order to recover optimally. Avoid a calorie deficit.
- Compensatory training is allowed during this time, but make sure that you do not compensate for the reduced running volumes. A recovery week is not the time for a strength training PR or a 5-hour bike ride.
- Prioritize your sleep and rest.
- Take care of your mental health. Use the recovery week to do things outside of running that fulfill you, promote self-care and give you strength.
What to do if you don’t want to take breaks?
Many runners avoid the recovery week and either push it further out or completely decide against giving their body the time it needs to recover.
Sometimes at a high price: such behavior can provide short-term relief and supposedly increase well-being, but in the long term it poses a very high risk of overuse, sports injuries, overtraining and burnout.
Nevertheless, many runners find it difficult to endure this week of regeneration. In such cases, I always recommend the support of a professional trainer. The following journaling questions can also help you understand your motivation and deal with it better:
- Why are you running? What is your motivation and why?
- What makes a good running workout for you?
- How does your body feel when you are rested and regenerated?
- How does your body feel when you are exhausted and overworked?
- How could you tell when your body needs a break?
- What should your relationship with your body look like?
- What is your relationship with your body?
- What function does your too hard training serve?
- What would be the worst thing that could happen during a recovery week?
- Why is training now more important than your long-term health and performance?
Conclusion – regeneration week running
A regeneration week while running is essential if you train intensively and improve regularly. This week gives your body the opportunity to recover and adapt to the previous stress. You gain strength and new energy and can reduce states of exhaustion.
To make the most of your regeneration week, heed the following tips:
- Plan a recovery week every 3-8 weeks.
- Reduce your weekly kilometers by 10-40%.
- Reduce your intense workouts and long runs.
- Provide your body with enough energy.
- Get enough sleep and prioritize rest.
- Use compensatory training, but don’t overdo it.
- Take care of your mental health.