At this point in your training, recovery stops being a “nice to have”. Your runs are getting longer, training fatigue starts to build, and your body is working harder to adapt between sessions.
Recover well, and you give yourself the best chance of staying consistent through the biggest weeks of training. Ignore recovery, and those heavy legs can start hanging around longer than you’d like.
The good news? You don’t need to completely overhaul your routine! A few small changes to your fuelling and recovery habits can make a big difference over the next few weeks.
Every session creates stress on your muscles, energy levels and immune system, so your body needs more support to keep up with the demands of training. Recovery is what helps your body adapt so you can keep building fitness week after week.
When you don’t prioritise this, training can start to feel harder than it should. You might notice:
It’s worth mentioning that there isn't a single recovery supplement that works for everyone, but some of the best recovery supplements for runners can help support muscle repair, hydration and recovery between sessions.
Protein plays a big role in helping your body recover from training.
Exercise puts your muscles under stress and creates small amounts of damage in the muscle fibres. That’s a normal part of training, and part of how your body gets stronger over time, but protein provides the amino acids needed to help repair that damage, supporting muscle recovery and adaptation between sessions.
For some runners, getting enough protein is as simple as making sure they’re eating balanced meals throughout the day. But when life gets busy, or you’ve finished a run with no real appetite, protein shakes and recovery drinks can be an easy way to get something in quickly.
If you’re thinking about topping up your recovery routine before race day, realbuzz subscribers can also get an extra 10% off Myprotein.
There’s no need to overthink it or completely change your routine. The main thing is giving your body the support it needs to recover well and keep up with training.
When training starts getting heavier, recovery doesn’t just happen during the hour after your run. A lot of it happens overnight too.
Good sleep plays a huge role in helping your body recover, repairing muscle tissue and restoring energy levels between sessions. That’s why poor sleep can start catching up with you quickly during peak half-marathon and marathon training, especially when fatigue is already building.
Some runners look at supplements like magnesium as part of their wider recovery routine. Magnesium supports muscle function and plays a role in relaxation and sleep quality, which is why it’s become a popular recovery supplement with endurance athletes.
It’s not something every runner needs, but for those of you who are struggling with recovery, soreness or switching off after evening training sessions, these supplements are an option some find helpful during heavier training blocks.
Creatine has traditionally been associated with strength training and gym workouts, but more runners are starting to pay attention to it too.
That’s because creatine can help support how your muscles produce and restore energy during and after exercise. Some research has also shown it may help with muscle repair and recovery, particularly during the toughest weeks of your training when your body is under more stress.
For runners, better energy restoration and recovery between sessions can help you maintain performance, especially when training starts catching up with you.
It’s not a replacement for good sleep, hydration and fuelling properly, but it can be a helpful addition to an overall recovery routine. Most people simply take a small daily serving consistently rather than worrying too much about timing. If you're still figuring out what works best for you, realbuzz subscribers can get an extra 10% off Myprotein products, so you can test out your hydration and recovery strategy before race day.
The final weeks of training can take a lot out of you, which is why recovery deserves just as much attention.
You don’t need a complicated routine or loads of supplements to recover well. But a few smart changes to your fuelling, hydration and recovery habits can make a big difference when the miles start building up.
Whether that’s adding more protein into your routine, practising your race-day fuelling strategy or paying more attention to hydration, now is a good time to figure out what works for you before race day gets closer.
If you’re looking to stock up ahead of training and race day, realbuzz subscribers can get an extra 10% off with Myprotein here!