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Determining Your Race Recovery Time
Written by
Gale Bernhardt
At least once a week during summer months I get a note asking: How long should it take me to recover from my race? It's a great question.
What sport did you race?
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People typically recover faster from a three-hour cycling road race than they do from a three-hour running event.
Triathlon recovery from a three-hour event falls between cycling and running. While some people prefer to use miles logged in the race as the measuring stick for recovery, I use race time.
Race time is just one factor to consider when determining recovery time. The time it takes to fully recover from a race depends on many factors, some of which are outlined later in this article.
When I refer to full recovery, I insinuate that you are recovered from the race completely—so that you can do a race-quality training session or another race with no residual fatigue or affects remaining from your last event.
A quick guide to estimate race recovery time follows:
• Cycling Races: one to three days per hour of racing
• Triathlon Races: three to five days per hour of racing
• Running Races: four to six days per hour of racing
With the quick guide as a place to start, you can further refine your recovery estimate by considering factors that affect race recovery. How fast an athlete recovers from an event depends on several factors before, during and after the race. These factors are relative to each sport and the individual athlete.
Take a look at the Modifiers for Race Recovery chart in the following slides. The chart lists factors that affect race recovery in the left column. In the last three columns are descriptions for the ranking values. As you make your way through the list of Factors Affecting Race Recovery, note how many times you score a ranking value of each one, two and three. The best score possible is 15. The higher your score, the more your recovery will be affected in a negative manner.
Triathlon recovery from a three-hour event falls between cycling and running. While some people prefer to use miles logged in the race as the measuring stick for recovery, I use race time.
Race time is just one factor to consider when determining recovery time. The time it takes to fully recover from a race depends on many factors, some of which are outlined later in this article.
When I refer to full recovery, I insinuate that you are recovered from the race completely—so that you can do a race-quality training session or another race with no residual fatigue or affects remaining from your last event.
A quick guide to estimate race recovery time follows:
• Cycling Races: one to three days per hour of racing
• Triathlon Races: three to five days per hour of racing
• Running Races: four to six days per hour of racing
With the quick guide as a place to start, you can further refine your recovery estimate by considering factors that affect race recovery. How fast an athlete recovers from an event depends on several factors before, during and after the race. These factors are relative to each sport and the individual athlete.
Take a look at the Modifiers for Race Recovery chart in the following slides. The chart lists factors that affect race recovery in the left column. In the last three columns are descriptions for the ranking values. As you make your way through the list of Factors Affecting Race Recovery, note how many times you score a ranking value of each one, two and three. The best score possible is 15. The higher your score, the more your recovery will be affected in a negative manner.
Find:
Your Next TriathlonModifiers for Race Recovery
Before the Race
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To use an extreme example, an athlete completing a two-hour triathlon, with all factors in the number one column will likely be fully recovered in about six days. If that same athlete has all factors in the number three column, full recovery from the race may take as much as 10 days. Scoring all factors in the number three column is also a signal for a high risk of injury or illness.
Find:
Your Next TriathlonModifiers for Race Recovery
The Race
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When heading into your next race, make a good effort to control some of the factors listed on the chart.
Find:
Your Next TriathlonModifiers for Race Recovery
After the Race
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By controlling the factors that you can control before, during and after the race, you can expect a faster recovery.