Every training plan has at least one day of recovery included each week.
On the training plan, this may be listed as a complete day of rest. For more intermediate or advanced plans, there may be a day of light cross training suggested instead of a complete day off.
Either way, these planned recovery days, maybe you call them rest days from your normal training, are an important part of your training plan. Recovery days are designated days for your body to, well, recover (!) from previous training sessions. It rejuvenates your body so it can be better prepared for upcoming training sessions so you can get the most out of those workouts, and ultimately improve your fitness so you can have the best race day ever!
There is a place for recovery days in every training plan, from beginner training plans to advanced training plans.
In particular, for cyclists, runners, swimmers, and triathletes, the day-over-day training consists of a lot of repetitive movements. This repetitive nature of cycling, running, and swimming creates a greater possibility of injuries. This makes prevention all the more important. And your recovery day can become a good dedicated day for some prevention steps!
Pssst! Here are some ways to prevent some common triathlon injuries!
Make it an active recovery day
Recovery days become even more important following hard intense training sessions. And sometimes it’s beneficial to not be completely sedentary on a day off. By giving your muscles a little bit of movement following a hard workout, you can help to minimize stiffness by bringing circulation to your muscles. This also helps to speed up the recovery process.
So instead of taking a complete day off, there are a few things you can do to make the most of these recovery days, so that you can in turn get the most out of your training plan!
Side note!
See about the best shoes for hiking in Hawaii and what to wear snorkeling in Hawaii! And for Hawaii vacation ideas, see the best things to do in Waikiki that will give you Hawaii vibes!
Yoga or stretching
It would be great if you are already doing a few yoga poses or stretches following every bike ride, run, or swim! (Even just 5 minutes each time is better than nothing!) A recovery day is also a great time to expand the duration or number of yoga poses or stretches you do. It will help improve your flexibility which can help to reduce your chances of getting a number of different types of injuries.
Massage or foam rolling
A rest day is a good day to make an appointment for a massage to massage out those tight muscles. Alternatively, take some time during the day to get in some foam rolling exercises to loosen up some of your muscles that have been working hard for you.
ALSO: Tips to choose the best wetsuit for your budget
Light cardio
This can be especially useful after an intense training session, or after race day, to bring circulation to the muscles to loosen them up. 15-20 minutes of a light walk can work well here. An easy-feel bike ride or run can also do your body some good.
Avoid strenuous chores
Now, you want to have an active recovery day, but you don’t want to get too active! You may be thinking that a non-training day frees up all this time to get stuff done around the house. But if can, you want to limit strenuous activities on your recovery days. This includes household chores that require a lot of energy or errands that have you running around or on your feet all day.
Active recovery for injury prevention
Use your recovery day as a time to focus on injury prevention that you otherwise may overlook during the rest of your training week! This will ultimately make you a stronger cyclist, runner, or swimmer, and it will allow you to get the most out of all the time you are putting into training for the big race!
ALSO: See how tart cherries can help speed up the recovery process!
HAPPY RECOVERY!
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🐠 Here are things you must consider packing!
- Swimsuit or swimming shirt aka rash guard
- rash guard: swim set for women and swim shirt for men
- Water shoes
- Waterproof phone case (so you can capture pictures of fishies underwater!)
- cheapo phone case OR waterproof camera
- I also have this "camera" wrist float to attach to my cheapo waterproof phone case so my phone won't sink to the bottom of the ocean in case I somehow let go of it. (Mine does stay afloat - test this for yourself before completely trusting it!)
- Swimming goggles or snorkeling mask set
- Reef-safe(r) sunscreen
- lightweight travel towel:
- walking sandals:
I also don't go snorkeling without a personal swim float buoy. Not only does it help to keep me visible, but it makes for a perfect way to rest out in deeper water! Oh, and it also serves as a dry bag so I can take stuff into the water with me.
Another way I have taken valuables into the water with me is to wear a travel money belt that I don't mind getting wet with salt water (it's not waterproof but I have several so I just use one of them) and then I put things in a ziplock freezer bag, and put that freezer bag in the money belt.
There are also designated waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
see more:
- What to wear hiking
- What to wear snorkeling
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