Recover Smarter. Run Stronger.

You only benefit from the training you recover from. Workouts alone are not what make you faster and stronger, says Michael Joyner, MD, a physiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Fitness gains occur as tissue repairs itself. Without adequate rest, muscle damage from subsequent workouts builds, and eventually runners can reach a point of diminishing returns, Joyner says. Where that point lies is individual, but many athletes have run themselves into nearly career-ending periods of overtraining. Ultramarathoner Anna Frost, for example, had to take most of a year away from running, and marathon standout Ryan Hall retired at age 33 due to overtraining. To avoid a similar fate, carefully track how you’re responding to your training—you want to notice yourself getting stronger and faster over time—and stay alert for signs of overtraining, like fatigue that you can’t shake. Often in those cases, the problem stems from a lack of recovery rather than the amount of training, says Shona Halson, PhD, a professor at Australian Catholic University’s School of Behavioural and Health Sciences The quality of your recovery is everything. Here’s how to leverage all the time in between your workouts to maximize your fitness and become a better, stronger runner. —Christie Aschwanden [View in Browser]( [Runner's World Logo]( [SHOP]( [RW+ EXCLUSIVE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [Recover Smarter. Run Stronger.]( [Recover Smarter. Run Stronger.]( [Recover Smarter. Run Stronger.]( You only benefit from the training you recover from. Workouts alone are not what make you faster and stronger, says Michael Joyner, MD, a physiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Fitness gains occur as tissue repairs itself. Without adequate rest, muscle damage from subsequent workouts builds, and eventually runners can reach a point of diminishing returns, Joyner says. Where that point lies is individual, but many athletes have run themselves into nearly career-ending periods of overtraining. Ultramarathoner Anna Frost, for example, had to take most of a year away from running, and marathon standout Ryan Hall retired at age 33 due to overtraining. To avoid a similar fate, carefully track how you’re responding to your training—you want to notice yourself getting stronger and faster over time—and stay alert for signs of overtraining, like fatigue that you can’t shake. Often in those cases, the problem stems from a lack of recovery rather than the amount of training, says Shona Halson, PhD, a professor at Australian Catholic University’s School of Behavioural and Health Sciences The quality of your recovery is everything. Here’s how to leverage all the time in between your workouts to maximize your fitness and become a better, stronger runner. —Christie Aschwanden You only benefit from the training you recover from. Workouts alone are not what make you faster and stronger, says Michael Joyner, MD, a physiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Fitness gains occur as tissue repairs itself. Without adequate rest, muscle damage from subsequent workouts builds, and eventually runners can reach a point of diminishing returns, Joyner says. Where that point lies is individual, but many athletes have run themselves into nearly career-ending periods of overtraining. Ultramarathoner Anna Frost, for example, had to take most of a year away from running, and marathon standout Ryan Hall retired at age 33 due to overtraining. To avoid a similar fate, carefully track how you’re responding to your training—you want to notice yourself getting stronger and faster over time—and stay alert for signs of overtraining, like fatigue that you can’t shake. Often in those cases, the problem stems from a lack of recovery rather than the amount of training, says Shona Halson, PhD, a professor at Australian Catholic University’s School of Behavioural and Health Sciences The quality of your recovery is everything. Here’s how to leverage all the time in between your workouts to maximize your fitness and become a better, stronger runner. —Christie Aschwanden [Read More]( [Read More](   [Exactly How to Execute Your Sprint Workouts for Max Speed Gains]( [Exactly How to Execute Your Sprint Workouts for Max Speed Gains]( Whatever your goals, even if you’re training to run long, it pays to go short—and fast. [Read More](       [The Apple Watch Features We Want to See Announced]( [The Apple Watch Features We Want to See Announced]( Apple’s product announcement event is looming. And we have high hopes it means a new Watch with runner-friendly improvements. 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