Recovery run
Short, genuinely easy running to promote recovery rather than add training stress.
Also called: easy run, shakeout.
A recovery run has one job: increase blood flow without adding meaningful load. That means slower than easy pace, short, and on forgiving ground. The most common mistake is treating it as a chance to add volume — a recovery run that leaves you needing recovery has become a training run, and it will show up as a flat quality session two days later. If in doubt, run it slower than feels reasonable.
The session
Shown at a 4:00 marathon reference — 35 min total, about 5.0 km.
Session
- 35 min easy (6:43–7:24/km)
Why this session works
A genuinely easy run raises blood flow and keeps the rhythm of training without adding stress. If it feels slow, it’s right.
Stay at the slow end of the easy range — slower is fine.
Source: Seiler 2010. Training phase: build.
Run it at your own paces
Open the workout generator and enter a recent race time — every rep length, recovery and target pace is recalculated for your fitness, and the session exports to .fit for a Garmin watch.
Frequently asked questions
What is a recovery run?
Short, genuinely easy running to promote recovery rather than add training stress. A recovery run has one job: increase blood flow without adding meaningful load.
How long is this session?
At a 4:00 marathon reference it comes to 35 min and about 5.0 km. The generator scales both to your own paces, so a faster runner covers more ground in the same time.
Who is this workout for?
It is written for the build phase of a marathon build. The distances shown suit a 4:00 marathoner; enter your own recent race time in the generator and every rep length and target pace is recalculated for you.
More recovery runs sessions
- Recovery run with strides — An easy recovery run finished with a few short controlled accelerations.
- Shakeout run — A very short, very easy run the day before or the morning of a race.