How to accelerate your recovery

Have you ever finished a run but felt like your body was still ‘on'? Or completed an evening session only to lie awake in bed, feeling wired despite physical fatigue? This happens because while you've stopped running, your nervous system hasn't received the memo that it's time to recover.

Your body operates in two primary modes: sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest). Running naturally activates the sympathetic system, flooding your body with stress hormones that are beneficial during exercise but counterproductive during recovery. The trick is learning how to manually switch your system back to recovery mode.

Most amateur athletes don’t have the luxury of a gentle period after a session. You probably know the feeling of having to quickly transition from exercise to something else in life, like starting work or doing a job at home. When we do this, we remain in sympathetic mode, missing out on crucial recovery time. This is especially important if you're training on consecutive days, as there may only be several hours before your next run. These lost hours can be the difference between adaptation and overtraining.

Enter box breathing

The fastest way to shift your nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic is through controlled breathing. Below is an example of ‘box breathing’, so-called because of its four equal sides.

• Inhale through your nose for a count of 4

• Hold your breath for a count of 4

• Exhale completely through your mouth for a count of 4

• Hold the empty lungs for a count of 4

• Repeat for 4 minutes (about 10-12 cycles)

It’s that simple. The even counts in all four phases create a rhythm that naturally calms your nervous system, reduces cortisol levels, and signals to your body that it's safe to begin recovery processes.

Making it work

The best time to practice box breathing is immediately after your cool down, while your heart rate is still elevated but gradually returning to normal. I really recommend making a habit of ending your run a minute or so away from your front door, and walking the remainder of the way. This is an ideal bridge to then starting a breathing exercise. Find a comfortable position in a quiet space, ideally seated but standing can work too if that’s the only option available to you.

If you track your heart rate, you'll likely notice it dropping more rapidly during box breathing than during your normal post-run routine. This is a tangible sign that you're accelerating your recovery process.

For evening runners, an additional box breathing session before bed can help prevent that frustrating 'tired but wired' feeling that disrupts sleep.

Like any skill, the ability to shift between sympathetic and parasympathetic states improves with practice. The more you practice this technique, the faster your body learns to make the transition. Elite athletes often develop this ability naturally over years of training, but deliberate breathing practice can accelerate this adaptation significantly.

Think of box breathing as a bridge between your workout and recovery phases – not just something tacked onto the end of a run, but an integral part of your training that deserves the same focused attention as your interval splits or long run pacing.

Try this next

After your next run, before showering or eating, find a quiet spot and commit to four minutes of box breathing. Notice how you feel before and after. Most runners report a noticeable shift in their state – feeling more relaxed, clear-headed, and even hungrier (a sign that digestive processes are activating). This immediate feedback helps make the habit stick.