Get serious about recovery.

The major challenge facing many of the more competitive runners is recovery. Runners who train hard in pursuit of ambitious race goals often fail to allow their bodies to recover adequately from all of their hard work, and when you don’t recovery properly from your hard work, a lot of that work is wasted.

When we think about recovery, we usually think about post-workout nutrition, ice baths, and massages. But by far the most powerful determinant of your recovery is your training. To get adequate recovery you must first of all plan your training wisely. Instead of devising or following training plans that represent the most your body will be able to handle in the ideal scenario, create or choose a schedule that’s a little more conservative—something you’re sure you can manage with energy to spare even if everything doesn’t go perfectly. In addition, plan a recovery week every third week, where you cut your volume by 25 or 30 percent to let your body catch up.

Beyond planning your training wisely, you can further boost your recovery by listening to your body. Don’t treat your training plan as a mandate that you must follow at any price. Instead be willing to replace a scheduled hard run with an easy run, or an easy run with a day off, whenever your body feels unready for the workout you’ve planned. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.