Recovery - what you need to know between work-outs and races

When your legs are trashed, your watch says “recovery needed,” and your group chat is already planning the next big run, what do you reach for first: more miles or more rest and nutrition?  In this month’s feature, Western States Endurance Run “Queen” and hall of fame ultra runner Meghan Canfield flips that script, shining a spotlight on the often-overlooked art and science of recovery – the real engine behind getting fitter, faster, and stronger, year after year.

"If someone asks you about your training and racing plans and execution, do you describe how many kilometers per week you run, how many vertical meters you climb, or how fast you ran in your last race?

When was the last time you included how many hours of sleep you get, how often you get a massage, how many grams of carbohydrate and protein did you ingest and when?

While the running data might sound more impressive, what we do when we’re not running is just as, if not more, important than the actual running.

I’m talking about recovery.

When we exercise, we stress our muscles further than normal, causing microtears – think of them as tiny injuries – which induces an inflammatory response.

While we tend to think of inflammation negatively, it is a necessary step for any insult to our bodies.

There are numerous types of cells that flood damaged tissues during inflammation, to clean up the detritus as well as bringing in some cells that are anti-inflammatory. I like to think of it as a natural disaster scene, with medics rushing in, swelling the population, then whisking away the injured to bring the area back to stability.

A well-supplied medic will always bring extra anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplements, such as CurraNZ Black Currant Extract in their first aid kit – this anthocyanin-rich product is a great assist to the body’s natural response, speeding up the recovery process bringing the athlete back to their starting point.

If we want to improve our performance, get fitter, faster, and stronger, we must adapt to an added stress that takes us beyond our previous capability. And because of that first injury/disaster, the contractors come in and make the area safer in case a similar disaster occurs. I.e. makes your muscles stronger and/or bigger, and your tendons, ligaments, and bones stronger.

To support this recovery process, we need to replenish our energy stores, i.e., glycogen, by eating. (CurraNZ also assists in this process too).

Think of all that work that the construction team did, but the fuel tanks are empty – the factory can’t run until they’ve been filled up. If you attempt to exercise without restoring glycogen, the more likely you are to have a subpar workout, which isn’t going to help you achieve that goal of fitter, faster, stronger. 

We also need to consume protein to aid the repair and building of more muscle.

Muscle protein synthesis is higher after exercise, which can be taken advantage of by consuming early post activity.  Regardless of the length of time you exercise, it is important to consume carbohydrates and protein within 24 hours, so you are ready to work out again when you want to.

Rehydration is also part of recovery, so before you work out again, you want to be sure you have plenty of fluids on board and available. For full rehydration, 150% of the total water mass lost must be consumed to bring the body back to normal hydration, to account for ongoing urine production.

Sodium intake also needs to account for more than was lost in sweat. Sports drinks with carbohydrates and electrolytes are good rehydrating fluids as they aid in fluid retention, while plain water is excreted more readily.

Another critical component of recovery is sleep. During sleep, our bodies produce Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which is a hormone mentioned above, and if our sleep is compromised, we produce less HGH and take longer to fully recover.

Once the inflammatory response is complete, and the endocrine, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems have returned to normal and we’ve replenished our glycogen and protein stores, we have recovered.

Consuming CurraNZ  Black Currant Extract before, during, and after exercise is an easy step to speed up this process so you can add more impressive kilometers to your training log.

References

Hunt JEA, Coelho MOC, Buxton S, Butcher R, Foran D, Rowland D, Gurton W, Macrae H, Jones L, Gapper KS, Manders RJF, King DG. Consumption of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Improves Recovery from Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Non-Resistance Trained Men and Women: A Double-Blind Randomised Trial. Nutrients. 2021 Aug 21;13(8):2875. doi: 10.3390/nu13082875. PMID: 34445035; PMCID: PMC8399782.

Nuszkiewicz, Jarosław et al. “Anthocyanin-Rich Purple Plant Foods: Bioavailability, Antioxidant Mechanisms, and Functional Roles in Redox Regulation and Exercise Recovery.” Nutrients vol. 17,15 2453. 28 Jul. 2025, doi:10.3390/nu17152453

Jones, L.A., Leung, L., Barrett, J.S. et al. New Zealand blackcurrant extract augments muscle glycogen storage at rest and enhances intramuscular triglyceride degradation during prolonged exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05995-9