Chill Out: The Importance of Cooling Down After a Run

As a runner, I’m sure you have been told countless times that it’s important to cool down. Maybe you do it, but you’re not sure what to do or why you are doing it. Maybe you skip it altogether.

I’m a firm believer that when we understand why we are doing something, it tends to stick a little better.

In this article, we’ll do a brief overview of why it’s important to cool down. Then we’ll go over different ways to cool down so you can switch up your cool-down routine if you’d like. Plus, get access to a 15-minute cool-down Yoga sequence

Why is it important to cool down after a run?

 There are many reasons to cool down after a run, here are 4 of them:

1)     To slow down your heart rate

 As you know, our heart rate goes up when we run. This is essential to pump blood to our legs to get proper oxygen and nutrients to the tissues that are working hard.

When we cool down, it gives our heart rate a chance to return to its normal rate progressively.

Although it’s good to have an elevated heart rate while running, we don’t want to keep it elevated in our normal day-to-day activities. We need to help the body bring the heart rate back down before we continue with our day.

2)     To prevent blood pooling in your legs

 When we cool down, we shouldn’t just stand still in one place or just sit down. We need to keep some sort of muscle contraction going. At the very least, just keep walking.

The reason behind this is that by keeping the muscles contracting, we help to keep the blood in our legs pumping back toward the heart. This avoids an accumulation of blood in our legs, also called “venous pooling”.

An accumulation of blood in our legs can lead to a sudden drop in blood pressure leaving you feeling faint, dizzy, and/or lightheaded. Have you ever felt this after a run?

So, the key is to keep gently activating the muscles that we have just been working on.

3)     To promote recovery

 Recovery is an important part of making progress in our running training. Cooling down helps to slowly reduce the intensity and to bring us into a state of rest.

When we run, it’s our sympathetic nervous system (flight or flight) that is active, and for good reason. However, we don’t want to be in that state constantly. So, cooling down will help the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to kick in.

When our parasympathetic system kicks in, it will be much easier for the body to eliminate waste products such as lactic acid which can accumulate in our muscles during our runs, especially intense ones.

4)     To improve our psychological health

 This is my favorite one. Cooling down just feels so good, even if you can’t explain why!

It’s time that you take for yourself to appreciate that you were able to complete a run. Even if you didn’t feel like running that day, you did it. Take time to be proud of yourself.

Cooling down is also the time you take to mentally prepare yourself before continuing your busy day. By allowing your body to cool down, you’ll enter a more relaxed state (remember the parasympathetic system?) and allow your body to begin its recovery.

 Even if you just have 5 minutes, you will still feel the benefits!

 How can I cool down after a run?

There is no one-size-fits-all for cooling down after a run. Essentially, we want to keep moving, but slowly winding down.

 Here are some ideas for cool-downs:

1)    Do a short Yoga sequence

 This is one of my favorite ones because I love Yoga for its physical and mental benefits.

However, I don’t always have time to do a full 60 or 90-minute class, especially if I’m training for a race while also keeping up with my strength training.

A good way to integrate Yoga into your running training is to include it in your cool-downs.

The best part is it doesn’t have to take long to reap the benefits. I have recorded a 15-minute cool-down Yoga sequence for runners, and you can get it by clicking here!

If you want to read more about integrating Yoga and running, read my blog article A Guide to the Best Types of Yoga for Runners.

2)    Foam rolling

 Foam rolling is another popular technique for cooling down after running. Some runners feel like they have to do this to prevent injuries. That’s not necessarily the goal.

However, foam rolling might help in reducing muscle soreness, especially after doing an intense workout.

A study by Pearcy et al (2015) showed that there was a significant decrease in tenderness in the muscles after intense physical activity when using a foam roller.

The best part? You don’t have to foam roll for very long. Foam rolling for as little as 10 to 30 seconds can be effective (Sullivan et al., 2013; Halperin et al., 2014).

I usually recommend rolling out for about 20-30 seconds and doing 3 sets for each muscle that you are targeting.

Read this blog post if you want to learn more about mobility tools: What do Mobility Tools Really Do?

3)    Slowly running and walking

 Cool-downs after running don’t have to be complicated. You can simply start your cool-down by slowing your running pace way down and transitioning into a walk.

Keep an eye on your heart rate to see when it comes back to baseline. If you’re listening to music, pick a slower song to help you relax.

Focus on your breathing during this period and try to practice being present in the moment.

4)    Stretching

 Another popular cool-down technique for runners is stretching. In this context, I’m talking about passive stretching where you would hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

We know from research that stretching doesn’t help to prevent the injury risk for long-distance runners. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t help to reduce muscle soreness that can happen after runs (Baxter et al., 2017).

However, if you find stretching feels good and helps you feel better, go for it!

Side note: just be careful if you are recovering from an injury because sometimes stretching the affected area can aggravate the symptoms. For example, stretching the hamstrings if you are suffering from a hamstring tendinopathy is not recommended.

To Summarize Cooling Down for Runners

 Cooling down provides physical and mental benefits for runners. It’s what allows us to bring our nervous system back down to baseline so our body can begin recovering from our run.

Even if you have a limited amount of time, you still have many options for cooling down. A cool-down as short as 5 minutes can make a difference and slow down your heart rate.

What is your favorite way to cool down?

Happy running,

April

References:

Baxter, C., Mc Naughton, L. R., Sparks, A., Norton, L., & Bentley, D. (2017). Impact of stretching on the performance and injury risk of long-distance runners. Research in sports medicine (Print), 25(1), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2016.1258640

Halperin, I., Aboodarda, S. J., Button, D. C., Andersen, L. L., & Behm, D. G. (2014). Roller massager improves the range of motion of plantar flexor muscles without subsequent decreases in force parameters. International journal of sports physical therapy, 9(1), 92–102.

Pearcey, G. E., Bradbury-Squires, D. J., Kawamoto, J. E., Drinkwater, E. J., Behm, D. G., & Button, D. C. (2015). Foam rolling for delayed-onset muscle soreness and recovery of dynamic performance measures. Journal of athletic training, 50(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-50.1.01

 Sullivan, K. M., Silvey, D. B., Button, D. C., & Behm, D. G. (2013). Roller-massager application to the hamstrings increases sit-and-reach range of motion within five to ten seconds without performance impairments. International journal of sports physical therapy, 8(3), 228–236.