Does Cooling Down From Running Really Matter?

It is well-established that warming up before a run is beneficial, but what about cooling down after a run? Does a cooldown from running actually matter and, if so, how can you most effectively cool down?

There are two types of cooldowns: active and passive. Active cooldowns include slow running, walking, or low-intensity cross-training such as pool running. Passive cooldowns include ice baths, sitting, lying down, sauna, and leg compression. This article will focus on whether active cooldowns are beneficial for runners, or if you can skip those easy miles after your track workout. 

What are the Benefits of Cooling Down after a Run?

The primary immediate physiological benefit of a cooldown after a run occurs in the nervous system. 

When you do a long run or hard workout, your sympathetic nervous system is highly active. This is your “fight-or-flight” nervous system that activates more when you start running. The sympathetic nervous signals your body to prime for activity: it increases your heart rate, dilates blood vessels for oxygen delivery, reduces blood flow to the GI tract, and raises blood glucose by breaking down glycogen. 

Once you finish your intervals or tempo run, you want to signal to your brain that the transition from work to recovery can begin. An active cooldown of slow running activates your parasympathetic nervous system. 

The parasympathetic nervous system is your “digest and rest” system. While your sympathetic nervous system reduces gut motility, your parasympathetic nervous system prepares your body to digest and receive nutrients, which aids in post-run recovery. Many runners report poor appetite after intense workouts; a cooldown jog can help you feel ready to eat again. 

Cooldowns May Improve Your Running Pace

Completing a couple cooldown miles after a workout may help improve your speed, according to a 2018 review in Sports Medicine. The researchers reported that an active aerobic cooldown improved lactate threshold in athletes. Lactate threshold is one of the key determinants of running performance, whether you are racing a 5K or marathon. 

 A typical cooldown after an interval or threshold run includes one or two miles of easy running.  While a couple of extra miles may not seem like much, this volume adds up over the course of a training cycle. Total volume of running is another important variable for improving speed and endurance. 

Additionally, a cooldown run may improve fatigue resistance. Fatigue resistance is your ability to hold onto race pace in the later stages of a race. When you log a couple of miles after an interval run, you practice running on tired legs. Sometimes, cooldowns may extend up to three miles in marathon or ultra-marathon training. 

Cooldowns Allow for Post-Workout Reflection

A cooldown allows you to mentally decompress after a hard workout. Hard running triggers a lot of emotions, including frustration, elation, or weariness. A cool down helps return you to homeostasis, including emotionally. 

Additionally, a post-workout cooldown gives insight into your body’s immediate response to the stimulus. How you feel on a cooldown can let you know if your workout was too hard – or too easy. 

You should not routinely struggle to complete your cooldown miles. If that is the case, the workout may have been too hard, or you may have ran too fast for the purpose of a workout. Cooldowns won’t feel as easy as the warm-up, but finishing it should not be a struggle.

Conversely, you should not feel so fresh that you push a hard pace on the cooldown. If you notice this often, your workouts may be too easy for your fitness level. You may require progressions in future workouts.

Related: Why You Should Journal Your Running

Do Cooldowns Prevent Muscle Soreness?

Previously, runners believed they had to flush out “lactic acid,” lest they develop delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This notion is outdated. Now, we understand lactate better. Lactate is not responsible for DOMS, nor are the acidic hydrogen ions that accompany it. These ions do causing the burning fatigue feeling in intense running, but that’s a separate mechanism from what causes DOMS. 

Blood lactate levels will return to baseline within 30-60 minutes after a run, whether or not you complete a cooldown. Easy running after intervals will help lactate clear sooner.  

DOMS occurs when mechanical tension leads to microtears in the muscles. A hard run workout or long run can cause this breakdown. While a cooldown does send nutrient-rich blood to your muscles, no research demonstrates a significant impact of cooldowns on preventing DOMS. 

That’s not to say that cool down jogs are useless. However, do not expect from them what they cannot provide. Eating enough, sleeping enough, rest days, and a properly managed training load are the most important factors in managing muscle soreness.

Related: Should You Take Advil Before Running?

How to Cool Down after a Run Workout

A cool down jog can last anywhere from five to thirty minutes. Low-mileage or novice runners are best off sticking with shorter jogs. Higher-mileage runners will likely complete a longer duration to accumulate the necessary mileage. 

No matter your level of experience, the cool-down miles should be done at a very light effort. Do not try to hit a pace. You simply want to run at a light effort with minimal strain, which may be barely faster than a shuffle. Even a moderate intensity will add undesired fatigue and prolong your recovery (and likely hinder adaptation). 

You do want to listen to your body’s signals. The purpose of a cool down is not to accumulate junk miles; in this context, junk miles would be miles with poor form. If your plan calls for a two-mile cool down but you are shuffling and struggling, call it a day after a couple of minutes and then simply walk. A cool down should not add physical or mental stress. 

Do You Need to Cool Down After an Easy Run?

Generally speaking, you do not need a cooldown after easy running. You can walk for a few minutes if it feels good. Since easy runs are done at a lower intensity, your nervous system has a smoother transition from work to rest.

However, there is an exception for doing two workouts consecutively. If you quickly go from one activity to another, such as a strength session immediately after a run, you may want to cool down in between. An active cool down can promote performance in a second workout session if the time between workouts is less than 20 minutes. For example, if you lift right after a run, a short cool down walk may be beneficial.  

How to Cool Down After a Race

The post-race recovery process is different from that of a hard workout. Workouts are gentle pushes; races are maximum efforts. 

Unless you are doing a race as part of a bigger long run, you do not need to keep running afterward to cool down. Instead, walk around gently for a few minutes to help blood flow return to normal. Sitting down too quickly after an all-out effort could make you feel dizzy, due to changes in venous return and blood pressure. Focus on getting fluids and food in your system and regulating your core temperature.

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