Q: I have been training for a marathon with a mileage chart from off the Internet, but I noticed that it doesn’t allow for much rest and recovery. Is recovery important for this type of training?

A: First of all, let me applaud you for even asking this question. Most of us spend hours, if not days, planning the best approach for training. We try to manipulate intensity, volume, speed, etc., to best match our goals and timeframe. What many of us fail to take into account is optimal recovery. In order to do this, we may need to take a step back.