Long Run Recovery for Runners with High Functioning Anxiety
Why Long Run Recovery Feels Hard When You Have High Functioning Anxiety
If you live with high functioning anxiety, you probably hold yourself to a very high standard in most areas of life. That same standard can quietly interfere with long run recovery throughout your training cycle. An easy day starts with good intentions and ends with repeatedly checking your watch, speeding up, and trying to prove you’re getting fitter. Rest days feel uncomfortable because they look like you’re doing nothing. When your mind is wired to avoid falling behind, true long run recovery can feel unsafe. For many ambitious runners, the same patterns of perfectionism that show up at work can quietly shape how they train.
Here’s what’s going on under the surface. High functioning anxiety trains the brain to scan for threats and to reduce uncertainty quickly. In running, the “threat” might be losing fitness, missing a split, or letting people down. Your mind suggests quick fixes that feel sensible in the moment, such as turning the easy run into a test, adding extra miles after a missed day, or swapping a rest day for a “gentle” workout. The short-term payoff is relief because you did something, but the long-term cost is more stress on your body and less time for real recovery. When work stress and stress from training start piling up at the same time, recovery matters even more. I wrote more about this dynamic in how work overload can quietly push runners toward overtraining.
If you find yourself compensating after missed miles, you aren’t alone. This is where what’s happening in your mind starts shaping what you ask your body to handle. Because long run recovery is where training adaptations happen, I’m featuring Custom Performance, a specialty running physical therapy clinic based in New York City, to share their expertise and specific recommendations in this area. Their team combines physical therapy specializing in treating runners and run coaching so your training plan helps you get stronger without pushing you toward injury. You get skilled eyes on gait, load management, and recovery timing, which helps calm that anxious urge to do more when more is not needed. Below, Lisbeth Hoyt, PT, DPT, CSCS, a running PT and run coach at Custom Performance, answers common taper and long run recovery questions I hear from anxious overachievers.
If anxiety is making rest days feel uncomfortable or turning easy runs into secret fitness tests, therapy can help you build a healthier relationship with training and recovery. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if support would be helpful.
The NYC Custom Performance Physical Therapists team who specialize in running
FAQs with Lisbeth Hoyt, PT, DPT, CSCS, of Custom Performance
Q1/5: What are the top taper/recovery mistakes you see, and what is the fix for each?
Lisbeth:
Swapping rest for “gentle” exercise. Yoga or Pilates can still tax tissues. On rest days, count your everyday movement. Commuting, time on your feet at work, chores, and errands all load the system.
Cross-training as “active recovery.” Biking or another sport is still training. Use life movement for recovery instead.
Taper tantrums. Trust the process and keep the taper truly easy so race legs can show up.
No days off or run streaks. Schedule true days off to prevent injury, illness, and burnout.
In addition to these specific fixes, it is critical to rest and recover through sleep and a solid inter- and intra-run nutrition and hydration plan. The aim is to help your body come down from prolonged stress states that interfere with healing and slow recovery.
Remember, consistent sleep and fueling are not luxuries. They are central to long run recovery, especially for runners juggling work stress, family demands, and anxiety.
For recovery nutrition resources, see:
For a deep dive on sleep as a recovery tool, read:
To read more on exercise’s impact on sleep, see:
Q2/5: When do you recommend Fresh Legs Recovery? What outcomes should runners expect?
Lisbeth:
Fresh Legs can be used during any point of training and is considered a safeguard against injury. For example, it may be used after hard workouts to expedite recovery during peak weeks. Pre-race, it may be used to promote fresh legs optimal for racing by removing “gunk,” reducing fluid buildup, and increasing circulation. Post-race, the Fresh Legs Recovery program may be used to expedite recovery to enhance blood flow, reduce inflammation, and alleviate soreness.
Fresh Legs Recovery involves massage, but it is not the same as a traditional relaxing massage that’s aimed to calm the mind and soothe superficial muscles. It’s a very specialized, clinical approach that’s targeted, technical, active, and dynamic, designed to improve running performance, accelerate recovery, and prevent injury.
Q3/5: What does a 7-day training week look like and when/which days would you recommend for recovery?
Lisbeth:
Each plan is fairly specific to someone's own life and extra commitments. A good example would be:
Monday: Strength/active recovery (bike or swim)
Tuesday: Speed workout
Wednesday: Easy run
Thursday: Tempo run
Friday: Strength
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Rest
Another example for a busy parent or someone with more limited time could be:
Monday: Strength/active recovery (bike or swim)
Tuesday: Speed workout
Wednesday: Easy
Thursday: Tempo run and Strength
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Rest
It definitely varies and not everyone can function on a Monday to Sunday schedule, which is something we take into account when making a training plan.
Q4/5: How do you explain to anxious high-achievers that rest improves performance?
Lisbeth:
I would frame it within the context of each person’s running goals. Specifically, I would connect these goals with why a rest day is an important part of training in terms of:
What’s happening within the body during training runs
How it recovers during time off (muscle repair, body rehydration)
How rest feeds into performance and the ability to sustain running from a physiological perspective
I would also ground performance within the context of what professional athletes typically do to optimize their performance. Even the pros build in real time off each year. Busy runners need that too because life stress counts.
Q5/5: Does Custom Performance offer structured guidance on how to proactively incorporate rest and active recovery days?
Lisbeth:
Yes. Every Custom Performance PT is also a certified run coach. In addition to providing coaching services, we tailor training plans, identify when to program in recovery with intention, and adjust based on how your body responds for existing PT patients.
What Long Run Recovery Should Actually Look Like
Runners with high functioning anxiety often approach recovery the same way they approach work or training: by trying to do it perfectly. The irony is that recovery works best when it is simple and consistent.
First, remember that recovery is part of the training plan. Long run recovery is where the body repairs muscle fibers, restores energy stores, and adapts to the stress of the workout. Without that recovery window, the fitness you worked for during the long run has less chance to develop.
Second, consider the stress outside of running. Work deadlines, poor sleep, travel, and family responsibilities all affect how well your body recovers. When life stress is high, your recovery needs may be higher, too.
Finally, watch for the urge to “make up” miles after a missed run. Most of the time, the stronger choice is simply returning to the plan. Consistency over time matters far more than any single workout.
Integrating Mental Health Care With Physical Therapy
Learning to manage anxiety and perfectionism works best alongside a clear recovery plan. Psychotherapy helps you reduce the urge to “make up” miles, step out of all-or-nothing thinking, and choose a values-guided plan. Physical Therapy helps you adjust your workload, improve your running form, and structure your long run recovery so your body actually adapts. Together, they reduce injury risk, reduce the urge to add extra miles to make up for missed runs, and make training more sustainable across a busy life.
Next Steps
Work with Custom Performance
If you want long run recovery that protects performance, book with a DPT at Custom Performance. You can also schedule Fresh Legs Recovery or ask about run coachingto build rest and active recovery into your week.
Work with Dr. Angela Chen
If high functioning anxiety is turning easy runs into secret fitness tests or making rest feel unsafe, I offer evidence-based therapy for ambitious runners and professionals. To discuss more, feel free to reach out for a free phone consultation.
