The Benefits of Active Recovery in your Marathon Training Programme

Active Recovery was never a term in my vocabulary until this marathon training programme. Previous programmes saw me train hard for 4-5 days and rest totally on the other 2-3 but as I have now discovered on this programme, those rest days were a big mistake and spending those days decreasing intensity and letting the body actively recover has been way more beneficial and also a handy way to get those few extra miles on the legs!
Firstly, under my old regime, training at high intensity every day was pointless as on my "days off" I was fit for nothing only rest, therefore intensity dropped and every week saw me having to raise intensity levels again once the week started. This resulted in both physical and mental strain and by the time marathon day came around I just couldn't wait to get it "out of the way" as opposed to being primed and ready to go.
This programme sees me train 6-7 days with 2-3 of those days being 3-4 miles at marathon pace just to let the body recover after a strenuous high tempo or long run. I have also incorporated a few easy miles on the bike just to keep the legs moving after the high intensity work of the day before.
This enables me to get a few extra miles in but not feel under pressure to do so as it is a short easy run. It also ensures that my intensity doesn't drop and I don't have to raise my game at the start of every week which can be mentally and physically exhausting.
Even though I am now training more calendar days, the varying intensity enables the body to recover and ensures that I am ready for the next weeks training and the long road ahead.