Nearly every time I do one of these workouts, I get to the end thinking, “I feel pretty good!” — no matter how hard I was pushing in the middle, indeed even if I felt awful in the middle. The first time I tried one of these workouts, I thought, “That Zone 1 cool-down was way too easy!” Now I understand: “way too easy” on the cool-down is the point, because it not only helps the body recover after a hard workout (something I had not really felt before) but also helps the mind recover after the hard workout. There is something hugely important about getting to the end of the hardest workout in the week and feeling really good. It makes the next really hard workout easier; for that matter, it makes the next easy workout easier too. I strongly suspect this approach contributed significantly to my being able to run many more miles much harder last year and this year than ever before.

FROM:

Chris Krycho (hello@chriskrycho.com)

[Journal] Psychological Benefits of Cool-Downs

Source

“these workouts”: hard workouts with a gradual warm-up period and a long cool-down. Possibly split into thirds, but the important part is the long cool-down.