How Alexi Pappas Built a Smarter Recovery Routine

Alexi Pappas has built a career on endurance. Since competing in the 10,000 meters in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, she’s expanded her running résumé well beyond the track: racing marathons and ultramarathons around the world while establishing herself as a writer, filmmaker, actor, and mental health advocate.For years, Pappas subscribed to a philosophy that will sound familiar to just about every runner: If some training is good, more must be better. “When I was younger, I thought toughness meant doing more,” the 36-year-old says. “Now I think toughness means advocating for yourself. My North Star words are consistency, durability, and progress. There’s a time and a place to be sharp, but most of the year, I want to be consistent.”That mindset has reshaped not only how Pappas trains, but also how she recuperates. Recovery is no longer something she fits in when she has the time—it’s built into her day. Along with prioritizing sleep, nutrition, and hydration, she incorporates Therabody recovery tools into her routine, including JetBoots, Theragun, and SmartGoggles. Each serves a distinct purpose depending on the day’s demands, the phase of her training, and whether she's at home or traveling. Together, they help put her North Star words into practice.Prioritizing RecoveryAs a collegiate runner in Eugene, Oregon, Pappas got her first taste of what a training program that centers around recovery looks like. “Everybody jumped in the ice bath, jumped on the medical tables, and did compression boots after practice,” she remembers. “We were kind of babysat in our recovery.”That routine disappeared almost overnight when she graduated and turned professional. “Once I moved to LA, there was no semblance of that at all,” she recalls, “and I was always trying to recreate what I had in college.”Taking care of her body became occasional instead of consistent—booking a random massage or finding a creek after a run and calling it an ice bath. “I wasn’t really recovering intentionally,” she admits. “It was when I could fit it in or when I was lucky enough to have access to a resource.”Over time, she accepted heavy legs and lingering fatigue as part of being a serious runner. “I got used to feeling tired for days,” Pappas says. “It didn’t occur to me that I didn’t have to feel that way.”That changed a few years ago when she realized she could bring her old recovery routines back, even without a formal training room. “For the first time since college,” she says, “I could have compression at home and take it with me when I traveled.” Therabody JetBoots are what have made those go-anywhere recuperation sessions possible.JetBoots Bring Recovery Home—And on the RoadUsing pneumatic compression to apply rhythmic pressure to the legs, both the JetBoots PRO Plus and Prime models allow Pappas to recreate one of the most valuable parts of her previous routine. After an easy run, and even sometimes before a workout, she spends a few minutes in the boots to help wake up her legs. “A few minutes are so much better than zero minutes,” she says. “It’s kind of like running. People think they shouldn’t go for a run if they only have 10 or 20 minutes. No, you should absolutely go!”Long runs, heavy lifting sessions, and peak mileage weeks, however, call for a more strategic approach. On evenings at home after hard efforts, she settles into her JetBoots PRO Plus for about 45 minutes, dialing up both the compression and vibration settings to match the demands of the day. “I think it’s good to do it after a meal, when you’re a little more hydrated,” she says.If that workout happens in the evenings, she leans on the PRO Plus features even more. “When I train hard at night, my legs just don’t want to calm down,” she explains. “That’s when I use the compression, vibration, and red light therapy to help them relax.” And when her body needs more R&R? “I watch movies in them,” she adds with a laugh.TherabodyThe JetBoots’ red light therapy helps Pappas recover after hard workouts.When she travels, Pappas packs the lighter, more portable JetBoots Prime, making post-run care as predictable on race weekends as it is at home. Having a routine she can pack in her carry-on means her recovery doesn't change just because her location does.In a sport built on stacking one good day on top of the next, that kind of consistency is what moves the needle.Theragun and SmartGoggles Complete the RoutineWhile JetBoots have become the cornerstone of Pappas’ recovery program, they’re just one piece of the picture. Depending on the day—and what her body needs—she also relies on the Therabody Theragun and SmartGoggles.Theragun often comes out pre-run. Before hitting the trail, she’ll spend a few minutes using it on her lower back, glutes, and calves to undo any stiffness from sitting in a car and prepare her body to move. Lately, she’s discovered another use: “My new favorite thing is using it right through my shoe,” she says. “It’s actually amazing!”Rather than chasing one tight muscle at a time, Pappas has learned to look at recovery as a whole-body process. “I know as an elite athlete that what’s tight isn’t necessarily what’s causing the problem,” she says. “If my hamstring is tight, I usually go to my back with the Theragun because that’s often where the issue is.”Sleep is another powerful recovery tool in her arsenal. The SmartGoggles, in addition to putting away her phone and dimming the lights leading up to bedtime, helps create the conditions for quality slumber. Using a combination of gentle heat, vibration, and compression around the eyes, the goggles help Pappas unwind after late-night workouts and settle into sleep, whether she’s at home or adjusting to a new time zone.“I thought the SmartGoggles were something I’d only use by my bedside,” she says. “But they completely changed the way I travel.” She’s found herself sleeping on planes, adjusting to new time zones more easily, and arriving feeling more rested—all a welcome shift for someone who regularly juggles racing, training, travel, and work.A Complete Rest and Recuperation PlanTherabodyTherabody JetBoots PRO Plus is one of Pappas’ go-to recovery tools.“Recovery will always, always, always be important,” Pappas says. “There are plenty of trends in running that come and go, but recovery isn’t one of them.”For her, that process begins the moment a workout ends. “Taking care of things right after I train is non-negotiable,” she insists. Along with using her JetBoots, she makes sure she has fuel and hydration after every run and sets herself up for the next day by filling water bottles and mixing electrolytes before bed. “I want to wake up feeling like these things are there for me before I need them.”To explore Alexi Pappas' full recovery protocol, download the Therabody Marathon Recovery Program, a 20-week guide to using JetBoots, Theragun, and SmartGoggles for healthier race days and faster times:Download the Therabody Marathon Recovery ProgramMore than anything, Pappas has learned that taking care of her body is an act of intention. Instead of waiting until something hurts, she focuses on the daily habits that help prevent problems before they start. “If something is talking to you,” she says, “it’s already yelling at you.”By making Therabody tools part of her routine, Pappas has found she’s able to stay more consistent and absorb harder training blocks. “You don’t actually get fitter during the workout,” she says. “You get fitter when you recover from the workout.”That’s the difference between simply logging miles and building a career that can go the distance.Explore the Therabody running collection and use code RUNNERSWORLD15 for 15% off your order.Therabody Recovery Tools for RunnersUse code RUNNERSWORLD15 for 15% off JetBoots Prime and JetBoots PRO Plus 7/30-8/6JetBoots PRO PlusTheragun Mini PlusSmartGogglesJetBoots Prime