Recovery is preparation wearing comfortable clothes.

What looks like doing nothing is what makes the next stretch possible. Rest is where capacity is rebuilt, and it is preparation in exactly the same way that training or planning is, though it produces nothing to show and receives no credit. The relaxed appearance is what makes it easy to dismiss.

Before a demanding period, deliberately rest first rather than stockpiling work. Arriving at something hard already depleted is the most common and least examined mistake.