I’ve heard great things about the recovery boots by Normatec and Air Relax. Unfortunately as a school teacher I have to be very judicious with how I allocate my funds for this sport and I just don’t see shelling out money for a pair of these things. Are compression recovery tights such as the ones made by 2XU a worth while, slightly less effective alternative? What has been the experience with recovery tights in general?
The Normatec adds the dynamic element of changing pressure to actively flush blood through your legs -so no combination of lycra will add that, but I do use compression and elevation after long runs and races. Normatec’s are spendy - but RICE is proven and free.
I have some calf sleeves and some compression socks that I’ll use depending on which ones I find first, I don’t have any full-leg compression but I’m sure it would be even better. I also have a nice assortment of self-massage doo-dads I use or occasionally talk sweetie into rolling up and down my legs. I think it is hard to beat the Roll Recovery R8 ( https://rollrecovery.com/ ) which will clamp on your legs like a pitbull and gets deeper than most masseuses, plus goes exactly where you want.
For a nice long training run, I’ll prop myself on the couch with my feet elevated above my heart and compression sleeves on and an hour or so can make a nice difference. Run the rollers up & down every 10-15 minutes. Post-race if I think about it, I’ll do the same in bed with a stack of pillows for a longer time. I’ve slept in them 1-2 times, but usually I’ll peel everything off after a few hours.
Any sort of Jacuzzi / hydrotherapy is also very helpful. I would sometimes start & end a long run at the gym, and make a nice soak in the spa a reward at the end. That I could also get a cold beer from the snack bar was incidental 
I’ve heard great things about the recovery boots by Normatec and Air Relax. Unfortunately as a school teacher I have to be very judicious with how I allocate my funds for this sport and I just don’t see shelling out money for a pair of these things. Are compression recovery tights such as the ones made by 2XU a worth while, slightly less effective alternative? What has been the experience with recovery tights in general?
I was a 2XU athlete for many years. Don’t get me wrong compression socks work great but compression tights, they really don’t do anything IMHO for compression. I still like compression tights, but not for the compression ability. Socks can help keep your feet and legs from swelling but don’t do the same thing as boots.