Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Bridesmaid Recovery & Back Into Training


Good old marathon recovery- the food, drinks, laziness.

After the marathon, one of the first things coach said to me was "I don't want you to even think about running for a week". Normally this might bother me, but this time I was grateful for the break. I knew that mentally and physically it would be really good for me, it was a long training cycle and a hard race. So, I listened. I took a full week off of running, first time that had happened since after CIM last December.

After Boston, my recovery was very different than normal. I dove right back in head first, while it worked out I wasn't willing to try that method again. I think back then, it was the best thing(mentally more than anything, hello life falling apart) and it led me to some amazing changes in my running and got me through some hard personal times.

So...Rochester Recovery this time around....

Week 1
I did a little cross training at the gym. Elliptical and ESPN for the win.

I slept, I ate, and I wore compression while doing both of those things.

I spent some time with friends, and also alone. I also wore compression while doing these things.

I'm pretty sure the best part of my recovery was letting loose the weekend after the race. It's not that I didn't drink, or that I didn't have fun while training- but my life was certainly more focused on the task at hand (training for a marathon). Sometimes you just need to forget about running and training and just embrace the other things in life. Like staying out way too late and feeling super old after the fact (how did I do these shenanigans when I was younger?)

At least we drank orange juice for some vitamins right?

So, I did my duty and shimmied my way into my Bridesmaid dress for a good friend's wedding. For that weekend, I didn't think about running. I drank, laughed (a lot), danced (even more), didn't eat properly, and didn't sleep much either. Recovery done right? Probably not, I think I needed more recovery from the bender of a weekend than I did the marathon. Worth it? Absolutely.

After the wedding was done the post-marathon blues set in a little. The dust had settled and I was like oh, wait what do I do now. I've had PMB after every one I have done in some way shape or form. Good friends, some little runs, and planning things to look forward to always helps.

Week 2
When I did run again, it was shorter and slower and completely unforced. Fall weather is my favorite for running so that makes this easier!
Week two of recovery involved some easy runs, and getting my mind and body back into the swing of things. No insane miles but felt good to be doing SOMETHING.

Now recovery is fading back into 'training' and mentally that just feels like rainbows and unicorns.

Week 3
Technically this wasn't a recovery week, but it was still building back up into training. I did my first workout since the marathon (Mini tempo run, as well as 200m intervals) which felt really good to move faster again. My legs are feeling fresh (thank you, low mileage) and ready to start working again.

I also ran a 5k race, I'll actually recap that this week. It wasn't nearly as horrendous as the 5k's I did over the summer (which I wrote craptastic recaps and subsequently never published and sent them to the blogging underworld known as 'trashed posts'). I was actually happy with how it went, and it felt oh so good to be running and feeling positive again!

So, I'm now on my 4th week out from Rochester, which leaves me with less than 55 days until Marathon #10 in Memphis. My excitement is growing more and more for this race as the days go by. The hard work over the last 6 months (and longer, but especially since Boston) is now paying off. Give me some cooler weather, more workouts and this growing positive 'tude I have and that's a fantastic recipe for some things to come.

I've also been totally geeking out on everyone else's races the last few weeks. Kona coverage, Chicago, Steamtown, so many awesome races lately. Love seeing people do well and push through, and also following along with those still in training- inspiring people around me I tell ya.

Anyone else in recovery or getting back into training as well?

Did you watch Kona or Chicago coverage?

2 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had a great marathon recovery and you're ready to dive back into training soon. I think sometimes people underestimate how much training for a race takes out of you mentally, not just physically, and it takes up a lot of time out of the day (not just the workout, but also things like foam rolling, stretching, making sure to recover/rehydrate after, planning routes, etc). Can't wait to see how your training goes for #10!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have done so well with your coach Laura and I could not be happier with how your training is going for you. You are going to do great things.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...