After the Mangler 50k on Saturday smart recovery was at the top of my to do list. I'm still figuring out the best ways for my body to recover after a major endurance event.
Immediately after the race I like to mix a Vega recovery drink up and slam it down with a banana. I didn't have my Vega after this race and despite the tough run I had I finished feeling better than either of the two marathons I ran previously. I had energy and, aside from destroyed leg muscles, felt pretty darn good. So after the race I had a cup of chicken noodle soup and two slices of pizza, which were provided at the race. Carbs and some protein. Good recovery meal, right? I think I ate a CLIF bar on the way home too.
Before I left North Park I wrote Tara and told her I was done and coming home which means one thing...Indian meal! After each major race Tara has hooked us up with a gigantic spread of Indian food. I'm talking $50-60 worth for just the two of us. This is reason enough for me to run a race!
The next few days were spent eating and foam rolling and eating and stretching and eating and eating and ......eating. Also, at least 3 sessions of foam rolling a day. Sunday I took a short walk on the treadmill, washed laundry, and knocked out the dusting and glass cleaning. Keeping moving really seems to help for a quicker recovery.
I had scheduled Monday off of work knowing that I'd probably need it. I dropped Tara off at work (we work together) and was surprised by my friend, and coworker, Nick. He had just moved and had a spinning bike that he offered up free of charge! We loaded it in my car and I headed home for a mostly relaxing day. Throughout the day I foam rolled and watched some quality TV; Walking Dead while taking a cool epsom salt bath and a whole lot of Doctor Who. I also managed to clean the bathroom, sweep and mop floors, and finish laundry. Fairly productive rest day!
After that it was time to get going again. I had signed up for a 100 mile challenge. Run and/or walk 100 miles and the first 3 finishers would get a prize of an undisclosed nature. I began logging a lot of miles walking and started tracking my walking at work. There was a bit of light running as well with a 14 miler in the city one week after the Mangler and more than a few shorter runs.
100 miles in 10 days and a solid 3rd place finish! After this effort I will be ramping down for the remainder of the year taking a break until January 5th when 9 months of training starts for the Pine Creek Challenge 100k!
Taking a break means something different to runners than most I think. For me it is planning about 20-25 miles per week with all easy effort runs. No tempo, no speedwork, no farteks (hee hee ha ha ho ho, I said fartlek). I also got a gym membership at planet fitness so there will be plenty of crosstraining, stretching, and foam rolling. A break from challenging running.
The next post will feature an interview with Queenie Zook, one of the creators of the Doctor Who virtual race series, which included the 50 and 100 mile ultra-Whovian challenge. Until then stay warm and run happy!
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