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Now What?

Months of training, thought, and preparation. Then in just over 7 hours it’s all over.

DG4

Now What?

Recovery, of course.

Many people and training plans thing that it all ends with the race, but it doesn’t. There is more to recovery than sitting back and eating some bon bons. Not that I had those, but I did treat myself to a chocolate fudge waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

waffles

Although, I don’t really think that had anything to do with recovery and was just a yummy celebratory treat. Although, I can totally justify it as recovery:) That being said, recovery is an important part of training.

Depending upon what app I look at my calorie burn during the ultra was over 4,000. How many calories I burned the day really is not exact. Some sources put it as high as 6,000 and others as low as 3,000. All I know is that I burned a lot even with the eating of the peanut M&M and the guzzling of the soda at the aid stations. (soda is the best on a run like this!) The funny thing though is that often after even a normal long run, I’m not hungry. This is one of the reasons that I usually use a recover drink instead. On the road, my choice is always a large Caramel Latte iced with whole milk. I try to add a protein bar, banana or something else too.

Once I was done, running. I did do some stretches but really not much. I did what I could as I needed to get on the road. One thing that I totally understand but on the day of the race I thought added insult to injury is that once finished, I needed to make the LONG walk to my car carrying my bucket of supplies. I’m guessing it added at least another mile. I viewed this as an active cool down.

shower

Once I made it to my car, it was time to shower. You know your a runner if using shower wipes and putting fresh deodorant on next to your car counts. Hey, I had to do something because even I didn’t want to be in the car with me until I wiped some of the stench off. I will say the best feeling was taking off my sneakers and socks and putting on some flip flops. Then off to find a Dunkin Donuts.

Sitting in a car for over an hour really isn’t the best way to start recovery off, but until a magic carpet is invented that I can stretch out on this will have to do. Besides, I came home to an empty house as my hubby had taken the boys out to dinner per my request. I was able to soak in a hot bath and by the time I got out and big beautiful chicken taco salad was waiting for me.

Day one recovery is easy because you really are too sore to do much. Day two, you feel a little better and think maybe. I wisely took day two to get a massage. The problem with recovery is that by day three you feel good and by day four you think I’m good as new. But I’ve been burned by this feeling more than once. I’m feeling good because I’m taking it easy. Very easy. I did meet a friend yesterday who is doing the Couch to 5K program. I needed a walk and this was a great way to test the waters. Felt good, but I was glad when it was time to walk again. Tomorrow will be day five of recovery and I am set to go for a nice EASY 3 miles run. My coach is the one who capitalized easy.

I will say that my family is eating very well during my recovery. Since I’m not running for hours at a time, this does allow for other things and I’m not up for the bags of mulch yet:)

Bottom line is

We train hard.

We Run Hard.

We must respect that and allow ourselves time to recover.

To all things there is a season…

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What do you do during recovery when your not running?

I Didn’t Ask for any Lemons!

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Yeah, we have all heard the “If Life Gives You Lemons” analogy. You know what? I find that a pretty sucky analogy because sometimes you don’t want lemonade. Sometimes you want a Margarita! That being said though I tend to be a pretty positive person because I learned early on you’ve just got to suck it up no matter what. So if you’ve got to suck on a lemon because that is all you got, you better learn to like lemons.

Now just because I tend to be a positive person does not mean that things don’t get to me. I am not a cartoon character after all. So 7 days ago when i rolled my ankle, I was mad at myself. Then when I realized that this was more than just a give it a few days rest kind of roll, I had a what the Hell moment. I went through the stages (quickly) because as I’ve said I’ve learned long ago that you just have to roll with it.

Denial

Maybe it’s not that bad

Anger

Why did I go out for a run at night? Idiot.

Bargaining

I’ll rest it a couple more days and I’ll be good as new

Depression

I’m loosing everything I’ve worked so hard to build up. Why bother?

Acceptance

Well I better do something to give my ankle/foot time to be 100%

foot2

Still not 100%. Bruising is getting better. No pain to walk, but do feel it at the end of the day. Also not good to run as when I stretch it to mimic a run it hurts. Boo Hoo.

I know that I rolled my ankle pretty bad. I know I totally jacked up my foot. Not enough to go to the doctors because he is just going to tell me what I already know. I need to rest it. I need to give it time. I need to do this now, so that I can go about my life.

I will say that nothing compares to running, but I am going to embrace this SHORT recovery time while not letting my endurance slip. It won’t be the same. It won’t be as good, but maybe just maybe when I do start running again I will find that what I’m doing will benefit my running.

Sounds like good enough BS that I can buy it. Although there is some truth to it and cross training really is good for runners.

So today I went to my local gym. I rode the stationary bike for 15 minutes for a total of 3. 37 miles burning a whole 120 calories. Whoop. Whoop. (inserting sarcasm here). Then I did some strength training for my abs, back, and arms. I do need to do this as they say “a woman my age” should be strength training. I’m sure I will feel it tomorrow which will make me not so secretly happy.

I’m going to plan some things out this week. Swimming, more strength training, longer stationary bike rides and a combo of all of them.

I may not get any lemonade or Margarita’s but maybe I can learn to like the lemons on their own.

PS – I miss running

Hitting the Ground with Both Feet Running….NOT!

So after recovery from my NYC Half, the plan was to hit the ground with both feet running. Get right back to 50K training. Recover went well and I was just about to get into the swing of things. I knew what needed to be done and planned on doing it. To the point that I knew that I wouldn’t be able to run my cut-down on Easter Sunday, so I wisely thought I would do it Saturday night.

I put all my blink on and was ready to go. If only walking wasn’t so hard. Before I even got to the end of my street, I twisted my ankle.. I twisted it good. I thought this was one of those where you land wrong and just need to work it out. So I went with it. First mile I could still feel it. Thought well maybe I just need to work it out a little more. Second mile I was pushing the pace for my cut-down. I was on target. Then I picked it up slightly after the second mile and before I got to mile 3, I was swearing up a storm. My ankle/foot was killing me. This is when I realized that I should have turned around and gone back inside before my run even started. It hurt so bad, I entertained the thought of calling my hubby to come pick me up. I didn’t want to get the look though. You know the look like “well why are you running in the dark anyway?” So I decided it wasn’t too bad and I slowed the pace down and worked my way home.

By the time I got home and showered, my ankle/foot was swollen. A friend who saw my picture said it looked angry. It certainly was behaving that way. I had only hoped that running 5 miles on it didn’t make it worse. And knowing how good veggies are for the body, I thought it prudent to put some on my foot before bed.

foot

Easter Morning comes and although less angry, it hurts more to walk on it. Luckily I have an ace bandage that I put on it and plan on taking it as easy as possible. Rest. Ice. Heat. I was also very thankful that I wasn’t hosting Easter dinner. At my Mom’s I was questioned more than once about my running and my ankle. It was pointed out that if I had a problem walking maybe I shouldn’t be running. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Anyway I am nearing the end of day two. The ankle is still tender, but when I woke up this morning it felt so much better. I was able to walk normally. I still put the bandage on and rested it as much as I could which wasn’t a lot. By the end of the day, I was ready to put my feet up as it was painful. I tried jogging a few feet in my living room to test it out. That was an emphatic NO GO.

So more rest. Per my coach I am going to try to get some swimming in but no pushing off the walls and just dragging my feet. More for the aerobic factor of it. Maybe a little mental too.

All I know is this is NOT how I envisioned hitting the ground with both feet for my 50K training. Although I know that I’ve already been in training doing several looong runs. Today was supposed to be my second 18 miler which obviously didn’t happen. I just know though that I need to go slow because the last thing I want to do is make it worse especially as I get further into my training.

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I’m thinking by the end of the week, I will be ok to run. One day at a time. I just don’t like this at all. Not one bit.

Friday Five

It’s been a while since I jumped in on the Friday Five with Eat, Pray, Run DC, You Signed Up For What, and Mar on The Run, so I thought it was about time. Today’s Friday Five….

My 5 Favorite Post Run Recovery Drinks

Now I will say what grab will depend on where I’m running, how far, and what type of pace that I was running. Sometimes it also depends what I’m in the mood for too.

Caramel Latte

Yup! Hey milk is good for you after a run and a latte has a decent amount of milk. I will also say that I am lucky enough to live within less than a half mile from a Dunkin Donuts. When all possible,which is frequent, I will try to end my run there. The slogan should be Christine Runs on Dunkin. By now I no longer get a look when I walk in right after ending a run. Not sure about you, but I don’t necessarily look my best after a run. Anyway they know by now that it is a Iced Caramel Latte with whole milk and a banana from the counter.

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Ooops, I drank it before I got a picture of it!

One time during marathon training, I stopped and got a small one towards the end of a long run. Problem was I still had 5 miles to go. My coach couldn’t believe that I drank a latte and then went back running.

Smoothie

I love a good smoothie! I change it up depending upon what I have in the house. I usually put whole milk, dab of OJ, strawberries, banana, and some whey protein powder. So good and refreshing.

Chocolate Milk

Sometimes a big glass of chocolate milk really hits the spot. You can’t go wrong here. I realized how refreshing this was after the Sandy Hook Sprint Tri when this was the drink given to you after crossing the finish line. Though I would hate it, but it was perfect and hit the spot.

Water

Then there are days where all you want is a big tall glass of ice cold water. This is especially true in the summer when you feel like you are melting. I will use it to wash down a protein bar or some other form of protein.

Hot Chocolate

Right now I feel like I am living in the frozen tundra and I really am looking for something more than just recovery. I’m looking to warm up as well. On these days, nothing is more refreshing than a warm cup of hot cocoa.

Hot Chocolate

I’m thinking I will need this tomorrow.

So what do you drink for recovery?

Dawn of a New Era

This is a strange time for me. It’s something that I knew was coming, but I was in in too deep to think about it. What is this big thing that I’ve got to learn to deal with now???

It is going to sound strange to many, but resonate with many too.

I’ve got to learn to readjust to having…..

nothing to train for.

I know, the horrors!

I’ve got nothing on the books for the next few months. Part of me is happy to be able to relax a little, but a bigger part of me is like go register for some races!

What to do?

What to do?

This is a new one for me.

For now though, I really am going to enjoy the recovery time which is going surprisingly well. Went for my second run today since the marathon. Felt like a normal run which I think is amazing. I don’t think I ran for 3 weeks after Philly.

I do think that I am going to go back and review my goals for this year. I did not reach them all and I honestly don’t think that I will have time this year.

So I will step back.

Refocus

and

Just Keep moving forward

because that’s all you can do in life.

What are your plans?

Friday Five – 5 Ways to Recover

Friday Five Link-up with

Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What?

For today’s theme,

5 Ways to recover from your Marathon

Running a marathon is tough.

Obviously.

We spend literally months preparing for something that we hope we can finish in just a few hours with the fewer being the better. Then the race is over and we are left wondering what to do now. Well before we can decide on that, we need to recover from said marathon. This really is an area most of us need to work on some. So here is what I did this time and I think it’s been working out pretty goo.

Make sure to stretch afterwards. Yes, we all want our metal and the festivities that go with it; but take some time to stretch too. I, honestly, don’t stretch enough but do it throughout the festivities. For example when I was waiting in line to purchase my Brooks finisher t-shirt, I stretched my calves.
Go for a nice leisure walk the next day. Take the dog. Take a friend. Walk for coffee, but just keep moving. I know that you think you just want to sit, but I believe it’s better to move.
Rest! Yes, I know that I said to move, but you move some and then you rest some. And I mean really rest. You just put your body through a lot, so give it a break. It needs time to recover, so take it easy. Get extra sleep. Curl up on the couch with that magazine you never had time to read during all your training.
Get a massage and a good one! I got the best and I do mean the best Sports massage which also included gentle stretching. I’ve honestly never had one that incorporated the stretching into it, but I liked it. I really, really liked it even if she had to tell me to relax in the beginning. I really credit this with taking away so much of what was knotted up.
After a few days, go for a slow JOG. I don’t mean run. I mean jog! No watch. No pace. Just move a little for a few miles. Go with friends if possible and just enjoy the company. If possible end said run with Dunkin Donuts coffee too!

What do you do to recover?

You Do What You Have to Do

Running doesn’t come easy to me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again as it’s the truth. I, honestly, don’t know anyone that it comes easy to. Yes, there are those athletes who are blessed with natural ability; but they still need to work for it. Yesterday, I ran the Oakley Mini 10K which I will recap tomorrow. Today is about Recovery.

As I just said, running doesn’t come easy to me but for some crazy reason I really have developed a passion for it. I could not imagine not running anymore. It brings calmness to my life while at the same time giving me killer leg muscles. Win. Win. There is just something about putting on my running shoes and getting out the door that just makes things better. So I take the good with the bad as the good out weighs the bad by a long shot.

Today I am recovering from yesterday’s hard run. It’s not that I was running a crazy distance. It was only a 10K and my training runs of late have been longer by miles. The difference was that yesterday, I was pushing it. Not as much as I would have liked, but there is a difference in running a training run and running a race.

Recovery began once the race was over with some stretches although I find that I do not stretch as much as I should after a race. Then once home a nice shower with some foot scrub to ease the pains. Followed by my water bottle massage and foam roller. For some that is enough but due to my Plantar Fasciitis, I need to do a little more. I tried to sleep in my foot splint to stretch out my foot, but half way through the night I had to take it off. Then there was the morning stretching, ball rolling, and anti-inflammation cream. This will be followed by more stretching, ball rolling, and foam rolling through out the day. To be honest my foot is not as bad as it has been and I truly believe part of that is due to my new regime of taping my foot before each run. So today I will do all these things, so that tomorrow I can go out for a nice long, slow training run.

It may seem like a lot. It may seem stupid to some as I could really avoid this all if I stopped running. To me though, this is the price that I pay for the ability to put on a pair of good running shoes and the joy that it brings me.

What do you do to keep running?

Waiting is the Hardest Part

Tom Petty said it best.

Waiting is the Hardest Part.

Patience has never been my strong suit. Never. Even as a child. I was the kid who would find her Christmas presents. Then carefully open them. Peak inside and then even more carefully wrap them back up again. My Mother didn’t know until I was an adult that I did such things. What could she expect though when she just kept them in a corner of her room? But as often, I digress.

I am trying to become a more patient person. Having Children does help a little. Although, admittedly, they try it more than I would like. As an adult though, you can no longer open things before they are ready. There are times when there is no choice but to be patient. Gardening is teaching me that. It’s hard, but I’m learning that I need to have vision. I planted what hopefully will be a beautiful flowering and full perennial garden.

Patience.

But I want it now.

I must develop the

Vision to see what is not there.

Yet.

Just because I planted in on Monday does not mean that it will be flowering by Tuesday.

I want it to, but that just isn’t the way life works.

Patience.

Life will teach it to you whether you want it to or not. There really is no other choice. Everything happens in it’s own time and as much as we want we can’t make some things happen any faster.

Patience.

My Plantar Fascitiis will teach me patience weather I want it to or not. I would like to think that the Cortisone shot would make it all better and believe me it did make it better. That being said it really is only a bandage. Yes, I have been able to get out of bed the last two mornings without pain (yeah!). Yes, I have been able to stand up without a shooting pain in my heel (yeah!). But it’s not really over, I was reminded of that by mid afternoon when I felt some discomfort in my heel.

Patience.

I must remember that just as it took a while for the pain to become part of my day, it is going to take some time for it to no longer be a part of it.

Patience.

Just like planting flowers requires consistent watering and weeding to grow, recovery will require consistent stretching and mindfulness of it.

Patience.

I will learn it.

I will master it.

I won’t like it, but what choice do I have.

As they say, the best things in life are worth waiting for.

Are you a patient person?

Patience.

The dirty little word Recovery

Continue reading →

These Boots Were made for Walking

Never having done a marathon before, I really did not know what to expect regarding how I would feel. Yes, I’ve read about post marathon recovery and saw the video of the walking dead after the NYC Marathon. But I still didn’t know how I would feel and I don’t think it’s something that you can fully explain to someone either.

I do know that by the end of the marathon, I was spent. To the point that while running the last mile, my sister ran onto the course and gave me a rose. I took it, but then gave it back to her telling her that I didn’t even have it in me to hold the rose. I really wasn’t lying either because at that point my sole focus was just to keep my legs moving which is harder than it sounds. The rose just felt too heavy, so I gave it back. I did take it to carry over the finish line (I think).

Of course, my legs just felt beyond tired at the end. Although in retrospect, I actually think that they hurt worse when Dawn and I did our 20 mile training run. They felt heavy and tired, but it really wasn’t till I stopped putting one foot in front of the other that the realization came that although I could move forward moving up and down stairs was not easy. I get it now. After all those miles of making your legs move forward, they forget that the muscles need to move other ways too. Luckily that is short term and honestly so worth the pain.

The process of training and running a marathon really is similar to childbirth in the fact that you prepare for the event for months. You go into it very excited and nervous. You don’t know fully what to expect (even if you’ve done it before). The pain starts off small and builds over the miles. By the end, you are just exhausted and want it over. Then when your cross the finish line, you realize it was all worth it and would probably do it again. You don’t forget the pain, but realize in the end it was worth it.

I was lucky too in that when it was all said and done, I limped away with only one blister, sore heels, one sore ankle, and of course legs of jello. Upon arriving home in the evening, I took care of the blister and soaked in an Epsom salt bath which felt amazing. Then off to bed where I don’t think I moved all night.

Then in the morning when I hobbled out of bed and rolled out my legs, I put these shoes on.

Monday

Tuesday

Now these might seem like odd post marathon shoes, but they worked for me. They took the pressure off my heel and supported my sore ankle. I wore them all day too! Maybe this isn’t for everyone, but this seems to work for me as I did something similar after long training runs. I actually did read something about wearing heels and that is why I first tried it. I like it. I really do.

What are your post marathon shoes?