Monday, May 14, 2012

Post marathon running.

There hasn't been a lot of it but the running I've done since the marathon last Sunday has all been good. I followed the marathon by taking Monday completely off and then ran an easy and slow 2 miler on Tuesday. No problems.

I knew that what my body needed most this week, though, was rest. So, I took Wednesday and Thursday off and ran again on Friday, basically repeating Monday's run. Yup, 2.1 whopping miles. Again, no problems.

And then --

After another rest day on Saturday, I met up with some of my fab running buddies for an 8 miler on Sunday. It was super! I felt great and was really happy to run with my friends Amanda, Tami, Karen and Melissa. We ran over hilly country roads where a donkey gave us a serious evil eye, the cows seemed indifferent to us and the horses looked at us like we were absurd to be running at 7 on a Sunday morning.

Mother's Day, no less.

But, honestly? What better way for a bunch of running mamas to start their Mother's day then with a run? No better way.

Karen, me, Melissa

Amanda and me

Today, I'm resting again and I will probably keep up an abbreviated running schedule for the rest of the week. After only running 12 miles last week, I might inch up to 20 or so this week and then I'll get back to normal. I'm happy that my body feels good.

What else have I done for recovery? For starters, I've rolled out my legs A TON, used the tennis ball on my hips and hammies to keep my ITB/hips/knee in check, and I've done a little easy stretching. I've also tried to eat well and drink a lot of water. I believe it is all working. A little easy running, a good bit of preventative rolling and healthy nutrition. That would be my marathon recovery plan.

Have to admit, it feels a little weird not gearing up for a race. But, I've got a 5K coming up on June 2nd and I'm sure I'll be gunning for a PR so I might as well enjoy these days of easy running while they last.

What do you do to enhance your post-race recovery?


Have a great week, everyone!

~ Felice

10 comments:

Unknown said...

What a great way to start Mothers' Day. Looks like a wonderful outing.

Marlene said...

Glad you're feeling so good and looking after your body for a full recovery.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

misszippy said...

Well..as someone who blew recovery following Boston (and I'm still paying for it) I would recommend seriously going short and easy for another week or two. I felt great post marathon also, but recovery can be a very deceiving thing. I regret not taking it super, super easy for two weeks--I wasn't doing speed work, but just too many miles. Treat yourself well and congrats on your marathon!

Tina @ Best Body Fitness said...

Sounds like a good plan to me. I have to admit I'm anxious to see how my body adapts after the marathon. Haha! And agreed - a run in the am is a great way to start mother's day.

PavementRunner said...

Great post... post-run recovery is key and it looks like you are taking the right steps. Roll, baby roll. LOL.

Being Robinson said...

i'm really curious about how you use the tennis ball on your hips. i use a tennis ball for my back and a foam roller for my hips/legs. but lately i've been eying the tennis ball thinking i should give it a shot on my hips and IT band, but haven't been sure exactly where to target it yet. suggestions? i'll give it a shot tonight now for sure. glad you mentioned you do it!

Felice Devine said...

I basically put the tennis ball on the floor and then sit the outside of my hip/butt on the ball. I find a spot that is tight and lean into it for about 30 seconds (or as long as I can last) and then move on to another area. It works SO WELL!

Good luck!

Unknown said...

this is so sweet, reminds me of my cute little nieces which I used to babysit.


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. said...

Hi Felice,

Enjoy your downtime and continued success in your future racing. I have an enormous respect for marathon runners, have been heavily involved in the sport for the past 20 years, appreciate what you do.

Nate
www.rundreamachieve.com

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