So in the past few weeks I’ve written about race-day thoughts and pre-race prep. In light of my next fall race being tomorrow morning (hey, Baltimore Running Festival!), I thought I would look ahead to recovery. During a race, the thoughts of recovery can help to push me harder, further, faster… because I know recovery time is almost here.
I’m linking up with Courtney and the DC trifecta today for the final Friday Five. Make sure you check out their awesome blogs (Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia) as well as those who join the link up!
- Food! Post-race fuel is totally important. I usually plan a special meal for post-race night or weekend. Maybe it’s pizza, or a burrito, or tacos. Mmmm, tacos. I’m already looking forward to finding something I don’t usually indulge in for my post-race this weekend. Don’t forget to hydrate too!
- Stretching. Post-race stretching is the best. It feels good to relax and stretch out muscles that have been working hard. Just stretching out my back and legs feels so wonderful!
- Foam-rolling. It hurts so good! Releasing some of the fascia, particularly in difficult areas.
- Massage. This is one time that you can probably convince a loved one into give you a back/leg/foot massage. Or treat yo’ self to a professional. Personally, I’ve found people who work on athletes to understand your pain points better. But any professional massage within 24 hours will probably feel amazing. In the US, there are LivingSocial or Groupon deals you can take advantage of.
- Moving around. Walking up or down the stairs, walk around the neighborhood, yoga class, go for a short run later in the week. As much as it may hurt, studies show (so I’ve heard), that moving helps with active recovery. Just go easy. Low-impact, short distances, slow pace. Soon you’ll be back to running like normal 🙂
What are you planning to do to rest and recover after your next race? Enjoy your weekend! And enjoy your run ‘hon!