A little delayed thanks to some crazy work days and sickness that took hold.
The race is over, all of that hard work has been put to the test, so now what?
RECOVERY!
Just as we planned and worked toward a successful way to run our race, we also planned our recovery.
Running 13 miles is not something that Justin and I do everyday (shocker, I know). When we do run double digit miles, we always take steps, before and after, to take care of our bodies and prevent injury.
Recovery is just as important as training, if not more-so. When I ran my first half-marathon, I was capable of running the distance (be it not very well). I ran my heart out but did not do much afterward. Although the race was about 6 years ago, I vividly remember how painful it was to walk only hours after I had finished. It took a long time for my muscles to get back to normal and when they finally did, I discovered a knee injury that resulted in surgery. Ugh.
Recovery is so important!
I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to approach this post as I have a few different things I want to talk about, so, it may be a bit haphazard. So brace yourself for a mix of our favorite recovery tips and some things that completely surprised me post-race.
Justin and I made it a point to really take care of ourselves the day of the race as well as the days to follow. Compared to my first half, I felt like a completely new person, this time around. I’m totally confident that this was because of the recovery steps we took. Below are our top tips.
1. Donuts!
Okay, not really a recovery tool BUT a must to celebrate the fact that we just burned too many calories to count.
2. Hot Tub
I see a lot of people jump in ice baths after doing big caliber races to quickly reduce inflammation. The day of our race was cold and the last thing I wanted to do was make myself more cold. Justin’s parents have a hot tub so when we made it back to the house, we took advantage of the soothing massaging bliss. It was wonderful.
3. Speed Hound Compression Boots
This was an investment that Justin and I had made just before our race. We had seen so many runners and athletes use air compression boots for recovery and wanted a pair. God heard our prayers because we happened to stumble upon the Speed Hound site where they were having a too good to pass up deal on their boots. We prayed about it for a few days and then took the plunge.
These boots aren’t cheap but they are 100% worth it.
Basically, these boots utilize air pressure to help stimulate blood flow (like with compression socks) which aid in recovery. Think of it as like a giant blood pressure cuff that goes from your hips to your toes. You can alter the pressure, area where the compression is applied, as well as the time.
These boots were so nice to wear and felt like a good, solid massage on my legs. We used this machine the day of the race as well as the days following.
4. Muscle rollers
Along with our compression boots, Justin and I both use a foam roller and muscle stick to work out individual muscles.
Opposite from the relaxing hot tub and compression boots, these rollers can be somewhat painful. As my dad says, if it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right (talking about working lactic acid and muscle knots out).
We use the TP therapy rollers.
The foam roller is really great for working areas like lower back and glutes. It helps to utilize your body’s weight to allow the pressure to work out sore areas.
The Contour muscle roller is a newer addition that we use more on our legs and hip areas. This roller has flexibility so it allows you to apply pressure where is needed. This is the roller that can be a bit painful when you come across a knot or stubborn area.
The foam ball came with our foam roller and is actually the best at getting deep, deep knots. We will use this on our shoulders or upper back areas and our feet.
Hurts so good!
5. Oofos
If I had a favorite thing that I own, it would be my Oofos sandals. I found these and immediately loved the name, it’s fun to say. I quickly started noticing how many people actually own these shoes and wear them post races/runs.
I needed some.
Justin bought me a pair for Christmas and I LOOOOOOVE them. These shoes literally feel like you’re walking on clouds. They are incredible and everyone needs some. On top of just feeling amazing, these shoes were incredible in the days following the race. The way these shoes are designed take the pressures off your feet and just make walking so much better. I wore my Oofos to work the day following the race and then wore normal sandals the day following that. I completely felt a difference come Wednesday. Oofos all the way!
If you ever get a chance to try some on (running shops usually have them) do it! You will fall in love, I promise.
Link to the most amazing shoes EVER!
6. Water, sleep, and food
Before the race, I did a lot of research on the best foods to eat to help sustain your body for a half-marathon. When you run these long distances, you start tapping into your glycogen stores for energy. From what I’ve understood glycogen stores deplete faster than they can be replenished, so by the time you have finished your high-intensity activity, you’re body is pretty spent.
With this, it is important to keep fueling your body after the race as you continue to burn calories well after you stop. This energy also aids in recovery of your muscles and helps your body to not burn unwanted things for energy. Usually, after a long run, Justin and I will drink a protein drink mix (or chocolate milk is good) and eat a meal with good proteins and fats (Justin like avocados, eggs, and toast). We also try to make it a point to continue drinking fluids, especially water, throughout the day and days to follow.
You know what was even more wonderful than water and food? SLEEP!
The night after our race was the best night of sleep I’ve ever had. My body completely sank into bed and immediately fell into an undisturbed, restful sleep. I knew that my body was exhausted and sleep was just too wonderful. I told Justin I would run another half tomorrow if I could sleep that good again.
7. Don’t stop moving
An extra point since donuts technically isn’t really a recovery tip…
The worst moment after our race was during our 2 hour drive back home. Sitting still for 2 hours was painful. Both Justin and I were incredibly uncomfortable and just needed to stretch. Thankfully, when we made it home, we actually had quite a bit to do. We had to unload the car, unpack, put items away, start laundry, and grocery shop.
I was tired and wanted to crash on the couch but stopping hurt, moving actually felt pretty good.
I didn’t have much expectations going into recovery but there were still some things that just completely shocked me. Thankfully, because Justin and I made an active effort to recovery well, we didn’t really have much lingering soreness or pain in the days to follow our race. We were sore, of course, but nothing that was too overwhelming.
Three of the biggest things that surprised me was
1. How truly exhausted I was.
2. How hungry I was.
3. How eager I was to get back to running.
Of course I was tired the day of the race but the two days afterward were rough. Running 
is a physically taxing sport, however, racing is a whole new ballgame. I didn’t realize just how much mental game is involved during a race. My mind was running just as hard as I was to keep myself motivated and push through the tough moments (there were lots). Exhaustion didn’t stop at the muscles. Since our race was on a Sunday, I had to go to work the following day. Because of our muscle recovery steps, I physically felt pretty good. However, it didn’t take long for me to feel the struggle that my brain was having. Performing simple tasks like answering emails or working on projects were hard. I couldn’t seem to motivate myself to do anything. As the day pressed on I began to grow fatigued and just wanted to sleep. Justin stopped by later that afternoon and was in the same boat I was. I almost wished I had just taken this day off to do nothing.
Along with my brain exhaustion, I also found myself to be hungrier than usual. I suppose this one wasn’t quite as surprising as our bodies continued to burn calories well after our race was finished. Give me all the carbs!
Aside from the exhaustion and hunger, I also found myself having to take a step back because I felt this overwhelming sense to go run fairly soon after the race. As I knew I still had some soreness, I refrained. I suppose my motivation was spurred on from coming off a racing high or from the fact that I had just run all those miles. You’d think that after finishing something so difficult, I’d be more inclined to NOT want to run. Quite the opposite, actually. I definitely didn’t want to run another 13.1 miles but I wanted to run something. I think it’s good when stuff like this happens because it shows that you truly love what you’re doing. Going through something this difficult had its discouragements but ultimately further inspired me to keep going. I don’t know if racing will be a thing we continue to push toward but I do know that we aren’t stopping running anytime soon.
I’m glad that we gave ourselves time to rest and didn’t pressure ourselves to get back to running. However, I do wish that we would have taken a few days off to allow every part of our bodies to rest. The week following the race was a stressful one at work. With my tired body and increased stress I pretty much set myself up for a failed immune system. Working at a University lends opportunities to catch something and I sure caught something. Not even a week after our race, I was hit hard with something and was out for 7 days. Apparently my body was going to rest, no matter what!
Recovery is important. It’s important as it prevents injury but it is important because it ultimately allows your body to replenish itself fully. Running half marathons, marathons, ultra-marathons, whatever, is such an accomplishment as you put your body to the test for such a long period of time. When you’re like us, not elite athletes, taking more than a day to recover is more than necessary. As time passes and we become more accustomed to running races or distances for this long, our bodies will need less and less time to recharge. Until then, we are taking things slowly…. for now.
Next race is Sunday! (no joke, Justin signed us up for 10K… we’ll see how this one goes).
Run Box Run 