Weekly Rundown- Recovery Weeks Are Hard
Sigh. I’ve turned into a walking cliche. The week before my race I was convinced my foot was injured, and this week I’ve succumbed to the post-race blues. But I managed to carry on, more or less. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! Let’s get started… Sunday I woke up the day after the race with sore quads and sore ankles. I had twisted the right one pretty badly so I knew that would be sore, but my left ankle was sore as well. I’m not sure if I twisted it and just didn’t remember, or if it was just sore from the uneven terrain. I thought about doing a recovery walk, but never got past the thinking stage. I spent my time eating and relaxing- it was a really nice day. Monday Okay, now I definitely need a recovery walk. But when I started walking I realized how sore my ankles really were. And it wasn’t just around the ankles, but all the way up the outside of both shins (the peroneal muscles.). I walked for half an hour, but couldn’t work up much speed. It was a moderate stroll! Then, when I got to work, my very first client of the day brought me these: She didn’t even know I ran a race! She was just bringing them because I’m on my feet all day and she thought they would feel good. What are the odds of THAT??? I put them on right away and wore them all day. Tuesday Another walk in the morning, and the ankles are starting to feel better. My normal routine is to go to the gym after work on Tuesdays but on this day I went to Starbucks instead. I sat outside and sipped an oatmilk latte. Life is good! Wednesday Hmmm. It feels good to have a day off and have nothing to do. Or does it? My race recaps are written (Part 1 and Part 2), I’ve unpacked all my gear and put everything away… it’s really over. Sob! Life has no meaning. As my husband says, “Whenever I’m feeling down, I know I’m a good candidate for the gym.” Yes! Off to the gym! I did my usual upper body workout- there was no need to modify anything, and it felt good. After that I had several errands, including going to the library to pick up my holds: I’m so excited! Must finish the book I’m reading so I can dive into this ASAP. Thursday A 2 mile run! It felt… meh. My ankles felt almost normal, but I was happy to stop at 2 miles. Friday I heard on a podcast that dead bugs are better for runners than sit ups. I can’t remember why, but okay! I did this Caroline Girvan Advent Series workout, Dumbbell Deadbug Abs. It was only 12 minutes, but I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to run again, or do lower body strength… I’m so confused. Saturday 3 mile run! I meant to do it before work, but I stayed up way too late Friday night reading my book (oops) so I ended up doing it after work, and it was 90 degrees. Other than that, it felt pretty good. Sunday On tap for today…. oh, I don’t know! I’m still confused- I’ll be happy to get back to a more regular schedule. I want to start focusing more on lower body strength and some speed work, but I think it might be a little too soon. Next week! Do you ever feel down after a race, or do you enjoy recovery weeks? Do you wear compression socks for recovery? – I normally have an aversion to anything tight pressing against me (you may have noticed a theme- shoes, shirts…) so I wouldn’t normally wear them. But on Monday they felt good!