Now that marathon training is in full swing here, I’m taking my running more seriously. The Garmin is back out and charged. So is the fuel belt. I’ve restocked my GU stash. Since I am no spring chicken, one of the things I focus on most, is recovery. It takes longer and longer for the ‘ole bod to spring back, ready for the next workout. So what’s an “old girl” to do? Here are some of my favorites:
1. Refuel ASAP. My coach recommends I take in a mix of protein/carbs within the first 10 minutes post workout. Other sources say within 30 minutes is still ok. Truth be told, this is the one I suck the most at. I’m just not very quick about replenishing the glycogen stores in that important 30-minute window.
2. Foam Roll, Ice Bath, Stretch. Foam roll after every workout. The firmer the roller the better, IMO. That Rumble Roller in the pic above still puts the hurt on my ITB. Here’s a good foam rolling routine. After runs of 13 miles or longer, I find 15 minutes in an ice bath soothes tired muscles and speeds recovery. Some ice bath guidelines are here. Personally I do a quick dynamic stretching routine before I head out the door and some gentle, static stretching after. Pigeon and double pigeon are my all-time post-run favorites.
3. Eat Anti-inflammatory Foods. Tough workouts break down muscle tissue. Inflammation is your body’s way of rushing over and repairing the damage, which is a good thing, to an extent. But chronic inflammation = aches and pains, increased risk of disease and stroke. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet (think fruits, veggies, lots of Omega-3 fatty acids) helps keep inflammation in check so you feel better, fresher, sooner. Throw some fresh pineapple and tart cherry juice in your post-workout smoothie. This unlikely combo of Roasted sweet potato and pineapple is another one of my faves.
4. Supplements. Maybe you can get all the nutrients you need from the food you take in, but being honest with myself, I do not. I’ve discovered that for me, supplementing with the following helps speed recovery so I’m fresher, less achy and tired, and ready for my next hard workout sooner. I swear by these three:
- BCAAs: I started using Branch Chain Amino Acids (the blue drink in the pic) to enhance my strength when I was doing the bench challenge. I felt such a difference, (stronger, more endurance) I’m continuing to use it through marathon training.
- Glutamine: This strengthens the immune system to better withstand the stress of long distance running as well as helps you better absorb nutrients immediately after a workout.
- Enzymes: Basically these help break down foods into the basics: protein, carbs and fat so your body can utilize the nutrients. But, if taken on an empty stomach post exercise, according to my Sports Chiro (Dr. Miracle) they help reduce muscle inflammation and break up scar tissue. I feel much less soreness when I take these immediately following a long run or hard workout. I’ve found enzymes especially beneficial when rehabbing an injury.
5. Get ample rest. We all know sleep is crucial but do we get enough? In summer especially, with the longer daylight and no school. I tend to stay up later and later. Yet I expect to rise and run earlier to avoid the heat. Typically I am a great sleeper. I go down like a rock. But when I do a really intense workout, say 800m repeats, I find myself waking in the middle of the night, wound up and unable to get back to sleep. No thanks to peri-menopause, I also find the dreaded night sweats are starting to happen. I told you about my magic pillow, actually I’ve got more in my arsenal than that, thanks to the folks at Rem-Fit. Full review on that coming soon.
Do you take recovery seriously? What works especially well for you?
At my age, recovery is crucial, yet more often than not, I don’t actually do it correctly. One of these days…
Great post! I definitely need to work on the rest part.
Focusing on recovery is one big thing I promised myself I’d do this training cycle. I’m terrible about refueling right after a run. Interesting info on the enzymes!
I’m with you on getting carbs after the race, even though races (especially the big ones) seem to think that we need low cal beer and food post-race. We need more carbs people, not less! 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I’m currently half marathon training and while I have never done an ice bath, it does sound appealing after a long run 🙂 I also use turmeric to fight inflammation which I have found is surprisingly effective! I haven’t used any supplements but have thought about the Vega recovery that they sell- just would rather stick to whole foods!
During this training cycle I’ve been eating soon after a hard workout, foam rolling and wearing compression. I’m recovering a lot quicker than I have in the past so something is working right! I need to look into taking supplements.
Good recovery is one of those things I forget until I’m so sore and stiff the next day that I can barely walk. Hindsight. I definitely need to get one of those foam rollers. Great advice!
I like to use a heat pack after my long runs. The heat helps relax my muscles before I attack them with the foam roller or a tennis ball.
These are great tips. I am very faithful about foam rolling and it has worked wonders for me. I do it after every single run! I am lacking in the sleep area. I tend to sleep about 5-6 hours a night and I really need to get more rest.
Great tips. I’m horrible at all of them but am really working on getting more sleep.
Even for non racers – good advice! 🙂
i’m pretty good about recovery but could always use more sleep. I am still searching for a great recovery drink.
This summer getting enough sleep has been challenging for me–because of my roaming teenagers. I like all the things you suggested–I also learned this week that I like the bike for recovery after a long run! It really was a great way to shake out the legs.
I pretty much suck at all 5 of those things – I occasionally foam roll but otherwise I rarely do any of those things.
I find I need massage to give my muscles a reset. I get one professional massage a month and my husband and I also know and do massage. A hot bath with epsom salts is also something that we also use frequently. And simple stuff– staying hydrated during exercise, taking a rest day w/o fail at least once a week and two days off when problems start to creep up. Sorry about your night sweats! Keeping the bedroom cool is a must I find, and in these summer nights it also helps me to shade the windows completely so I don’t wake up at dawn– 5:30 at this northern latitude.
I’ve had similar sleep problems. My room is often cool, but it doesn’t seem to matter. I get a lot of reading done around 2 in the morning!
I got a foam roller (finally) but have not made it a habit yet. Working on it. I like to do Yoga after a run. I really have to have things for my hips because they ache a lot.
I’ve heard so many great things about BCAAs but I don’t really supplement. I take my heart seriously and since I’m on BP meds I don’t want to mess with anything. One day I should just take a list to the doc and say this is what I’m interested in, what’s okay, what’s not.
My calves are always cranky after speed workouts. Hips, too. I love pigeon pose as a post-run stretch and am in a serious relationship with my foam roller. Interesting about anti-inflammatory foods – I will have to keep that in mind!