Recovery time

I've been neglecting both my running and my blogging lately. It's all about recovery.

I've read in a number of places that your body is pretty screwed up after a marathon and needs lots of time to receover before you start going hard in training again. Apparently even when you're feeling better, there are microtears in your muscles and strains on your joints that are still healing. Most sources say you should not too any heavy workouts or training for about a month (some say one day for every km you ran), although it depends on the individual and your background. Although this being my first foray into marathon distance, I'm sure close to the maximum would apply.

Day after race: I took the day off work, had a massage and spent very little time on my feet. My quads were sore as hell and I could barely make it down stairs.

First week: I slept in every morning, and walked to work & back for the first couple of days, just to get the legs ticking over and some blood flow. By Wednesday the soreness was pretty much all gone. I kept taking it easy and jogged slowly to work and back the rest of the week. Went for a bike ride on Saturday, but took it easy, about 65km. Sunday off.

Second week: This was last week. Started to get back into things with a morning bike ride, a morning swim and two morning yoga sessions. I did go to Pain in the Domain on Tuesday and went in group 2 to try to take it easy.

I felt great during the session, but later than day and for rest of the week my quads were sore as anything. I guess I wasn't fully recovered at all and I shouldn't have done a hard session just over a week after the marathon!

Then last Saturday I went for a 90km hilly bike ride. I was keen to get more distance under my belt (training for the 210k Bay in a Day ride in October) but my legs just ran out of puff by about 80km. I was weak as water and could barely climb at all, it was a real bonk. I had plenty of food and fluid in me, it was just that my legs gave out. Still not recovered. Took Sunday off and did nothing.

Third week: (this week) I thought one more week of recovery can't hurt. Especially with the city to surf on Sunday coming up. So have only been running to work and back (about 8km a day total) in an aerobic zone, one day on the bike, one day of yoga and one day of swimming. Will do a long easy ride on Saturday and hopefully be all set for a good race on Sunday.

It's a very weird feeling trying to recover and not really knowing what to do, feeling lazy and slow and unfit, but also conscious of not wanting to push myself too hard. Testing myself, then paying the price and having to cut back completely. Hmmm, something I need more practice with.