Monday 21 February 2011

The morning after

Doesn't seem too bad so far.

A bit of clicking on the point of the left hip, calves fairly sore, slight soreness in adductors and quads but none of it debilitating.

OK, I know that the worst of the DOMS could yet be 24 hours away but so far so good and I'm quite relieved. When I finished yesterday's run I had a half mile walk back to the car and felt pretty done in. When I had to cross a road I didn't feel like I could trot across and felt like everything was stiffening up. This made me fear that my body would react to the run like a full marathon leaving me struggling for a number of days.

Seemingly not. Either that means that I'm in better nick than I realised or the recovery 'regime' I followed yesterday was a winner:
  • Cool down walk for 10 minutes (unplanned)
  • Brief stretch
  • Cold bath for 13 minutes
  • Protein shake, milky coffee, packet of crisps all consumed in bath
  • Hot shower with a blast of cold on the legs to finish
  • On with calf guards
  • 5 minute 'leg drain' against wall
  • Ibuprofen, vitamin C, multivitamin and minerals
  • General rest with the odd bit of movement to keep loose -ish
  • Regular top ups of fluid, carbs, protein and ibuprofen (though I didn't really feel I needed it)

I'll try to replicate that after the remaining runs. Doing it after the race itself might be more difficult just because of practicalities - no bath, difficult to immediately keep moving afterwards, unpredictable weather, horrendous queues for the Metro. Should manage the rest though.

Yesterday's guilt free eat-fest was good, and still left me on target. Not much more to say than that, but back on the diet today.

14/02 171.8 lbs 18.5% BF

21/02 170.0 lbs 18.2% BF

That doesn't look too good on the face of it, 4lbs and 1.2% up on Saturday, but I have no real concerns.

Body will react strangely to yesterday's run. Sore muscles may be retaining water, certainly will have a good deal of food in transit, so I'd expect to see a big fall in the next few days getting me back to last week's levels and beyond.

4 comments:

Maria said...

It's good to see you are getting the recovery bit right- but you are so right about it being harder after actual races. But after all a lot of it you can still replicate after the race itself (make sure you move a bit in the queue for the metro). I think the keeping moving part is the most important- those runs which exhaust me and I collapse on the sofa mean I stiffen up loads,whereas if I potter around the house I am much better. The blast of cold water on the legs is as close to an ice bath I have ever got!

Jessica said...

Cold baths send shivers down my spine...and that's just the thought of them. Never actually managed one myself. Ice seems to make my injuries even more stiff and painful so I tend to go for warm baths. Not sure if it's a good idea or not, but a cold one just doesn't seem appealing! I suppose it's not supposed to though...

Glad you've recovered so well. Careful with all of that Ibuprofen though, particularly if you're prone to dodgy guts. My physio told me off for taking two daily to help with runs because it attacks the stomach lining, so I've been pill-free since January 1st. Member of AA right here (Anti-inflammatories Anonymous)

Rose said...

It's fantastic that you feel so good today after such a pacey long run. I know that you will probably feel slightly more sore by tomorrow but I think if you were going to have terrible DOMS then you would have at least an indication of that by now.

Is it Brighton that you are doing? The sea is always an option for the ice element!

Rosexx

Alison said...

Great to keep a record of post run routines, as then if you do change / forget something and feel different, you might be able to track why.

Your weightloss still seems steady, albeit disrupted by the LSR.