How to Quickly Recover From a Race

Race Recovery Tips

So you’ve trained for a race for a few months and you finally make it across the finish line…what comes next? It is vital to safely recover your body after a long training cycle, especially if you have run a half marathon, marathon, or triathlon/endurance event. Here are a few tips I have picked up along the way on how to best recover after a race:

Give those overworked muscles some TLC! I highly recommend making the time/investment to get a massage after your race! Lots of races offer free massages at the finish line, but you’ll have to hurry to get a spot! If you can’t schedule time with a pro, don’t neglect your foam roller! Spend some time on your calves, quads, hamstrings, and IT band area at a minimum. And don’t forget your feet! While it may be painful, your body will thank you! Here’s a great resource on how to get started.

Rest, rest, rest! If you’re a relatively new runner or completed a new distance, you don’t want to rush back out on the road, or worse, train for another race right away. Your body needs time to rejuvenate. Don’t feel guilty for taking a few days off, and don’t fear that you will lose fitness in the process! Resting will ensure that you stay healthy!

Check your shoe mileage. Have you logged over 300 miles in your running shoes or do they feel worn down after a few months of training? When I ran the Rock and Roll Philly Half Marathon in September, I knew that I was at the end of the life of my running shoes. So once the race was over, I stopped using my old running shoes and already had my replacement pair ready to go. If you’re looking for a new brand of shoes, recovery mode is the perfect time to go shopping!

Enjoy a little bit of freedom! Remember that thing called downtime? You’ve gotten it back! Get back into some non-running hobbies for awhile, spend time with your friends that you may have neglected during your training, just stop and smell and roses! You’ve earned this time!

I haven’t blogged in a few days but I promise it was for a good reason — I was on vacation! Bret and I went away to Bucks County for the weekend to celebrate Bret’s birthday and me being done with the PE exam! I wanted to share some pictures from our wonderful time which included running, biking, and lots of eating!

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: Amazing pizza at Jules’ in Newtown

: One of our amazing breakfasts in Bucks County!

: The most AMAZING mac and cheese at Karla’s restaurant!

: Don’t laugh at my ridiculous helmet!

: Tyler State Park was gorgeous!

: Amazing view while running on the trail

: The Delaware River separating NJ and PA

: Happy birthday Bret!

Workouts for the Week:

Monday 11/3: I enjoyed a little rest after the 10K!

Tuesday 11/4: Lunchtime run, 2.62 miles at 9:29 average pace.

Wednesday 11/5: Core and More Class, which was great. Then I went for an evening group run with City Fit Girls! There were six of us total, and I was able to get in 4 miles. It was nice meeting new people and not thinking while I run! This will definitely be added to my workout routine!

Thursday 11/6: Kickball was cancelled due to the weather.

Friday 11/7: In the morning, I did a yoga practice focused on Chaturanga…it was really tough but only 30 minutes long thank goodness! We traveled to Newtown in the afternoon and Bret and I went for a 3 mile hood run that evening, which was chilly, but nice!

Saturday 11/8: We biked over 30 miles from New Hope, PA to Frenchtown, NJ. It was such a beautiful ride, but I was freezing pretty much the whole time!

Sunday 11/9: Bret and I had a birthday run in Tyler State Park for 4 miles. The first 2 miles had very steep hills, so it was very challenging! But the view was so gorgeous that it made up for my shortness of breath!