This Rundown is all about my post-marathon recovery week.  It was the week of excess – cookies, ice cream, candy, junk food.  A complete mental break from the grind, and it was glorious.  A very lazy week – very unlike me!  Linking up with hosts Deborah and Kim for this weekly training recap.

Monday 10/14

The only activity that I do on the first day of the post-marathon recovery week is a race reflection.  I complete the race reflection within 24 hours so that everything is fresh in my head.  My marathon race reflection includes:

• On a scale of 1 – 10 how would you rate the performance and why?  Including details for mental, emotional and physical performance.
• On a scale of 1 – 10 how would you rate motivation for the race and why?
• What was your race plan and how well did you execute?
• For the 3 days leading up to the race how were: Stress levels? Sleep patterns? Nutrition/Hydration (list out foods)? Travel/Activities?
• Details on weather, clothing, race warm-up.
• Mile-by-mile replay (or chunk into 5k sections) – including how I felt physically and mentally, mantras, anything that I said to myself that positively or negatively impacted my performance, what motivated me, what discouraged me.

All these notes help me with future races because I can identify areas that need improvement.  For example, my mindset was not where I needed it to be for this race, and I need to figure out how to engage with racing again for the future.  You can read my full Chicago marathon race recap here. 

The first day of my post-marathon recovery routine also includes a visit to EDGE.  After work, I sat in the ice bath and hot tub, used compression boots, foam rollers and napped.  It was glorious.

Tuesday 10/15 & Wednesday 10/16

During the week leading up to the Chicago Marathon, my pull-up practice took a backseat.  I did a few core and arm routines, but avoided anything that was jumping or high impact.  I also booked my post-marathon massage.  This visit was extra special because my massage therapist ran Chicago as well, her very first marathon ever.  It was so fun to hear her experience.

Thursday 10/17

Run: Treadmill hike.  No running yet.  After a marathon, I wait to run until I can walk up and down the stairs easily AND I can sit on a toilet without having to hold onto something for support.  But I did turn to the treadmill for a walk to get my heart rate up.  Legs felt good enough for that!  I did a 30 minute treadmill hike, hearkening back to my ultra training days (and foreshadowing what’s coming next!).  I varied between 2 – 4 – 6 – 5 – 3 – 1 % inclines for 2 minute chunks.  The speed was about a 14 – 14:30 minute mile pace.

Friday 10/18

My mom’s birthday is next Monday so I drove up to Highland Park to see them.  We went for a lovely walk around Heller Nature Center after work.  Again, no running, but a lovely hour-ish stroll through nature.  They were shocked to realize you could go in and walk around!

After our nature walk, we ate dinner and watched the new documentary The Game Changers on Netflix.  The documentary profiles plant-based athletes who are dominating the world of sport, from football players, to Olympic cyclists, to bodybuilders.  They started to improve and become the best in their sport when they switched to a plant-based diet.  The documentary details how plants enables them to train harder and more frequently, getting that extra 1% competitive edge.  I definitely recommend!

Saturday 10/19

Again no running.  By now, stairs and toilets feel fine, but a huge part of post-marathon recovery is the mental aspect.  Historically, I’ve jumped right back into running after marathons, but that lead to eventual burnout.  Given how mentally blah I felt this training cycle, I decided to have a total sloth morning.  I woke up late, baked some cookies, brought those cookies to EDGE, carved pumpkins and decorated little ones for Robyn & Brian to take to a nursing home, and hung out for a while.  Being lazy can be fun!

Sunday 10/20

Run: Trails.  I capped off my post-marathon recovery week with some Trail Church.  Next weekend is our trail camp, and I wanted to do some recon.  Kept it to 6 super easy miles with some stops for pictures and recon of the cabin area.  Legs felt great, and I was so rejuvenated by the end.  I CANNOT WAIT for camp next weekend!

And that’s a wrap!  My post-marathon recovery week was “the week of excess.”  Minimal activity, lots of junk food, and mental relaxing.  My body is craving my usual food routine though, and I look forward to getting back to healthier eating habits this week.  This coming week, I will be a ball of excitement (and some nerves) in anticipation of Trail Camp.  Exercise-wise, I will still take it pretty easy.  Run when I want, sleep in when I want, and let myself enjoy the unstructured time.  We’ll see how long that will last…

What do you do during a post-marathon recovery week (or other distance)? Let’s stay in touch!  Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more food/fitness related posts.  

Happy running,

Becca