Welcome to Weekly Wrap 25! This week was my post-race recover and relax week. Very little running and mostly relaxing, stretching, foam rolling and taking care of my body. Also eating ALL THE THINGS. And a TON of work. I was super busy because I had shoved everything to this week knowing I would have more time after the 50k. It was all great things, but by the end of the week I think I was more exhausted than after the 50k! Linking up with Holly and Wendy to bring you Weekly Wrap 25.
Monday 4/23
Run: This morning, November Project had a pop-up workout at Daley Plaza. I was still walking around like an old woman and my quads were sorer today than yesterday. So I joined where possible but ended up doing a lot more cheering and shorter runs instead. And forget about the burpees! It was fun to be in a new location – our cheers really echoed off the buildings downtown!
Other: Back to work. Since I was on vacation in Boston and only worked one day in the last 10 days, I had a lot to catch up on. The kindergarteners made fun of me for walking down the school stairs backwards. Trying to explain running 31 miles to them was pretty hilarious.
Tuesday 4/24
Run: I didn’t run, but I still went to the track to lead Sprint Tuesday crew and take pictures. My DOMS wasn’t as bad as Monday, but I still wanted to give myself time to recover before trying to run. It was a glorious morning and I was happy to be there with the crew.
Other: I spent the afternoon making tons of energy bites for the Shine event tomorrow. Background: My amazing friend Katie runs the non-profit Shine Fertility and their big gala event was Wednesday evening. She asked me if I wanted to have a booth there to sample my energy bites and get some business. HELL YES! So today was spent making ALL THE BITES. I made my standard chocolate cherry and lemon coconut and made some new flavors to test.
Wednesday 4/25
Run: I went to November Project in the morning because I was not yet recovered enough to do my usual strength class. I met some new people and recruited a new running buddy or Sprint Tuesdays. I still took it easy and went maybe a mile total the entire hour, but I was almost back to my usual self.
Other: Tonight was the night! I was so nervous before the event started. What if people didn’t like it? I saw the other businesses there and thought, They look way more put together and business-y than I do, what am I doing here? But then the event started and people began sampling the bites. They LOVED them! I had so many people ask where to buy or place orders… it was wonderful, and was a big confidence boost. Now to figure that out! Only 10 bites remained at the end of the evening, after starting with ~200. Based on feedback, I’m going to call them Becca Bites and add blueberry ginger to the rotation!
Thursday 4/26
Run: My first run back was an easy 5 miles. It was glorious! No jacket and no gloves needed! The sun was shining, there was barely a wind, and my body was so rested that I hit sub-8 at the end. This was the LONGEST I had gone after a race without running. The Becca a year ago would have only waited 2 days, and the 2016 Becca would have gone running the NEXT day. Progress.
Other: Finally got my post-race massage. My therapist didn’t have any openings sooner, but I think I would have been too sore earlier in the week.
Friday 4/27
Run: Slept in since I had a late night on Thursday. Missed NP but did another 4 miles of easy running. I did not feel as good as I did on Thursday and I was hovering more in the 9-minute range.
Other: In the afternoon, I went to the Merchandise Mart to help out Tabal Chocolate at the One of a Kind Show. I met Tabal back at VeganMania in September of last year. They have delicious rich chocolate with unique flavors like masala chai and salted coffee. Earlier in the year, I had been trying to help them break into the Chicago market, but that faded when I began to get busy with coaching and bites. To make up for that, I agreed to help out at the show.
Saturday 4/28
Run: I subbed in to coach the EDGE long run since most athletes were racing this weekend and Robyn was cheering. Only one other runner showed up and we braved the 20+ mph winds together.
Other: I went back to the Merch Mart to help Tabal. It was a longer day and a lot busier than yesterday, but great exposure for them. By the end, I was pooped. After 3 days of events – between the Shine event and two days of the One of a Kind Show, I just went home and flopped onto the couch. It’s been a long time since I had to be “on” that much and I forgot how draining it is for me.
Sunday 4/29
Run: Easy 40 minute run before my hot yoga class. I was a doofus and had my watch set to “other” during my run so it didn’t record running data. Yoga was much better than last week and I was actually able to get into chair pose. However, my right hamstring was very sore and angry.
Other: Met my parents and Jon for brunch. We went to Uncommon Ground which my mom swore we had never been to before… until I showed her a picture of the two of us sitting there for brunch last May. Then I made some more of the vegan cookie dough from last week to bring to the Thoughtluck tonight. We are going to discuss social media and can’t wait to hear what others think!
And that’s a wrap! I only ran 20 miles which was my LOWEST mileage since…. 2014. I had to scroll through years of Strava data to find that. While I enjoyed the downtime, I do feel off. However, I can’t tell if its the no endorphins, the physical and mental recovery from both the race and eating issues, or knowing that this is the least amount I’ve run in four years. While I’ve been very vigilant on recovery and trying to give myself more off time, I’m wondering if it’s too much? I don’t feel connected with my fitness like I used to, even though my race was Saturday. Something for me to ponder this coming week I suppose.
How was your week? What do you like to do the week after a race to recover? What’s your favorite kind of chocolate? Let’s stay in touch! Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more food/fitness related posts.
Happy running,
Becca
Your bits look amazing! So glad they were a hit!
Rest weeks are tough mentally…
Congrats on your 50k BTW!
OMG no I cannot fathom burpees after running that far either! Haha! Your bites look fabulous. Glad to hear they were a hit!
I’m so excited for you that your Becca Bites are a hit! Can’t wait to see what other flavors you come up with.
Sometimes rest weeks are more exhausting! All of your energy bites look fantastic
I’m so glad you chose Becca’s Bites. I was routing for that one. It must be exciting to have received such a fantastic response at the event. Even though you felt “off” this week with the lower mileage, it was smart to take plenty of recovery time. Thanks for linking!
My recovery the week following a race depends on the race itself. Obviously longer distances (with challenging terrain, etc.) require a little more downtime than shorter/easier ones. This past week, I knew my body needed to take things easy…not just for recovery (from my half marathon last Sunday), but also to keep everything in working order for other stuff happening.
Congrats on your bites taking off! (I was going to say balls but that just sounded wrong). I’m excited for you. Hoping to try them sometime. Sorry to hear that you’re feeling a little off this week. You did run a 50k a week ago, so I would imagine your body is like, what did you do to me? Hang in there and have a better week! Be kind to yourself.