This week was 14 miles of running, 28 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.
Recovery week. For me, this wasn't just marathon recovery, but also an end-of-season recovery from the past 10 months of training.
Being a "rules" type of person, I set a few for the first week: no running, nothing intense that elevated the HR, and only things that I really wanted to do. I ended up doing a lot of social pool-running, supplemented with some yoga and a bit of swimming.
As of Saturday, I was 7 days post-marathon, so I went for a run, followed by some light weights at the gym. That first run back was awkward and uncomfortable. Not surprising - in my experience the first run after a marathon always sucks, regardless of whether it's 4 days or 2 weeks post-race (I've done both).
I was pretty stiff, but it wasn't the quad and calf soreness I've noted with previous marathons. Just an overall "peanut brittle" feeling. My thought is that the moderately rolling nature of the Hartford course was actually easier on my body than the flat or downhill marathons I've run in the past, since I was shifting among different muscles during the race. I also suspect that the more marathons one runs, the less destruction each does (assuming you don't blow up).
I am pretty tired, though - definitely more than after Chicago last year. That's not surprising either. For one thing, I didn't dig anywhere near as deep at Chicago last year. I'm sure racing in high humidity this time depleted me as well. Plus the physical stress from running Hartford was compounded by heavy emotional stress in the final two weeks leading up to the marathon. I've got a lot of mental fatigue to work through right now.
Getting that all out of my system and recharging is key if I want to race well in 2018. I'm still sleeping and eating a lot, and will continue to do so until I feel back to normal.
Dailies
Monday: Foam rolling, yoga, and 5.5 "miles" of pool-running with the belt.
Tuesday: 4 "miles" pool-running and a sports massage.
Wednesday: 7 "miles" pool-running and injury prevention work, plus foam rolling.
Thursday: Foam rolling, yoga, and 5.5 "miles" of pool-running
Friday: 6 "miles" pool-running and 1000 yards easy swimming. Followed with foam rolling
Saturday: 5 miles easy/aerobic (8:43) plus light upper body weights and core. Foam rolling in afternoon.
Sunday: 9 miles of intermittent running/cheering at Marine Corps Marathon (9:02 pace). Foam rolling at night.
I totally agree that racing in heat/humidity takes longer to recover from than if you had good conditions. And I also think it's good to see this as not just recovery from the marathon training, but the 10 months of hard work. You are gonna kill it in 2018!
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