Let the Recovery Begin

If you're a runner, especially a distance runner, what's the second thing that crosses your mind once you cross that finish line? (I ask about the second, because I know for many of us, the first thing is some variation of 'Thank God I'm finished!!!') Whether you realize it or not, the second thing that crosses your mind is probably 'recovery'. Granted, it may be in the form of 'BEER!!!!' or 'FOOD!!!' or 'MUST.SIT.DOWN', but those are still all forms of 'recovery'.

Recovery begins the moment we cross the finish line.

I'm in the midst of my recovery from the Missoula Marathon. When I crossed the finish line on the Higgins Avenue bridge, after the first volunteer put the medal around my sweaty neck, the second volunteer stopped me to remove the timing chip from my shoe. I kept thinking "hurry, hurry, hurry" because I know without a doubt that I HAVE to keep moving after my race. This is what starts my recovery process. I discovered this very important piece of information after the 2011 Boston Marathon when--even after walking for several minutes--I became lightheaded when we stopped to retrieve our gear bags. "Vasodilation", one of my doctor-running-buddy-friends later told me, is what it was, and when we stop running after running so long and so hard, it can easily happen. Basically, as I understand it, the blood vessels dilate which causes an increase in blood flow which then results in a decrease in blood pressure. And, as we all know, too much of a decrease in blood pressure and BAM! Down you go! (I'm obviously not a doc, so this isn't medical advice. Talk to your own doc for more information.) Fortunately no, I didn't faint that day after Boston, but I could have! This is why we, dear distance friends, are made to "keep moving" following our marathons. (Well, that, and we have to get out of the way of the other finishers!)
And so, after Missoula, I knew the best thing for me to do to kick-start my recovery was to walk. And to keep walking. The finish area wasn't huge (like it is in Boston and New York), so I had to walk around the food tent several times after walking over to the gear bag area and back. I think I must have walked for about 30 minutes total before being ready to sit down and put my feet up. It worked, though. No lightheadedness for me.

I also try to eat something--both carbs & protein--right after I finish in order to start replacing the glycogen I've used up and to repair the muscle damage I've inflicted on my legs. This isn't, for me, eating because I'm hungry. Not by a longshot. On the contrary, I really don't want to eat anything right after a race, and it seems to be getting more difficult with each race. It's too bad that I couldn't stomach any of the post-race food they were serving (literally) at Missoula, because it was the best variety I've seen following a marathon. I tried to eat part of a banana (WHY do I keep trying to eat bananas when I hate them??) and also grabbed a bagel slice, but it wasn't happening. The only thing I could stomach, and only after walking around for 30 minutes, was a real fruit strawberry popsicle. (30 minutes, by the way, is the ideal window in which we want to get food into us post-workout in order to reap the most benefit.)

I won't go into the topic of stretching, since it's so controversial these days, except to say that personally, I do try to stretch *lightly* after my race.

It goes without saying, I think, that this entire time I'm trying to continue to sip on both a recovery drink and water in order to hydrate. If it's been unusually hot, or you're a very heavy sweater, or you've become dehydrated during the race (and it doesn't take much for this to happen), then this becomes even more important.

So that's the first...hour...after the race. Then what?


Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll...