I typically always run the day after a marathon. I am not saying this to brag because clearly, given my race performance, I am neither the world's best or fastest and already proven NOT the smartest runner ever. But it is what I usually do. My go to hair of the marathon run is just an easy sloth like pace for 3 or 4 miles. Occasionally I'll go crazy and ride my bike instead. Kind of depends what hurts.Sore feet usually mean a bike or trainer ride. I would swim--as I know that sounds like it would be easiest-- but I find that swimming tends to make calves cramp after super long runs so I usually give it a few days before hitting the pool. Regardless what form of endorphin fix I usually try to get some sort of exercise in--if nothing else because I love to exercise and it is habit. And I honestly think it helps me recover faster and gets me back on the road to running lots of miles. Which, after all, like smiling, is my favorite.
However after Saturday's marathon I didn't have the chance to squeeze in a workout on Sunday. We had an action packed day of Beau's Lacrosse game (they won!) and then took the kids to see The Lorax (me=meh, kids loved it though) and then out to eat. I know. I know. The glamorous life I lead.
Monday I was surprised, and annoyed, at how sore my legs were. I swear it is because after the race I sat in the car and drowned my sorrows in several beers while Ryan drove the four hours home (his penance for caring more about turtles than his turtle wife). I am not exactly sure of the science behind it but I think, most likely because of all that rain I had to run in, some rust got stuck in my calf muscles and on my ankle joints.
Right. I too would have thought all the Sweetwater420 I drank would have acted as WD40 too. Say it with me:
Wd40.
Sweetwater420.
Sounds almost the same. But I guess they work differently somehow.
I did keep thinking Monday I was going to motivate and go run but truthfully I was a little chicken. I mean the last time I had ran had been so disastrous. All that quitting and walking and whining. What if it was like that again?
I thought about running on the track while Beau had Lacrosse practice Monday afternoon but I didn't want the other Lacrosse parents to see my wobbly rust busting recovery run. I mean, lets be serious here. I have a reputation to uphold.
Those other Lacrosse parents have had the honor of witnessing many of my second run of the day runs. Runs where I usually try to target a tempo (ish) pace. It is truly spectacular to witness. One time, at Lacrosse practice, I even earned a compliment from one of the other Lacrosse mom's after one such run. I had just finished and was hacking up a lung and sucking on my inhaler, looking very fit and professional runner like, and she sidled up to me and commented "That was amazing! I kept thinking you were gonna slow down but you just kept getting faster and faster each lap. I wish I could run like that!"
Run groupies.
What can you do?
I gave her one of the rubber bands off my ponytail.
She seemed really grateful.
Okay seriously, that really did happen (the compliment not the rubber band part) and I think I might have even blushed because no one ever says that sort of stuff to me. No one, besides my kids, ever even speaks to me at Lacrosse practice. So it was a pretty stand out day for me. Running and another Lacrosse mom talking to me, about running even. Full disclosure; another mom does talk to me but I have to pretend like I am really into dogs because she is really into Lola and loves to talk about dogs with me. But I don't think I can count that since I am just trying to be cool.
But anway, you can see why I didn't want to ruin my image of awesomeness by hobbling around on the track on my post marathon Bambi legs.
Oh, who am I kidding?
Have you seen my legs?
Have you seen my legs?
Me, with Bambi legs?
Delicate, spindly twig like and bony baby deer legs?
.
More like, quads casting shadows on the knees and calves that say moo to my ankles like a big ole heifer.
Why do you think I like boots so much?
Hides my heifers, that's why!
(shamless boot porn photo)
So yeah, definitely not a set of some delicate Bambi legs on me.
So Tuesday, after an unheard of 2 days off in a row! Seriously, I can't remember the last time I took 2 days off completely from exercise.
No. Wait.
Never mind, I just remembered, it was the last week of January last year. And I took 4 days not 2 days off in a row. It was hideous. People almost died because of it too. By people I mean my kids and Ryan because I was ready to the kill them from the endorphin withdrawal.
Just kidding.
No I'm not.
So right , by Tuesday I was done with the "recovery" crap and went to test my non Bambi more like a baby rhinoceros legs out. I left the watch behind and headed out to do the boring sidewalk out and backs because it is as close to flat as I can get around here. There is still some elevation and tiny hills but not the rollers that I have on my usual loops. I was just gonna run 3 miles but I felt so good I just kept adding on. I mapped it out when I got home, just over 5 miles.
Certainly I wasn't breaking any records out there but my legs actually felt better running than they did just sitting around trying to recover by not running. My calves are still sore, my ankles a bit tweaked, and my arch feels strange; but I felt none of this while running. It was just a really nice and easy run.
And yes it helped that it was a perfect 50 degrees under a bright blue sky.
Sigh. I am bitter.
I woke up today and my ankles and calves are still a bit stiff, the arch wonky but better than yesterday. So I decided to test the baby rhino legs again. This time on my tried and true 6 miles of rolling hills loop. Again, I got the perfect 50 degrees and sunny weather and this run was even better than yesterday. I was even holding myself back. Yippy!
I still have a ways to go until I think my legs are up for the full monty at Publix but if this trend of recovering and running continues over the next 12 days I might find myself harboring a bit of, OMG , don don don don ... optimism.
And it also means I get to start weather stalking in two more days! Oh, the fun just never stops.
PS. Do you see how Bambi's bff is a rabbit?
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