Rest, Recovery, and Reflections aplenty

Rest. Recovery. Reflection. It's part of the process.

So this weekly wrap will be a bit on the boring side...because I have not been doing much other than recovering from last weekend's ultra. (by the way....in case you have been under a rock in recent weeks, I did a 12-hour ultra a week ago ...recap HERE )

As is my typical Monday, I did sneak in a (not-so-quick) #nevermissaMonday run. It actually felt pretty good to be back in my running shoes, albeit for only 10-ish minutes. This recovery is not my first rodeo, and I know I'm not as recovered as I'm feeling (thank you, Beautiful Endorphins!).

A short #nevermissaMonday run in some of the Ultra swag 

I promised myself I'd take some time off and be a good girl. Granted, I'm still doing my July Daily Challenge stuff (most days), but I've stayed out of my running shoes. After all, I have the Route 66 Marathon happening in November...which means training will officially start soon. It's best I start the training cycle fully recovered, right?

Like most big races, this ultra left me in a thick cloud of endorphins (seriously, even after an entire week, I don't feel like I've landed back on Earth yet). I had some stiffness in my hip flexors Sunday morning (the day after), but Monday was low-key. I didn't really notice much for DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) until Tuesday morning....but the aches and pains were at the absolute minimum.

Keeping the DOMS at bay...foam rolling and compression!

Usually when I do an especially long run (or race), I don't notice any any after-effects until a few days later (you know, about the time I start thinking I've escaped any after-effects). My biggest post-long-run annoyance is water retention, which is (ironically) usually a sign of dehydration. I have skinny, bony ankles...so if there's any swelling, that's the first place I notice it. I did notice some slight signs of "cankles" on Tuesday and Wednesday, but nothing like I usually experience.

I really got lucky with the timing of my recovery because the weather this past week was very hot and humid....I didn't have much guilt or remorse staying inside. I met up with a friend on Wednesday evening, and we went for an hour-long walk. You know it's hot when you return home from "just" a walk and look and feel like you just ran a marathon (can you say, "sweat equity?").

a few stretches before my hour-long walking sweat fest

The endorphins certainly had me in a state of awake & alertness (and some blissful giddiness as a bonus). As noted, my ultra began at 11:00PM on Friday evening, and concluded at 11:00AM Saturday. There was a campsite to dismantle, congratulatory high-5's to share, good-bye hugs and a quick shower before I met up with my sister for the journey back to Iowa. I dozed off for a couple of 10-15 minute snoozes, but that was it. Upon returning home, I did a quick unpack/repack and got into the husband's car for another long drive to his hometown (family reunion).  I didn't even sleep much in the car, Sunday afternoon, on the way back home. Throughout the week, I slept very soundly every night, but still awoke at my usual time (5:15-ish). I was pleasantly surprised how life resumed without any glitches following the 12 hours of my ultra. I kept waiting for the "crash" (and state of zombie-like existence), but it never came.

Anything (recovery-wise) I did differently? I'd say the only thing I did (somewhat) differently is the use of compression socks instead of my usual compression sleeves. I did wear compression sleeves after I finished my race....Saturday afternoon, evening, and most of Sunday as we traveled home. Sunday evening, though, I switched to full compression socks. As mentioned, I anticipated Monday and/or Tuesday would be the expected arrival of the DOMS and subsequent swelling....so I opted to go with full socks to keep my ankles fully supported. I didn't wear the socks during the day(s), but did wear them to bed every night for most of the week. It may be a coincidence, but given the extreme humidity and adverse conditions (with the weather) and LACK of post-race swelling, I think the compression socks helped substantially.

I finally ventured out Saturday morning for a 5-miler. It was horribly hot and humid already at 6:45AM. The angry hammy was still a bit grumpy, but for the most part it cooperated. I never know if it's just an injury/issue I will always have or if the humid weather brings out the worst of it. None-the-less, I returned home looking (and feeling) like I'd just been submerged in a nasty pond.

Post-5-miler....glowing and glistening all over the place

A friend also talked me into (without much coercion) meeting up a bit later for an hour of water walking at the pool. I had never "water walked" and was amazed at how hard it was (I hope I didn't look as awkward as I felt!). I could actually feel sweat running down my back while IN the water.

So, the Ultra feel-good mojo is still in my system. It truly was a great experience, and I'm thankful how it all played out...at the event itself and with the recovery. And, I'm already thinking ahead to 2017 and returning to do the 12-hour event again (#truth).

In other news:

I have been overwhelmed with well wishes from so many peeps! Thank you, to all of you, for all of your support and encouragement through this amazing endeavor. For example:

**One of the gals on our team sent me this tag to commemorate the event

It says, "Xmas in July 2016" (Thanks, Jamie!!)

**Another teammate gave all of us ULTRA RUNNER car magnets

It's official!! (Thank you, Maggie)

 ** We also received "recovery kits" (from one of our gals from last year)

Everything we needed for the ride home.... (thanks, Teri!)

**And we all know I have an affection for dragonflies...

Inside the card it says, "You did it!" and it came with the adorable dragonfly clip (Thanks, Barb!!)

The flowers in my yard have been loving all the hot and humid weather...I especially love all of my lilies!

Aren't they beautiful???

Yes, I wear athletic tape to keep my arches feeling good (and my heels happy). Sometimes the tape matches my outfit.

Fashion before function....but not necessarily in that order

I can always count on Max to keep me company when I'm lounging on the couch

Isn't he cute, perching atop the couch like a cat?

And, lastly, check out the size of this cucumber from my garden! Yowza!

Something tells me I may have waited too long to harvest this monster...

So, that's a wrap. Have you ever had a surprisingly easy recovery from a challenging race or training run? How many days off from running do you give yourself for recovery? Do you ever have issues with swelling/water retention after a race or long run? Have you ever had a garden?

I'm linking up with the lovely ladies Holly (from HoHo Runs) and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin ) for the Weekly Wrap. This "little link-up" has become a major weekly event that I look forward to each weekend. There's all kinds of great reading from LOTS of bloggers. Do head over and check it out!!