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Recovery:101
Yes, indeed, it was a solid seven days of disciplined recovery in my world this week. Well, technically it was active recovery, because I’m not that disciplined to sit still, LOL.
I did stay out of the running shoes, though, and did more stretching and massage gun therapy than usual. That’s a huge win for me!
Yowza, what a week!
We’re talking almost nonstop action on the daily, as well as most evenings. Alas, never a dull moment! We all know that’s the way I best function, right?
It was another crazy week, navigating my way through the after effects of the previous week’s nasty tumble.
The residual road rash, along with several obnoxious gashes (in awkward places) made for a few frustrations. Although the muscle aches were notably diminished by week’s end, the wild card (the strategic “tight-fitting" scab on my knee) was still cramping my style.
Ugh, first world probs, anyone?
So, yeah. Here we are again...ready to gather over coffee, or any beverage of choice.
Most know I am not a coffee connoisseur (though I find the fragrance quite heavenly, LOL). I am a foo-foo cappuccino gal, though. Even in the heavy heat and humidity of summer, I want my "traditional" hot beverage to be - you guessed it - steaming hot. There's something about the warmth from the drink that I find quite soothing and relaxing...no matter what the mercury is showing outdoors.
That probably comes as no surprise since I'm a heat-loving gal anyways. I guess you could say I'm the polar-opposite of Elsa: the heat never bothered me anyways, LOL... with beverages or in terms of outdoor fitness fun.
Alas, it's the first 'Fession Session for the summer of '23.
Call me crazy, but it seems like it was just a few days ago that I was 'fessing with the best of them. Yet, here I am again (and I know I'm not alone, LOL). Funny how that happens!
Anyways, it's been a doozy of a summer thus far for me...
After several seasons of cycling, it finally happened.
My first-ever crash, that is, and it was a doozy!
Care to hear some thoughts, reflections, and musings?
So there I was again...
It was (yet) another week of recovery (this time from M2M), maintaining (aren't we always?) and taper (D2D is coming up on June 3rd). It's both a blessing and a curse to have so many favorite races all happening within a short time frame. I do it every year, and I have ZERO regrets, but it does make for a busy and active season.
This week was all about finding that sweet balance between continued training and downtime. How did that work for me? In a word - perfection!
Baby, let's cruise...
With back-to-back half marathons, over the course of seven days, cruising through some recovery was in order. We're talking minimal running, extra stretching, continuous walking and all kinds of time in the saddle.
I even tried to "bank" a few extra hours of snoozing, which is no easy feat for yours truly. Nonetheless, this week of recovery, was much needed and well-utilized.
It WAS a week.
There was a frost advisory that lasted for several days. There was a mini heat wave. There was recovery from Sunday's race. And, there was a bit of a taper for a last-minute race on Saturday.
And...how did all that play out? I'm glad you asked; read on...
The time had come, so I got it done.
I'm talking about a scaled-back week. Recovery. You know, dialing-it-back a bit.
My body wasn't in agony, but I'd had three pretty intense weeks of strength-training. My running mileage, while not crazy high, had been gradually building. And, my sleep had been nothing short of a mess recently.
I thought it was the perfect time for a week on the (somewhat) down-low. We all know it's during the rest/recovery time when most of the fitness gains are made, right? And, we also know, it's best to take advantage of downtime before it's forced upon us due to injury or illness. Alas, there was no time like the present...
There's a certain sweet satisfaction when (most of) your undesirable circumstances do a #180, am I right?
After the previous week's crazy cold "winter preview," this last week catapulted us back to more seasonal temps (that were actually borderline unseasonably warm, just saying). The healing hammy continued its upswing with more feeling-good vibes. And, the running saw a little more action.
So, yes, things were definitely much better in my little world (#HappySigh).
My current reality?
It's definitely not what I would have pictured or imagined a few weeks ago, but that's not a bad thing. Not in the least.
This past week saw very little running (umm, how does a single, solitary mile grab you? LOL). Instead, it entertained all kinds of other fun fitness things, which is always a good thing.
And, the weather? Well, it was a brief summer-rewind situation...and that was a GREAT thing.
So, yeah. The weather, in Iowa, was anything but smooth this past week.
Extreme shifts in temps were the norm. We're talking mid-winter "feels" with the sub-freezing mornings and psychotic wind. There also was a much welcome 50-degree jump in temps, which catapulted us back to the heat of summer (minus the humidity).
Figuring out the clothing situation was a major guessing game. But, the good news? At least it wasn't snowing!
Can you say Rebounding!
After a week of playing host to the virus, and isolating myself from most of the world, I was ready to be back in action. Thankfully, the virus hadn't kept me down (much) in the previous week, so resuming my fitness routine wasn't a big adjustment.
I can assure you, though, it felt awesome to be back on the "other side" of Covid.
Another week down, and another recovery session in the arsenal.
Funny how it seems like (almost) every-other week I'm recovering from one event or another.
This week? It was all about the legs. Everything actually felt great following the previous week's high-mileage biking, but I knew to keep things low-key anyways. Call me crazy.
And all went well.
Things had been a little crazy of late, fitness-wise, and my body was ready for a well-deserved break.
So, how about a week of (somewhat) easy-peasy recovery?
While my recovery looks different from that of others (as it should...none of us have the exact same routine, nor do our bodies need the exact same recovery regimen), I could tell it was due time for a low-key week. I kept the running mileage ultra conservative, I scaled-back on the biking, and I even caught a few extra hours of snoozing (yes, me!).
Are you curious how that all played out?
How about a week on the down-low?
Most know I don't like sitting idle, even after a tough (hilly and windy) race. I do know how to "scale-it-back" while my body recovers, though. We all get to do our fitness our way, and recovery is no exception. Thank goodness!
Of course, Momma N did her best to intervene, but she also threw in a few nice surprises...
