It’s hard to believe that I ran my first Marathon just over a week ago. A lot of people told me that I wouldn’t be able to walk right for a week but I felt great. My Quads were sore for a few days but really not too bad. Either I didn’t run hard enough to earn severe DOMS, or a had a good recovery plan.
In the excitement of my Finish I didn’t stretch enough… probably less than 5 minutes of calf stretches. One of my running pals insisted on massaging my legs and I didn’t say No. I have done the same for her and the reciprocation felt great. Then we walked to pick up my bag where I had some dry clothes and some Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator. That stuff is Magic! (Sidenote: Bag pick up sites for Marathons should not be in buildings with stairs.) Then we walked some more because we were meeting my Run Club at a restaurant a few blocks over. All this walking around was probably a good thing.
One of my friends drove me back to the Start Line at Brackley Beach to pick up my car. Driving along I noticed that my Ass was warm and she said they she had turned the heated seats on because she finds it aids in recovery. It sure felt good. I have never used heat therapy after a run before and the concept warrants research.
The drive took 30 minutes and soreness was settling in so I went for a short walk on the beach before driving another 45 minutes back to the cottage. Then I enjoyed a nice shower before jumping into the Hot Tub with my running mates. Six ladies, 2 bottles of wine, 36 Jello Shooters, a rising moon and two hours of hot tub jets massaging my hamstrings… it was perfect!
Active Recovery is a Thing. It’s kind of like the hair of the dog that bit you. Monday morning was a Morning After kind of day but I convinced myself to go for a brisk walk which I hoped would turn into a run. It felt really good and I managed to run 2 miles for Run Streak Day #687. I thought about ending it at # 686 but I just wasn’t ready to quit yet.
It seems like I did all the Right Things because I recovered a lot quicker than I expected. Do you think it’s too early to start training for another Marathon?
Cheers! 
yourpaceormine62 