Post 100 miler recovery week
One week ago I ran the Canal Corridor 100.
One week ago I finished something that I thought it was impossible.
Here is my recap of the week after my 2018 epic race (*warning - pretty dark content*)
After the race, my husband picked me up and drove me home. Then, he had to leave for a business trip on Sunday afternoon. Before he left, he made sure that I had enough food to survive the next couple of days without leaving the house. I took a nap right after I came home. I thought I was going to sleep longer but I woke up 3 hours later because every part of my body (esp the ankles) hurt so badly that I had to take a painkiller. Walking hurt so much that I ended up crawling (on my hands and knees) from the living room to the kitchen and back because I was hungry. That night I did not sleep well because I was in so much pain.
Monday went by and I spent most of the day on the couch. My body and brain were still tired. The bad ankle was still screaming. I tried to think about what happened during the race and got goosebumps every time I thought about what I did. It felt like I was still dreaming.
Tuesday - Thursday I felt better and tried to work but my brain was still foggy and I could not think clearly. I ended up doing low cognitive tasks that did not require as much thinking as writing like replying to emails, cleaning data, scheduling events, etc. Running a 100 miler took more recovery time than I expected. I was annoyed by the fact that I was not productive at work and that I could not focus on reading or writing. I told myself that I would take this week off from running or exercising because my body told me I needed that recovery time. Not doing anything threw me off my regular schedule and I was depressed.
The post-race blues hit around Day 4 after the race. I woke up and felt...empty. In my head, I kept asking myself "what's next?". I knew I did not want to do any more "big" race this year because I would like to spend time recovering and strengthening my left ankle. What I fear the most is being burned out from racing too much in a short period of time. To me, I want to run and race for a long time and take ultramarathons as a lifestyle. Due to my work and family commitments, one race a month is what I consider doable. I looked my "empty" training schedule and thought I needed to do something to get the structure back. So, I signed up for a sprint triathlon in August.
Friday the left ankle finally started to feel better so I went to an outdoor yoga class. I told the teacher about my ankles and that I would do the modifications if the ankles could not handle certain poses. She was cool with it. I could not hold standing poses for too long so I ended up doin stretching and other seating poses.
Saturday morning I went to a kickboxing class and worked on the upper-body strength. After kickboxing I felt that my ankle loosened up, so I went to Sand Run and tried to run. Turned out that my left ankle was still screaming. My legs were still tired and I could barely run when I tried. I ended up walking 4 miles. I met a couple of running friends from MRTT for lunch at Nipa Hut in Parma and we talked about my race. It was nice to catch up with them.
I knew I had to "do something" on Sunday before I went crazy. My ankle felt better after the walk and being active yesterday but I still had to stay away from the trails. So, I went to the Hudson coffee run and ran 3 slow miles with friends. Then, J., B., and I went biking on the Bike and Hike trail after. J. is training for her Ironman at the end of the month. She is another badass endurance athlete.
I think it's now time to switch to triathlon training mode. The benefit of triathlon is that I have to switch among 3 sports and it's a chance to give my ankle a break. I just signed up for the sprint distance because I know I will finish it and it does not require as much training as the Olympic distance or the Half Ironman.
One week ago I finished something that I thought it was impossible.
Here is my recap of the week after my 2018 epic race (*warning - pretty dark content*)
After the race, my husband picked me up and drove me home. Then, he had to leave for a business trip on Sunday afternoon. Before he left, he made sure that I had enough food to survive the next couple of days without leaving the house. I took a nap right after I came home. I thought I was going to sleep longer but I woke up 3 hours later because every part of my body (esp the ankles) hurt so badly that I had to take a painkiller. Walking hurt so much that I ended up crawling (on my hands and knees) from the living room to the kitchen and back because I was hungry. That night I did not sleep well because I was in so much pain.
Monday went by and I spent most of the day on the couch. My body and brain were still tired. The bad ankle was still screaming. I tried to think about what happened during the race and got goosebumps every time I thought about what I did. It felt like I was still dreaming.
Tuesday - Thursday I felt better and tried to work but my brain was still foggy and I could not think clearly. I ended up doing low cognitive tasks that did not require as much thinking as writing like replying to emails, cleaning data, scheduling events, etc. Running a 100 miler took more recovery time than I expected. I was annoyed by the fact that I was not productive at work and that I could not focus on reading or writing. I told myself that I would take this week off from running or exercising because my body told me I needed that recovery time. Not doing anything threw me off my regular schedule and I was depressed.
The post-race blues hit around Day 4 after the race. I woke up and felt...empty. In my head, I kept asking myself "what's next?". I knew I did not want to do any more "big" race this year because I would like to spend time recovering and strengthening my left ankle. What I fear the most is being burned out from racing too much in a short period of time. To me, I want to run and race for a long time and take ultramarathons as a lifestyle. Due to my work and family commitments, one race a month is what I consider doable. I looked my "empty" training schedule and thought I needed to do something to get the structure back. So, I signed up for a sprint triathlon in August.
Friday the left ankle finally started to feel better so I went to an outdoor yoga class. I told the teacher about my ankles and that I would do the modifications if the ankles could not handle certain poses. She was cool with it. I could not hold standing poses for too long so I ended up doin stretching and other seating poses.
Saturday morning I went to a kickboxing class and worked on the upper-body strength. After kickboxing I felt that my ankle loosened up, so I went to Sand Run and tried to run. Turned out that my left ankle was still screaming. My legs were still tired and I could barely run when I tried. I ended up walking 4 miles. I met a couple of running friends from MRTT for lunch at Nipa Hut in Parma and we talked about my race. It was nice to catch up with them.
I knew I had to "do something" on Sunday before I went crazy. My ankle felt better after the walk and being active yesterday but I still had to stay away from the trails. So, I went to the Hudson coffee run and ran 3 slow miles with friends. Then, J., B., and I went biking on the Bike and Hike trail after. J. is training for her Ironman at the end of the month. She is another badass endurance athlete.
I think it's now time to switch to triathlon training mode. The benefit of triathlon is that I have to switch among 3 sports and it's a chance to give my ankle a break. I just signed up for the sprint distance because I know I will finish it and it does not require as much training as the Olympic distance or the Half Ironman.
Will how my ankle feels after I see my PT next week. I hope she can fix it and that I can get back to trail running soon.
Sydney
Comments
Post a Comment