It has been tough since the SDW100. Recovery is taking ages and therefore I have not been running. So, what on earth can I add to the sum of human happiness by tapping away at my keyboard?
Well – recovery for a start. Is there anything worse for the world than a runner who cannot run? It is bad enough for our significant others but has anyone stopped to think about how bad it is for the runner? To really appreciate just how tough it is?
I know that to a large extent – ok – to the fullest extent, recovery is a necessary evil that we have all brought on ourselves. Yes, we choose to enter these stupid events. We choose to put our bodies through the barrier where pain simply stops being something external to be battled, but a state of mind that you convert to your own side – something that you start to draw energy from.
This last week has been quite a surprise to me. I knew that it would be a few days before I could run again because, naturally enough, my legs would be stiff, my feet blistered, and I would have no energy reserves. What I had not banked on was bruising to my right foot and shoot pains (gained by transferring my weight away from my poor blistered left foot during the event itself for the last 16 miles).
How has it gone this week? Well Sunday, after the race, I was incoherent, could barely move. Monday, I couldn’t get out of bed until mid-morning – and then I was reduced to crawling along the carpet like a baby. Tuesday, I managed to drag myself into work and spoke to a conference in another city by Skype – I was walking using two nordic poles. Wednesday I was down to using just one pole, to help support the weight on my right leg. Thursday I continued to use one pole – continually fretting that I would stab my right foot (or indeed someone else) with the carbide tip of the pole. So, it was with great relief that I was able to ditch the sticks on Friday and hobble all on my own.
Saturday was much better – in fact so much so that I managed to persuade and justify to myself that I would run another 100 mile Centurion event in 2016 by volunteering to help out at Autumn 100 in 2015 and also signing up to run a 53 mile at the end of August – the White Cliffs Challenge. Sunday, I packed my wife – Susie – off for a 10.5 mile walk around the parish boundary with some of my running friends. For my part in this, I am sat, chilling out with my right foot resting on a freezer box ice pack to help with the internal swelling and inflammation in my foot, while writing this post, and drinking beer and eating bar snacks. Happy days.
How do you recover from Ultra events?
What are your tips?
How do you know you have recovered?
How
How do you know that you have got over it?
The Untraining Ultrarunner 
THIS /\/\/\/\/\ is exactly what is terrifying me for my first 100 miler this year in September.
However!! My first 50 miles was quickly followed by a very hilly/punishing marathon in Wales. I had a month to recover and built myself up with run/walks. I felt utterly drained for at least 2 weeks. Then all of a sudden, completely fine. Back to running as though nothing had happened.
I’ve tweaked my diet since then and I’m recovering far quicker than I have done. A combination of continual long distance training/running/strength training and diet change I reckon.
Good luck with your recovery. Get in a good sports massage whilst your muscles are wrecked. I found recovery quicker after one of those too!
So far……. I’ve never gotten over my first 50 miler….. I’m still shocked/horrified with myself! Seriously! What was I thinking!!!
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Which 100 miler are you doing? Good luck with that – very addictive though it does take a few days longer to recover.
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St Oswalds Way – I’m doubting my determination to get through it. A lot!! It all felt like a good plan at the time!! hahahaha!!
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Cool. Just googled it and looks amazing. You all prepped for that? How you going to tackle it?
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Still strength training and speed training. The plan is to do the first 50 which looks fairly okay terrain wise as fast as possible. Then take it easy over the really hilly second half. That’s the plan hahahaha!!
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I would think about keeping a bit back for the last 50. The first 50 really took it out of me and I was really slow on the last half.
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That’s the thing….. I’ve no idea what’s too much or too little after 40 miles. I’ve done 50 miles four times now and each time is different! Hahaha!! 12 hours to do 50 miles on pretty decent terrain sounds very achievable. 22 hours on hilly terrain….again… sounds achievable!! haha!
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ha – i know what you mean. If i was doing SDW100 again, I would basically walk for 5 minutes every 25 mins.
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