Post-Marathon Recovery

It just doesn't seem right that I've been talking about the Space Coast Marathon as an upcoming race and then, boom, suddenly it's in the past and I'm talking recovery! I'm not ready for the fanfare to die down!

The newest additions to our medals shelves!

Luckily for me, recovery is just an extended chance to celebrate my accomplishment. I literally slept until after 12:30 on Monday, and when I finally got out of bed I was walking almost normally.

Still, after going back to work, I could tell my legs were still fatigued. I was only too happy to use that gift card Kristin gave me a few weeks ago!

Besides a big knot in the calf that seized up the most, the masseuse also found a really painful one in my lower back. Guess I need more core work!

I also had the wonderful surprise, upon returning to school, of seeing flowers from an old student of mine! She must have stopped by while I was still out and dropped them off, but the minute I saw the handwriting on the card I knew who they were from. She goes to school out of state, which makes her taking the time to think of me that much more special.

Seriously beyond thoughtful. They immediately made my first day back better!

Besides rolling, planking, and volleyball, I've been resting this week. (I do think "ready position" and volleyball-related squats have been great recovery tools!) My foot is still sore but I know exactly what's wrong with it and I know all it needs is rest, so even though I really want to run again already, I'm going to take at least a full 10 days off.

I went through the video clips Matt took of the race and pulled this adorable screenshot of Kristin and her daughter running a bit with me:

...and then Matt created a little video to commemorate the whole occasion!

Click here for the video! I can't get it to embed.

We've also ordered my new 26.2 car sticker! I didn't want to buy one beforehand and jinx anything, and I'm very picky about how my bumper stickers look so it took me a few days to decide on one. I'll be replacing my original 13.1, too, because I want a sticker for both distances but I want them to match.

This isn't my car, but those will be my stickers!

Over all, recovery is going much more smoothly than I expected. I'm so relieved that I still want to run, because I was really worried that I'd face burnout post-race, or at least the blues...but I haven't really dealt with either! (But maybe that's just because I still can't believe I ran a marathon! When will it sink in already?!)

What's your favorite method for recovery after a big race?

Do you get post-race burnout or blues?

Can you believe I ran a freaking marathon?! I can't!

ABK