Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Rest and Recovery after a Race?
Normally I take a few days off after a race. For example after the marathon I did not run for 8 days, and for most of my half-marathons I took at least 3-4 days off. Generally following a 10K race I will wait a day or two to run. That said, I admit that I didn’t do that following Sunday’s race, rather I ran my 14K/8.7M run last night (Monday).
There were a couple reasons that I decided to blow off the “rest after a race rule”:
1. Thursday was my weight training day, whereas I only jogged 3K/2M afterwards; Friday and Saturday I did not run at all.
2. My race was Sunday morning and I ran on Monday night – there was almost a day of rest in there somewhere.
3. I felt so good after the race on Sunday that I really did not feel like I needed a day of rest. Okay, maybe that’s a weak excuse, but it’s mine ;=)
I did TRY to take my run last night a little slower than normal, in effect a “recovery run.” Temperatures were up to 35C/95F by the time I got home and suited up. Taking an extra swig of water for good luck (I drank 2 liters during the afternoon) I headed out the door and tried really hard to stick with a 6:15/K (10:04/M) pace. The first 3K/2M are in the open sun, on a mostly asphalt path, it was fitfully hot! I finished the first 1K in 5:29, the 2nd by 11:01. I managed to slow down to about 6:00/K (9:39/M) for a kilometer, but as soon as I hit the wood line of the forest I felt the coolness and took off again, eventually finishing my 14K/8.7M run in 1:19:09, which is an average pace of 5:39/K (9:06/M). So I guess I messed up that recovery run...
I felt comfortably tired after the run, normally I am no so tired after running this distance, so I did notice that I had run a race on Sunday. However, this morning I feel great, no pains, no cramps, no problems.
I would recommend that most people take a break after a race. I think my body is used to higher mileage, so for a 10K race I don’t need much time to recover.
Either that or it’s so hot this week that my brain is fried (very possible, it’s supposed to reach 36C/97F today). I envy those that have nice cool offices to work in. My office has no air conditioning, not shade trees outside helping to keep the afternoon sun contained, no it is just plain hot after about 11 a.m. Yesterday was almost 29C/85F in my office and it still is not the middle of the summer yet. Blah!
Summary of Last Night's Training:
Warm-up;
1 set 15 pushups, 1 set 25 sit-ups;
14K/8.7M run; total time 1:19:09
1 set 15 pushups, 1 set 25 sit-ups;
Cool down.
Conditions: 16:15; 35C/95F, sunny, hot!
Feeling after training: Comfortably tired!
Wake-up weight this morning: 75.5 kg/166 lbs
Weight lost since 01/01/2005: 4.5 kg/10 lbs
Goal weight by the end of June: 74 kg/163 lbs
Goal weight by Christmas: 70 kg/154 lbs
There were a couple reasons that I decided to blow off the “rest after a race rule”:
1. Thursday was my weight training day, whereas I only jogged 3K/2M afterwards; Friday and Saturday I did not run at all.
2. My race was Sunday morning and I ran on Monday night – there was almost a day of rest in there somewhere.
3. I felt so good after the race on Sunday that I really did not feel like I needed a day of rest. Okay, maybe that’s a weak excuse, but it’s mine ;=)
I did TRY to take my run last night a little slower than normal, in effect a “recovery run.” Temperatures were up to 35C/95F by the time I got home and suited up. Taking an extra swig of water for good luck (I drank 2 liters during the afternoon) I headed out the door and tried really hard to stick with a 6:15/K (10:04/M) pace. The first 3K/2M are in the open sun, on a mostly asphalt path, it was fitfully hot! I finished the first 1K in 5:29, the 2nd by 11:01. I managed to slow down to about 6:00/K (9:39/M) for a kilometer, but as soon as I hit the wood line of the forest I felt the coolness and took off again, eventually finishing my 14K/8.7M run in 1:19:09, which is an average pace of 5:39/K (9:06/M). So I guess I messed up that recovery run...
I felt comfortably tired after the run, normally I am no so tired after running this distance, so I did notice that I had run a race on Sunday. However, this morning I feel great, no pains, no cramps, no problems.
I would recommend that most people take a break after a race. I think my body is used to higher mileage, so for a 10K race I don’t need much time to recover.
Either that or it’s so hot this week that my brain is fried (very possible, it’s supposed to reach 36C/97F today). I envy those that have nice cool offices to work in. My office has no air conditioning, not shade trees outside helping to keep the afternoon sun contained, no it is just plain hot after about 11 a.m. Yesterday was almost 29C/85F in my office and it still is not the middle of the summer yet. Blah!
Summary of Last Night's Training:
Warm-up;
1 set 15 pushups, 1 set 25 sit-ups;
14K/8.7M run; total time 1:19:09
1 set 15 pushups, 1 set 25 sit-ups;
Cool down.
Conditions: 16:15; 35C/95F, sunny, hot!
Feeling after training: Comfortably tired!
Wake-up weight this morning: 75.5 kg/166 lbs
Weight lost since 01/01/2005: 4.5 kg/10 lbs
Goal weight by the end of June: 74 kg/163 lbs
Goal weight by Christmas: 70 kg/154 lbs
# posted by Jack : 7:31 AM
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Sounds like a great run despite that heat! I find that if I run 10K or more I am not sore or fatigued the day after, but 2 days after it seems to set in. You are more conditioned than I, for sure. I can't wait till 10K is a short run me and not one of my longer ones :)
I have no doubt the heat is affecting your run. That along with the race. I don't know how you can work all day in the heat and then go run. Maybe the heat at work conditions you for the heat in races.
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