How Much Time Do You Allow Yourself to Recover After a Race?

So on Sunday I ran the Sporting Life 10k and here it is Thursday and I haven’t ran yet. I did let my co-worker drag me to BodyPump class yesterday, but that’s pretty much the extent of my running. This leads me to ask:

How much time do you allow yourself to recover after a race? Am I normal for taking a break? Don’t get me wrong ” I WANT to run, but I feel drained. Not sore or walking like a robot tired, but just an overwhelming feeling of Ã…”Oh my goodness I ‘m so freaking tired I can barely keep my eyes open Ã‚Â kind of tired. Even though I wasn’t following a training program per say, perhaps I was working out harder than I thought? I mean, look at my finishing time (which may not be that fast to others, but for me it was astonishing) ” I had no idea I could break the personal best I set almost TEN years ago, when I was still in my twenties (those of you who are close to my age will understand how HUGE that is).

So this week instead of running at lunch, I’ve been doing some fun stuff. Like on Monday I walked around the mall at lunch at looked at the latest fashions, like these new flip flops I snagged:

And on Tuesday I convinced/corrupted my entire team at work to join me on the patio of a nearby restaurant (Pickle Barrel) for virgin Mojitos and lunch:

(This Turkey Burger and Sweet Potato Fries meal was delicious!)

And today I went for a walk around the park:

Tomorrow I ‘ll probably give an easy run a try, but in the mean time I gotta admit this week off has been very nice and relaxing ” perfect for recharging my ol’ batteries which I think I was badly in need of.

Question: How much time do you allow yourself to recover after a race? What activities do you do instead of you’re usual training when you’re recovering from a race?

Sam

Friday 18th of May 2012

I usually play it by ear the week after a race. I ran the Mississauga Half a couple of weeks ago and only went out for a quick 5k on Friday that week. It was nice to take it easy.

Your lunch looks yummy BTW! Is that the Pickle Barrel at Sherway? I've never been there before, is it good?

Janice

Thanks Sam! Congratulations on the Mississauga 1/2 Marathon! That's a tough race to recover from because it's primarily downhill as well (I ran that race in 2004). You're close - my lunch was at the Pickle Barrel at Bramalea City Centre - I work in Brampton.

Kat

Thursday 17th of May 2012

Your week sounds perfect. I've only entered one arc so far and I took almost a whole week off of training. Congrats on your time.

Vicky

Congrats on your PB at Sporting Life! I normally take a week or two off for longer races. The one time I didn't, I injured my knee running a few days after a 30K. Instead of running, I usually hit the gym and do weights and the recumbent bike.

Good tip!!