I recently failed hard at taking my own advice. I’ve told y’all the importance of a proper run recovery routine, meanwhile I’m over here skimping like a college kid. Well…
For a couple of weeks my shins had been nagging at me a little. After my runs, I’d do some half-assed stretching and slap on some muscle rub, hoping for the best. Honestly, I’d gotten lazy with my routine, and the cold weather had me sleeping in longer than normal, leaving me crunched for time.
Then a couple of days before a scheduled 10 miler I realized that nagging had turned into outright pain. Even walking my dog, I felt pain. Ugh. I scheduled a massage, hoping for a quick fix but to no avail (the massage DID help and I’m a big proponent of massage, but one massage does not erase weeks of neglect). So, as much as I hated it I skipped my weekend long run. Whomp whomp.
Thankfully a few days rest and ramping up my run recovery routine was all I needed to get back in action. Here’s what I did and what I SHOULD have been doing all along.
Warm up routine
Perhaps more overlooked than the cool down is the warm up. I’m 100% guilty of skipping it often. I’ve got some ideas here, but the key is dynamic stretching. These are different movements than you’ll do post run, because you’re warming up the muscles, not really stretching them out. Keeping things loosey goosey at the start will benefit your recovery later on.
Cool down and recovery routine
Especially as we age, our bodies just need more TLC to recover. So often, we’re guilty of getting the miles in but not cooling down properly. My run coach put it to me best when she told me to think of the cool down as part of the run. I wouldn’t skip the last mile so why should I skip the cool down? It’s a totally valid point.
Instead of just a quick stretch, I’ve been doing a yoga stretch sequence (sometimes only 6 minutes!) to cool down and stretch everything out. Yoga with Adriene has been my favorite way to finish out my runs. I mix it up and add a longer cool down when I have the time, but make sure to get at least 6-7 minutes of real, slow stretching.
Self care routine in between runs
We often forget that what we do in between runs is just as important as what we do during or immediately after a run. Epsom salt soaks, yoga, stretching, massage. Ahh yeah.
Epsom salt, or magnesium sulfate, is said to help with inflammation to speed recovery and overall relaxation which can help to promote better sleep. My bedtime routine lately has been a quick yoga sequence followed by an epsom salt soak. It’s a nice calming way to indulge in some self care, especially during the winter.
As I’ve said, I’m a big believer in massage as part of my health and wellness routine, particularly during marathon training. After each run, I’ll use my massage gun for a quick treatment and also schedule semi-regular (depending on the shape of my budget) professional massages. I recommend a sports massage vs your typical “spa experience” but it’s really up to you. I find sports massage to be more targeted to athletes and better for recovery.
Focusing on these three areas (warm up, cool down, interim care) will greatly reduce your chance of injury friends. Take it from someone who should have taken her own advice. 🙂
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