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Running Races
Post Race Recovery - By Lance Watson
Finishing in a new personal best performance is one of the greatest rewards for any athlete. The goose bumps that you get thinking about that magical finish can motivate you to train more and improve. The excitement of a successful race is something that all athletes thrive on.
Sometimes we are so motivated from a race that we yearn to begin training for the next event on the day after the race. In many cases, we are able to start training and we begin to feel that the extra work will surely make that magical performance even better next time.
Sadly, after several days of training without post-race recovery, you can find yourself struggling to complete the easiest of workouts. You may feel extremely fatigued and even somewhat unmotivated. You may even lose interest in training for your next race.
To avoid the pitfalls of post-race training, it is important to plan a recovery strategy for each race. You need to develop a plan that will allow you to return to training with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Enhanced physical and mental recovery will allow you to catapult your training to the next level.
Immediately Post-Race
Recovery begins the moment you cross the finish line. The first priority should be hydration. Drink water or a fluid replacement drink as soon as possible at the conclusion of your event.
Races usually provide apples, oranges, bananas, juice or other simple carbohydrate snacks to choose from. These foods will raise your blood sugar level and aid in quicker recovery from the event.
Try to include a complex carbohydrate snack (such as an energy bar) within 10-15 minutes of finishing the race.
Your post-race meal should be ingested within 2 hours of the race finish. Your muscles are sponges for glycogen right after a race. This meal is important because it will allow you to recover and gain energy that will help your training in the week following the event.
The Day After
Wow, you did it. You are really excited now. If you train hard right away, you might be even faster? Hold on a second! Take that post-race euphoria and get it down on paper. Write down how great it felt to achieve your goals. Take note of what you would do next time. Take all those inspiring thoughts and keep them in mind when training gets tough. For today, you should let that ambition only exist on paper. Your body needs a rest even though your mind is ready to go out and conquer the world.
The day after your race should include several post-race recovery techniques. These may include a massage, hot-cold therapy and a gentle workout to promote blood flow and muscle recovery.
Massage is one of the oldest and best known methods of enhancing recovery. Get a massage after a race if you are already used to having them. If you are not used to it, a massage can create some unexpected muscle soreness. Ask the therapist to go gently if you are new to massage.
Hot and Cold therapy can be done in a variety of ways. Ideally, the athlete will immerse themselves for 90 seconds in water that is 12-13 degrees Celsius. Follow that with 3 minutes in the hot tub. The opening of arteries from the hot followed by assistance to the lymphatic system of the cold will stimulate blood flow and aid in regeneration. Complete this pattern 4 times during each hot/cold session.
One of the best workouts to do after the race is a swim. Include plenty of non-free swimming to stretch and loosen fatigued muscles. A short swim (i.e. 6x50at 80-85% of maximal heart rate on 60sec.) will promote the clearance of waste products that were created during the race.
Your diet should still be focused on hydration and carbohydrate rich foods. You should also include protein in your meals to aid in the repair of muscle damage.
The best mode of recovery is sleep. Try to make sure you are getting in at least 9-10 hours per night immediately following the race. If you have the luxury of taking a nap during the day, this will also help you to recover faster.
Day 2 – A surprise
Many athletes feel worse on the second day following a hard race. This is called Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS). It can affect you 48-72 hours following an event. The best remedy for this soreness is movement.
This is a great day to head out on the bike. Keep the intensity low and spin (90-100rpm on the flats) through the ride. Keep the duration of this ride to less than 75 minutes. You can include a short run of 15-20 minutes after this ride.
Running should be handled with care after a race. Carefully monitor the condition of your body and pay attention to any new aches or pains you may be experiencing. Sometimes a hard race can inflame old injuries or create muscle damage that, if left unchecked, could lead to injury if you go back to hard running too soon.
You can include some more massage and hot/cold therapy on day 2. This will speed the recovery process along.
Day 3-7 Resuming Normal Training
A race can create a lot of fatigue. When you resume normal training, you must be careful not to increase the training load too quickly. Aim to return to your normal schedule, but decrease training volume by 25-30%. You can do some threshold or race pace work during this week, but avoid intense anaerobic efforts if possible.
Toward the end of the week, sit down and think through your past performance. What could have been done differently? How could I train better? Was I prepared mentally? Did my equipment function as it should? Use the answers to these questions to develop a training and preparation plan for your next event. Races provide you with feedback about your training program. Use this feedback to revise or create your training plan for the next race.
By the weekend, you should be feeling recovered and inspired. You should be recovered enough to start training harder without fear of injury or excess fatigue.
It’s time to start training and dreaming about your next big achievement. Good luck!
Olympic Gold Medal and Ironman Champion Coach Lance Watson invites you to join his team at LifeSport. I help athletes of all abilities achieve their goals and improve their performance.
Contact LifeSport: coach@LifeSport.ca; www.LifeSport.ca