Twice this year i’ve stepped up to a new ultra distance i’ve never done before, and have been able to still race successfully at shorter distances within a few weeks.
First it was at the 50 mile Trail USA National Championships in New York. Two weeks after winning the race, I ran my fastest half marathon on trails breaking Max King’s course record on the dirty half marathon course (from the Half Marathon Trail Champs in 2011). I also finished 19th at the World Long Distance Championships a few weeks after that and was the 3rd scorer to secure the silver medal for the U.S. Team.
The next time I stepped up distance was at the UROC 100k. After my runner up finish in the 62 mile race with 11,000 feet of climbing and a high of 95 degrees, I won the USATF Marathon Trail National Championships……So what has been the key to recovery and performance?
The key to racing at various distances has definitely been hitting the recovery the right way. Most runners rush getting right back into training. They start planning their next workout and worrying about loosing fitness in between races. My approach has been to make sure I am fully recovered and rested before I go back into full training. I don’t focus on what the next race is but rather on getting my body back to feeling strong.
If you are like me, the race fatigue doesn’t set in until 3-4 days after a race. I’m not referring to just muscle soreness here, i’m referring to overall fatigue, and its important to know the difference. Don’t wait until the overall fatigue hits you to back off, or think that because your leg muscles are recovered that you are ready to train hard again. Be proactive about recovery and you can bounce back much stronger from races. Here are some of the ways to be proactive:
- Do cross-training at low intensities. Low intensity will keep your heart rate down, but promote blood flow and muscle repair. I like going to Recharge and hopping on the eliptigo. But swimming, biking, or even just hiking can work in the same way. Flushing stuff out without doing further damage should be the focus. My rule of thumb is if my body feels better as I warm-up then keep going. If muscles start tightening up then STOP and wait a few more days.
- Get a massage. This one is tricky and is more focused on just muscle repair. You shouldn’t get a massage if your muscles are still tender. Wait until you can press into your muscles without feeling pain and until you can roll out on the foam-roller and it feels good. This is usually around 4-5 days after a race. Then the massage will actually feel good on the body and be beneficial for you.
- Epsom Salt Baths and Hot/Cold contrast baths. Anything that is flushing blood through your muscles without making them get tight is very good. Too much ice and cold on your muscles without warming them back up can make them tight. But if you alternate between hot and cold you are promoting blood flow and loosening knots up.
- Sleep and Nutrition. The best cellular muscle repair happens when you are sleeping. Getting quality sleep and good calories in will speed up the recovery process as your body rebuilds. After a hard race I like going for a balanced meal. Everyone talks about the 4 to 1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. I think throwing in some healthy and natural fat is very good too. Keeping your stomach happy without overindulging will help keep your body in recovery mode and your metabolism active. I usually crave some fatty meats like pork carnitas or even tacos de lengua (cow tongue) with some avocado. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Aside from the proactive things you can do to recover, there are also some mental aspects that are very important. I see so many people finish a race and immediately start planning what their next workouts are. Calm down and relax! Understand that racing is the ultimate training. For example, if I just raced a 50 mile race, thats 50 miles of a hard aerobic effort which is far more than i’d normally get in a week. And usually races have a ton of vertical, so I probably got more climbing than I would in an entire week. It’s important to acknowledge and have confidence in that you just worked out the body very hard and that if you rest appropriately, you will reap the benefits. But if you rush back into training you will not reap the benefits of a hard race effort and will likely start feeling burnt out or even injured. Have faith in the process and work on some patience!
Think about how strong the body feels after a hard training block and some tapering. Now try mimicking the same thing after a race, but instead of going through the full taper process again start ramping the training back up slowly until your body and mind tells you its time for full intensity.
Furthermore, if you are recovering from a really long race you are dealing with glycogen depletion. Your muscles are broken down to the cellular level and doing full intensity right away is only going to make them feel worse. Instead, have mental confidence that you’ve done the training and start with an easy to medium workout, as you ramp the training back up. I like doing a similar workout after a race to what I would normally do on race week. If I just ran an ultra, I won’t do a workout until at least 7 days after the race.
I don’t want to share too many secrets but one of the things i’ve done in the past is to do a light uphill tempo after a race because the slower pace gives my legs a break but still keeps my cardio sharp. Why not set the treadmill at 12% and go 8 minute pace for 30 minutes instead of trying to do a flat fast tempo and further deplete the muscles that are trying to rebuild.
Moab Trail Marathon – USA Marathon National Championships
Quick thoughts about my last race of the season:
I am beyond grateful to end the season on such a high note. I don’t believe God fixes races and chooses who is going to win this race or that race, even though he easily could. He made this world with free will in order for there to be the full ability to love. That is why there are many awesome things that happen in the world and also some very broken things too, because love is a choice. But this whole season, regardless of whether i’ve won a race or not, he has blessed me. I have been in a whole new state of spirit and state of mind that i’ve been able to enjoy races like i’ve never enjoyed them before. I think that really makes a big difference in racing well and I find its no coincidence that this has been my best season. I did believe I could win this race, despite being an underdog. My climbing was the best it’s ever been, my tempo runs were the best they’ve ever been, and I was coming off a really good ultra which meant i’d have the strength in those last miles to close hard. But above all, I was full in my spirit and excited to race. Despite being a muddier year I was able to run 2 minutes faster on the course and felt like I paced it perfectly. This year on the big climb I was able to run the entire way and keep Joe Gray in sight as we headed back down the other side of the mountain with 8 miles to go. I closed the gap slowly between miles 20-23 and with 5k I felt like it was time to go for broke. I told myself that regardless of how things played out I was going to give it all I had until I crossed the finish line. The win was a huge blessing and I thank God and all the people who have supported me.
