The Looks of Recovery

What does Recovery Look LIKE!

Recovery for a Marathon looks like this for ME:

• Motrin and Nyquil for bedtime
• Falling into the toilet because my quads are toasted
• Stuck on the toilet because I still manage to use my legs
• Walking down stairs backwards
• Walking like I have a load in my pants
• Not hungry but starving?!
• Exhausted but can't sleep
• Excited for the next marathon!P

For the best Recovery I am called to do the following:

• Hydration, for me this is just drinking water! I am not a water drinker. I don't like the flavorless, odorless,tasteless liquid. Just give me COFFEE!
• Double up on my Juice Plus and whole foods for recovery
• Stretch and roll. I have to wait a day to do this. My whole body is usually hypersensitive, just a finger poke and I want to go the ER.
• Rest the day after

I am about 3 days out now. I met the girls for a walk around the track to get moving again. It felt great to be able to walk normally. It was great to hear each of the girls stories.

/

ME, Mary Ann, Erin, Jama, Alisha

1. Jama ran the half marathon with a great time of 1:41, Placing top 10 in her age group!
2. Alisha ran her FIRST half marathon
3. Erin and Claudia also ran their FIRST half marathon together meeting their goal time.
4. Mary Ann ran the Half Marathon and had a PR!

Each girl had a great story to tell. It was fun to listen to all of them share their experience, thoughts and laughter.


Recovery is different for everyone. The rule of thumb is to take off HALF the days in Distance that your ran.
EX.- If you ran 13.1 miles- 6 days off
If you ran 26.2- 13 days off.

I believe it alters by your years of running experience, type/intensity of the training program you trained with and energy/effort expended during the marathon you ran.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Running and Life Collide:
re·cov·ery
noun \ri-ˈkə-və-rē, -ˈkəv-rē\

: the act or process of becoming healthy after an illness or Injury
: the act or process of recovering
: the act or process of returning to a normal state after a  period of difficulty

: the return of something that has been lost, stolen, etc.

 _______________________________________________________________________________

We have all had some kind of RECOVERY in life. We have been hurt physically, emotionally, financially and then some.
In todays world, we do not know how to recover properly.  We just take the punches and move through them, never actually getting better or more effective. We may win the battle but we never really win the war if you may.
Or we try to put a band aid on open heart surgery.

RECOVERY is work. Sometimes it even feels like a set back. I want to RUN. However, part of my RECOVERY is to REST.
Recovery is often doing the very opposite of what you are used to doing.
LESS =MORE
Recovery means we have to feel, we have to live in the moment, we have to accept the damages and then have a plan to move through them in a healthy manner.

We are in a instant gratification society. We want everything yesterday. If the bottle says to take for 10 days we quit after 7 days when we feel better.

There is a lot of loss these days. At 40 years old, I look at the first 18 years of my life and can honestly say it took close of 15 years to recover.
I can see so many life lines that God gave me and I am so thankful for the wisdom to grab on and hold on tight.
Recovery is a process. To me recovery isn't just getting better, it is being better through the process. It is learning from yesterday, so I can be better tomorrow.

************************************************************************************



A mini van showed up in my driveway this afternoon. I don't get very much company so I got excited.
This sassy blonde walked up to my front door. I hardly recognized her with make up on and her hair down. It was Lacey.
When she smiled I just melted. Our marathon flooded my mind.
Lacey was holding a manila envelope. "Hi, I wanted to give you this."

After she left I pulled up a chair, sat down and read it.
I wept.
She journaled her experience.
I have never had ANYONE ever do this before. I will cherish it forever.
I am waiting to see if I can post HER story.
Check in Tomorrow to see...!

Anita