Sunday, November 22, 2015

Recovery: One Day Per Mile

The recovery rule of thumb is one day for every mile of your race. Three days for a 5k, ten days for a 10-miler, twenty-six days for a marathon.

Recovery can look different for everyone. Some people start running again right away, but make sure to keep everything easy; no hard running or speed work during recovery. Some people don't run at all. Others fall somewhere in between. And I'm sure we all know those people who ignore the recovery completely and just keep powering through...they often end up injured or burned out.

What did it look like for me? I was physically and mentally drained after the marathon. I fully embraced the need for recovery. I barely ran at all, and when I did it was slow. I slept more. I didn't do lunges or planks or donkey kicks. And it was good.

My Facebook word cloud shows how focused I was on MCM training.
No wonder I needed a break!

Yesterday I ran 5 miles with the PR Training base camp group. It's the longest I've run since the marathon. Each mile was faster than the last. It felt so much better than the previous weeks' runs had felt. It felt great! 

I checked the calendar and it was exactly 27 days after the marathon. Recovery has officially ended. I'm back!
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8 comments:

  1. CocoNovember 22, 2015 at 7:11 PM

    I've only heard of this rule once before - obviously I'm not very good at following it! But, I do take it easy the week after a race.

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    1. Kimberly WestrichNovember 23, 2015 at 9:16 PM

      The more people I talk to, the less I find who follow this "rule." Taking it easy the week after a race seems to be a much more common practice!

      Delete
  2. gmgizmo9November 23, 2015 at 11:09 AM

    I've heard of this rule. I wondered if anyone actually follows it. I might not run right after but I'm generally cross training doing something! Good job with your 5 mile run!

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    1. Kimberly WestrichNovember 23, 2015 at 9:18 PM

      You know me - if there is rule, I'm probably following it :)

      I was just on your blog and cracking up because I never noticed MCM planned for 2021, because halloween! hahaha.

      Delete
  3. Carl WrightNovember 23, 2015 at 10:56 PM

    This is the 1st I have heard of this Kim. It does make sense, though I did not adhere to it after my last marathon. Then, I took a week off and then back to some easy runs. No hard running involved.
    Wanted to get some runs in before winter hit. Just as well, we now have a foot of snow outside..haha! :)

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    1. Kimberly WestrichNovember 25, 2015 at 3:54 PM

      A foot of snow - wow! I am not ready for that yet :)

      Delete
  4. Tina @GottaRunNowNovember 24, 2015 at 9:43 AM

    Congrats on completing your first marathon! I think the best time to get back to running is when you feel rested and really want to get back out there and that's different for every runner.

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    Replies
    1. Kimberly WestrichNovember 25, 2015 at 3:54 PM

      You are right, listening to your body always makes the most sense :)

      Delete

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