Recovery

Recovery from last Sunday’s marathon is going very well. Monday and Tuesday were the worst days in terms of stiffness and pain. My quads were sore but my hamstrings felt tender and my calves were very tight. By Wednesday, my hamstrings were feeling much better. When I woke up Thursday, the soreness was greatly reduced and my calves felt much looser. Today, Friday, five days after running 26.2 miles my legs are pain free, I’m feeling good and I can finally walk down stairs.

Thursday was my first day back in the gym. I decided to concentrate on core exercises since I stopped all strength training during the final month of marathon training. It felt good to get the muscles moving and to work specific core muscles. I went back to the gym again today but focused on stretching. It felt good to just sit in some of the positions and breathe deep.

I’m having some pain in my left piriformis muscle (read: a pain in the butt) so I’m a little hesitant to get back to running. I’ll be at the beach on Saturday morning and I’m hoping I’ll feel up for a short 2 or 3 mile run in the sand. Perhaps the softer surface will be exactly what my legs need.

Today’s Daily Dozen:
45 minutes of stretching w/ an easy warm-up and cool down