F^3 Lake Half Marathon - 2 weeks later

It is already hard to believe that it has been just over 2 weeks since the F^3 Lake Half Marathon. I finally feel like I am fully recovered and have enjoyed some warmer weather runs this week.

Shorts in February!

As I mentioned in my last post-race update, I did somewhat of a reverse taper after the race. This meant doing some short, easy runs the week after the race and building back up to where I was right before. I am a firm believer in recovery and not jumping into running quickly after a race if I am not feeling it. Thankfully I have noticed that over time, my recovery time has improved greatly. After my first half marathon I think I took almost 2 weeks off of running and felt terrible for almost a week. Years later, I typically feel back to my "running self" relatively quickly within just a few days. While I am not always 100%, I enjoy some slow, easy runs with no training plan in mind. If something is tight or hurts, I back off and do some cross training instead. My hamstrings were bothering me a bit, so I used the R8 Massage Roller and added in some yoga after my runs.

Here is what the previous week looked like for me:

Monday: 5 easy miles
Tuesday: Jasyoga - Standing Balance Flow
Wednesday: 6 easy miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 easy miles, 10 min Pilates Core workout, Jasyoga - 5 min Hamstring Reset
Saturday: 14 miles long
Sunday: 5 miles easy, Jasyoga - Optimal Hip Reset

Because I am still only two weeks post-race, I am not focusing on any speedwork and pretty much all of my runs are at an easy pace. The highlight of my week was the long run of 14 miles. Saturday was another relatively warm day for February which made the 14 miles fly by. The last two miles were a bit of a struggle because the temperature had dropped and I was feeling cold and ready to get home, but it had been a while since I had run 14 miles and it made me feel really proud. During my run I kept thinking about pancakes, so as soon as I got home I made a large stack and they were delicious. What is the craziest thing you have ever thought about on a long run?

14 miles in shorts..in February!

I was not looking forward to Sunday's run as I woke up sore after the 14 miles. I headed to the trails and figured I would go slow and walk if needed.  Trails are great for recovery runs because the impact is much less and I find I can manage a lot easier with sore legs. The purpose of a recovery run after a long run is to build endurance and simulate marathon-level fatigue, so I downloaded an interesting podcast and headed into my run with no expectations. While the wind was pretty strong and blowing me off the trail at times, I finished and felt surprisingly good. My time was nothing to be proud of, but I did finish the last mile quicker than the first, so I call that a win.

I am sure many of you might be wondering what is next, and I am still deciding. I think I have settled on a race, but am unsure of the distance I want to sign up for. While I decide, I am loosely following a plan based on mileage per week, similar to a maintenance plan that should help me progress in distance so that I am ready to take on whatever I decide.

Happy Running!