Four Weeks Post Marathon

It is hard to believe it has been 4 weeks since the Chicago marathon, and just this morning I was watching the NYC marathon. What an inspiring day, and it's been a good 4 weeks of recovery and easy runs for me to appreciate and reflect back on my own marathon experience.

Last week marked the last week of my McMillan marathon recovery plan which I really enjoyed. I thought it was a nice gradual return to running with some of the consistency I was used to with the marathon plan. The plans are free so definitely check them out if you are looking for a recovery plan based upon your fitness level.

I have continued to integrate strength training and yoga into my routines, but I have also been focusing a lot on mobility and ankle/hip strength. After my numerous trail falls and asking Scott Jurek what I should do to improve, I have taken a lot of that advice to heart and have been working to strengthen some of my weaker areas. I am really excited to see how it all plays out during my next trail race. I've also been testing out the Altra Timps as my new trail shoes, and so far I love them! They provide the cushioning that I love about the Olympus, but I feel that I have better stability being close to the ground similar to the Lone Peak. 

I've also enjoyed running without a true plan (other than the recovery plan) in mind, and have simply run what I felt like doing that day, where I felt like doing it. This has meant a lot of trail time since I missed the trails so much during the last few weeks of marathon training. But it has given me a chance to enjoy running during my favorite time of the year, and the break for a race mentality has been nice. I really enjoy having part of my Saturdays back to spend doing non-running activities.

So what's next? I have the Paleozoic 25k trail race this Saturday which I am really excited about. I have no expectations for this run other than to have fun and to not "fossilize" as they say. After that, I am still trying to decide if I will run a late winter/early spring marathon prior to my 50k. Technically my 50k training starts in January so I could easily use a marathon as a long run, but I am still making decisions. In the meantime, I plan to continue to run outdoors while the weather permits and enjoy the best season of the year!