Let’s talk about marathon recovery. It feels really good to be sore.
Okay, sure I was frequently sore throughout training, but it always felt isolated to one section of my body. Sore quads and tight hips. This past week my triceps and core have been SO sore, something I haven’t experienced in a while. Strength training, I missed you so!
Getting back into working out has been harder than I expected. Obviously I enjoy working out, hence the fitness blog, but finding the motivation to wake up early and go workout after being super disciplined for 17 weeks has been tough. I feel like my sense of motivation is fatigued, if that makes sense.
So, I listened to my body and took it easy focusing on yoga and spin. Then I went to Uplift because it always makes me happy and I knew I could modify the high impact moves accordingly. I got an ass kicking cold somewhere in there and took that as a hint to slow the eff down and listen to my body some more.
And now I’m back. Burpee-ing, kettle bell swinging and weight lifting like my old self. And it feels real good. Even though I ended up enjoying marathon training for more than I was expecting, something about group fitness classes fill me with so much joy. I just love them.
I do have to admit that I feel like a stranger in my own body right now. I feel a little puffier than usual. I know I always focus on being super body positive, and I will not for a second diss my own body– this body just ran a freaken marathon and that’s awesome. At the same time I am still a 25 year old girl who wants to feel confident in her own body and have her jeans fit. The combination of taper, recovery and mediocre eating habits has me feeling blah about my body lately.
I know I am weaker than usual too. Push-ups? So tough! They’ve never been a problem for me previously. Body, is that you?
It’s only temporary. That’s what I keep reminding myself. I know soon enough I’ll be back to my old push-upping self. Until then I’ll continue to listen to my body and ease back into strength training and intense workouts.
Marathoners chime in– what’s your recovery process like?
After NYC, I’ve been easing into my runs more than usual. My plan was to do active recovery…aka get out there, but take it easy. Listen to my body and how it felt.
I’m all for taking it easy, especially if that’s what your body needs post-marathon