I recently joined the Dashing Whippets and finally made it to one of their events. Tonight the event was a panel discussion “How To Recover Well: Tips from the Pros” where the speakers were:

• Garen Riedel (top New York finisher at the 2012 Ironman U.S. Championship in NYC—5x Ironman triathlete. Garen competed in the 2013 Ironman World Championships in Kona, finishing in 9:11 (13th age group, 94th overall)
• Christine Kenney (elite age group triathlete; 2:53 marathon PR)
• Jason Lakritz (PT at Finish Line; 2:36 marathon PR)
• Michael Conlon (PT, coach, marathoner & triathlete)

Although this was a great deal of information that I’ve learned earlier this year after researching, I wish that I had been able to attend such an event before my first marathon when I learned that racing two marathons, two months apart, was nearly insane.

I was indeed fortunate to not completely injured myself to the point of becoming impaired. I certainly got the “running bug” and excitement that new runners get and I’m pleased to say that I’ve learned some sort of maturity when I approach my runs these days. I cross train at least once a week, do strength training twice a week, one speed workout day, one paced run day and one long run, I also have a full rest day. The pain that I had from patellar tendonitis and pushing myself to the point of going to physical therapy twice over the past five years reminded me of the reason I was running initially. I’m indeed fearful of feeling that pain again, so this year was to focus on making myself a stronger athlete. My intention is still to make it through the marathon without knee braces and recovering properly to be ready for my upcoming races.

What I learned tonight:
Although we might feel good a few days post-marathon our bodies aren’t fully completely recovered. A marathon breaks your body down, although you’ve spent months conditioning your body to lead up to it, on race day that shock that your body goes through will need awhile to get you back to normal. Of course every runner is different and there are people who have run back-to-back marathons. However, it might not be wise to race them all. Your body needs that rest, which could take weeks, to work at its max. So, just because you’re running at 6 minute mile now on a good paced day during training leading up to race day, you might not be able to sustain that a couple of weeks after your marathon.

Getting right back into training for fear of losing our endurance might actually cause us to plateau. Welcome the rest even if your endurance dips because that a might be what your body needs to help you do a personal record for your next race. I’ve realized that I’ve PRed at most of my races this year because I’m running much less than the past year. I had gotten a simple tip from a woman named Becky at the Battle of Brooklyn (my streak race) and she told me that running less helped her more. One of the panel members, Jason, compared how he used to train twice a day in college and now trains only 6 times a week and he’s done better since he stopped training so often. He used to run a 5k in a little over 15 minutes in college and couldn’t break it until he graduated, trained less and ran it in 14. He welcomes a weekly rest day. I even learned that Bernard Lagat rests for 5 weeks: “He will toss his sneakers in a closet and pig out for the next five weeks. No running. No sit-ups. No heavy lifting, except for a fork.” WSJ

During these past few months I’ve focused on running at least three times a week. I’ve constantly emphasized that those were 3 quality runs. Tonight, it was reiterated by the solo female panel member, Christine Kenney, who stated her runs are quality runs because she has a job that leaves her little time to train. The demands of the job and training can take a toll. So she listens to her body, something that should be in tuned and the feeling varies from runner to runner. I’m fortunate to have found the discipline to sleep in when my body wanted it versus thinking that I’m lazy.

I also learned that it was dangerous to attempt those quality runs when I’m not fully recovered… Something that I still struggle with… For example, running paced after a night of drinking. My body, since it’s not fully recovered might cause those runs to be painful. As endurance runners, our body seems to be in constant repair so what I took from this entire discussion in the end was, “be confident about your rest and recovery days.” It’s ok to miss a scheduled run now and then if your confident that you’ve done well and you just really need the break.

Although I hate when people say, “All things in moderation,” or “Taking a break won’t hurt your training,” I will have to agree with a slight hesitation: Be confident in the fact that you’re doing things right but by all means if you need a mental break or a recovery day, just do it.

In the meantime, I’m certainly looking forward to zero week where I do absolutely nothing but sit on the couch and catch up with what’s recorded on my DVR.