Recovery

A quiet sort of day today. This morning I went out for a bit of a gentle recovery session to both clear the body and the mind.

When I woke up this morning I could have quiet happily stayed in bed. The day after a race you always feel like you are justified to have an easy day so it is quiet easy to stay sleeping. However, I have learnt long ago that I quite like post race recovery sessions.

With triathlon my recovery session of choice was an easy ride, sometimes I would do an easy swim, but I find it easier to think on the bike. Very rarely would I choose an easy run, but that is probably just a personal bias showing through. For me the key was choosing something that you can be done at low intensity and is enjoyable, so that probably varies from person to person.

I always found these recovery session beneficial for a couple of main reasons.

The first benefit was physical. The benefits of dynamic recovery are well documented. I always found that being lightly active post race helped reduce soreness and generally sped up recovery time. Nothing crazy, just 60 minutes or so of light spinning, but really just getting out and moving the legs usually helped me feel better in the longer term. I found this particularly important if I was trying to bounce back for a race in a short time frame.

The second benefit I found was more subtle, but no less important. I have always found these recovery session great for clearing the head. Post race there is usually lots going on in your mind, replaying the race, focusing on problems and glories, thoughts about what is to come, what might have been, all the little details, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. I have always found these recovery session great for just letting those thoughts process, kind of like meditation, having one thought flow in and flow out again. Typically by the end of the session I find my mind much more at peace, without really having to force it. My mind will be more settled and I will often have a firmer view of my next steps. It can be quite a calming experience in among the usual post race madness.

That was certainly my experience today.

Onwards and upwards.