Post Marathon Recovery & Update

I still can't believe I ran my first marathon last weekend. It seems like so long ago, yet so close at the same time. 2012 has been a really big year for me and I made a lot of progress in my running and training. I have spent the majority of the year training for something and haven't really had a break. Not only did I need a physical break from training to recover from running 26.2 miles but I also needed a mental break. Balancing school with training is always hard for me because I feel guilty going for a run when I have a test the next day. I feel I should be studying even though the break will probably help me in the long run.

So for now I am enjoying not doing anything. I took off the entire week from all exercise more for my mental health than anything else. I really enjoyed the extra time to clean up my apartment and focus more on my schoolwork. It was a much needed stress-free week for me. By Friday I started to get a little stir crazy and wanted to do something active but I restrained so I could completely focus on resting and relaxing. I don't want to feel forced into working out again. My goal is to be anxious and excited to exercise with no pressure.

Even though I haven't tested my legs out on the roads yet they are feeling pretty good. My whole body was pretty sore Monday and I was waddling instead of walking but there wasn't much actual pain. By Tuesday I was pretty much back to normal, only more tired than usual. Besides my total body soreness Sunday & Monday only my calves were really sore Tuesday & Wednesday.

Not working out all this week also allowed me to catch up on sleep. I was in bed by 10:30 Monday through Thursday instead of my usual 12:30 bedtime. I had a lot of trouble sleeping Sunday night because I was so achy but the rest of the week has been glorious. I was amazed at how tired I was the entire week.

This next week I will start easing back into exercise but will only do what I want. I want to enjoy the off-season and start my next training cycle feeling rejuvenated and rested. I am running a 5K on Thursday and will hopefully run once before that to loosen my legs out before the race.