Recovery

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Rest is not laziness. Laziness is inaction when action needs to be taken. It is doing a task without awareness to detail or the desire to fulfill the goal. Any undertaking that is truly significant in scope and nature cannot be completed without rest. Knowing when and how to rest exemplifies attention to detail. Exercising discipline is the antithesis of indolence.

I have all of my long runs planned out between now and the ultra-marathon in April. Blocking these training events out will be a crucial component of being successful. However, I also have planned out weeks and weekends where the goal is simply to rest. Perhaps, the better term would be recovery. Long runs put an inordinate amount of stress on the body. Some schools of thought suggest that for every mile you race, you need to rest the same number of weeks. Accordingly this means that one should only race two marathons a year. Although my long runs do not incur the equivalent amount of stress that a race would, the impact on my muscles, tendons, joints, and immune system is still harsh.

After last weekend’s long run, I came down with a slight head cold including a runny nose, feeling of lethargy, and the occasional splitting headache; it was quite clear to me that I needed several days for my body to recover despite the fact that it was far from the epic. It would have been easy to continue training during the week. The “hardcore” might say I should have persevered and pushed through the discomfort. This type of philosophy seems stupid to me. Clearly, I needed rest. Taking the three days was not laziness. It was the wise choice given the circumstances. Besides, just because I was resting did not mean that I did nothing.

For those several days my focus turned to recovery. Fluid intake was carefully monitored; my consumption of fruits and vegetables increased. Perhaps most importantly, the work for that time became addressing the various knots and tight spots that had been accumulating in my muscles. Running enchains the muscles between the glutes and the Achilles tendon. As a result everything from the gastrocnemius to the hamstrings starts to tighten up. This reduces flexibility and in turn the ability to take long, efficient strides. Running turns into shuffling, which is a common occurrence on long runs. After ten or fifteen miles, a short squat to reintroduce full range of motion becomes a welcome thing. For those three days I worked on regaining range of motion while I rested. A rolling pin placed under my calf allows me to rock the knots out of those tissues. A lacrosse ball pressed between my hamstring and a chair creates targeted and effective trigger point pressure. While sitting and watching television, I would tuck one leg up, shin against the back of the couch, to lengthen the quadriceps and Sartorius muscles. The goal was regaining the mobility of tissue and joints.

The most important thing one can do while resting is to capitalize on the opportunity to take stock of the situation. For example, if I am using a rest day when none was planned, does that mean that I was doing something wrong? In this case, I firmly believe that I got sick, not because of the stress placed on my body by the long run, but because I was not diligently observing basic daily hygiene practices. February is a common time for the transference of cold and flu viruses. Most likely I was not washing my hands enough and picked up something from one of my students or colleagues. During the course of the day, I touch and share dozens of pens with my kids. Acquiring their ailment is simply a matter of numbers. Fortunately this has a simple fix.

Lastly I will reiterate that there is a significant difference between “I don’t want to train this afternoon” and “I shouldn’t train this afternoon”. The first is laziness. The second is wisdom. However for now, I am done writing. It’s time for a nap.