Look! It’s Alphabet Day!
Ok, maybe I haven’t had enough caffeine yet this morning and maybe I stayed up a little too late last night. (I have a problem. I can’t put down an unfinished book. Yawn.)
So, we are 19 days out from my five half marathons in five days. I’ve got a lot going on in my little head right now and I’m going to be sharing that all with you over the next few weeks. I know you are excited to hear that. You all signed up to be my therapists, right?
Today’s worry: DOMS. Delayed.Onset.Muscle.Soreness
We’ve all had it. I remember the first time I ran the Army 10 miler, I couldn’t walk normally for days. After my first marathon, despite a 3 mile walk as a cool down, (ok, I was just trying to get home and Metro sucked), I had to crawl up and down my stairs for three or four days.
I’m heading into this endurance challenge WAY undertrained. Thank you, calf. I’ve been active and I’ve cross trained, but I really haven’t run in about 2 weeks. And I have to take the rebuild really slowly. (Did I mention I get to run 3 miles today? Woot.)
I know I’m going to be sore. In fact, I’m sore right now from a 7 mile walk on the treadmill on Monday and yoga yesterday. I know I’m going to have to run/walk through it.
So, tell me, my friends, how do you minimize DOMS? I know about ice baths, but not sure those will be on the menu LOL. How do you keep moving even when your muscles are screaming with every step? If you were doing this event and had to run only minimal miles beforehand, what would you do to prepare?
Now let’s look at some (not so) pretty pictures. Thanks, Jenn, for the WIAW party. At least I know exactly why my jeans are tight right now, sigh. Sorry, not nearly enough veggies around here lately.
Breakfast: Oatmeal. Yes, I eat this nearly every day. And thankfully, I have a friend who has a family maple syrup farm, so I have easy access to lots and lots of maple syrup. Yum!
Lunch: Leftovers, baby! Seriously, lunch is all about finishing up whatever is in the fridge. It results in some interesting combinations. Yesterday? Pork Korma over broccoli with cannelini beans + a tortilla with cheese and avocado. Yes, I realize I’m weird.
Dinner: It’s still soup season here. Yesterday was could and rainy, so I was happy to have soup on the stove! This week’s version? Bean and ham. I love soups because recipes aren’t my thing. I tend to just throw whatever sounds good in a pot. 90% of the time it turns out good. (The other 10% Beer Geek tells me I don’t need to make again. That’s how I know it’s awful. LOL)
Simple Bean Soup
Ingredients:
15 bean mix (or a bunch of different beans)
2 cans diced tomatoes
chopped onion
chopped celery
chopped carrot
chicken broth
Ham
Pre-soak beans using whatever method you like. (I’m a boil and sit for two hours kind of girl.) Drain beans. Add just enough fresh water to cover the beans and bring to a simmmer. Simmer until all beans are soft. Somewhere during the simmmer, I add the chopped veggies. I like to cut them really small so that you don’t notice they are even there LOL. Once the beans are totally soft (I read somewhere that the acid in tomatoes stops the softening), add two cans of diced tomatoes. I always use the ones with chilis in them. Add as much bite sized ham as makes you happy. Add chicken broth until it’s as soupy as you want. Serve with fresh baked bread.
(((oooh what book?? what book??)))
I don’t do ice baths. To me, it’s a form of cruel and unusual punishment. I take a long soak in a warm bath with Epsom salt then roll it out with my stick. Advil works too!
I want to hear these answers too. I’ll be lurking here.
Ice baths really do help, but they aren’t for everyone ( I still cry and scream everytime I take one…no joke)
One thing I have found that really helps is Epsom Salt baths, but the thing is, take them as close after the run as possible. Hot water, epsom salts ( I also add honey but that’s to help dry skin), and sit and relax for a bit. I used to take them a few hours later after a run , but I found that taking them sooner makes a lot more of a difference. Then when I get out I always take 5 minutes to stretch out good ( the muscles are nice and warm from the bath so they stretch nicely), this really works for me, I am not saying its the best or scientific thing to do, but I have seen success and you might too.
5 in 5 days?! Holy mackerel – you go!!!! 🙂
can you do epsom salt baths? I also wear compression pants during and after the race and then slather on things like arnica… may the force be with you
Big believer in getting in some recovery food/drink right away, taking a little walk, and then sticking on compression socks for the next 24 hours. And then another little walk or swim or bike (20-30 minutes) the next day to move the junk out.
The efficacy of ice baths isn’t proven, so don’t worry about skipping those!
If you can do an Epsom salts bath that will help and make sure to stretch and foam roll or stick after. I’ve had very good luck with making sure I get a recovery drink within 15mins of the run. I’ve moved to plant based recovery drink and have had excellent luck with Vega Recovery Accelerator and Raw Protein power with Almond Milk. Next day make sure you to do some active recovery to get that lactic acid moving. These all helped me move within one day after my 100mi attempt and my coach had me walking every day after the race.