I posted something about this last year at this time but wanted to hear what you guys might have to add. I think one of the hardest things for me is recovering in between workouts (oh and maybe getting enough sleep and school work done). Below is what I do to help my poor muscles recover:

Rolling:

I use a trigger point roller with a PVC core, we originally had a foam roller but it broke down quickly and it seemed so wasteful. The trigger points are more expensive but it has held up for a long time so I think it’s worth it. No Meat Athlete has a great post about how to roll if you aren’t sure what to do. I think rolling is one of the most important tools to recovery.

I also use “The Stick” this is great for traveling and for getting smaller muscles that are hard to pinpoint with the roller.

Ice Baths:

These f-ers HURT but are well worth it. I find them much easier in the summer when I am hot and cooling off sounds good. In the winter when I am already cold this is an struggle to make myself do.

Some tips to make it more bearable is to fill the tub with cool water and acclimate to that before putting the ice in. I wear two sweatshirts and booty shorts to keep my parts warm. Lastly I drink tea (see next point) or hot chocolate to help keep more core warm. All of this helps but honestly this still sucks. If possible you can use a stream to cool off your legs after a trail run.

This is much preferred even if there is toxic sludge in the creek.

Antioxidants:

This can help free your muscles of free radicals and speed the healing process.

I prefer to get mine from emergen-c and tea (I actually prefer green tea). Another supplement that I think helps is Fish Oil for its omega-3

Protein and Vegetables:

In the mornings a green monster is a great option.

Or Salmon Cakes

Compression:

My last method is to wear compression garments. I own two pairs of compression socks and capris made for running. I would love to own a set of tights dedicated for recovery as well.

What are you favorite ways to recover? Do you have any suggestions of things I should add?

I have been feeling fairly detached from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and it’s aftermath. I have been wanting to do something and while I will make a donation to the Red Cross I was excited to find something I could participate in. Crazy Running Girl is hosting a virtual race to raise money. Here is what I copied and pasted from her page:

Kara (who blogs over at Kara Runs and lives in New Jersey) and I want to help people in need in someway. Since we are somewhat useless right now with lack of public transit, we decided to follow our passion – running – to create a fun way for people to help.

And that’s how we came up with the Virtual Race for Hurricane Sandy Recovery, with proceeds benefiting the Red Cross to help disaster recovery efforts on the East Coast.

How to participate:

Run a race of any distance the month of November. There are TONS of fun holiday races this time of year so grab a friend (or two!) and sign up.
Register for the Virtual Race for Hurricane Sandy here.
Pledge your donation (a minimum donation of $10 requested) here. ALL PROCEEDS will be donated to the Red Cross.
Tell all of your friends that you are participating and invite them to join us, too.
Run your race and tell us how you did! Make sure to send us pictures.
Why you should participate

Help those in need by doing something that you love.
We will have AWESOME prizes from some of your favorite companies… just by participating, you will have the chance to win some of these. You don’t want to miss out. Including: Click and Road ID

Did we mention that you’ll be helping those in need?
Extra motivation to train hard this holiday season (that way, you won’t feel too bad when you sign up for one… or three… cookie exchanges).
You’ll also help those in need.
There will be some awesome virtual swag… like a badge for you if you blog and a bib that you can wear during your race to show your support.

Important Information

Register for the Virtual Race for Hurricane Sandy Recovery HERE.
You can join anytime until November 30. You must run your race by November 30 to be eligible for prizes and virtual swag bag goodies.
Minimum donation is $10, you can donate more if you would like!
ALL PROCEEDS will be donated to the Red Cross. Let’s see how far we can run and how much we can raise!

I plan to run my Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving as my virtual race. I am grateful these awesome bloggers organized this!

I have a bit of Election Day hangover after staying up late (for me) to see the results. 4:20 am alarm felt very early this morning. But it felt good to get a spin class in before work this morning. Something I love to do is PLAN! I keep myself very busy between grad school, a full time job and triathlon training so good planning is necessary to fit everything in. Because I choose a late season Ironman this year I also have to be careful about my race planning this year so that I can peak at the right time and get all my training in. I worked with coach and this is the plan (as of now, I fully expect some things will change)

January: Yeti Chase 10k

April: Boulder Half Marathon? Holding off to see when our clubs Spring Training Camp is in Moab

May: Colorado Marathon and Summer Open Sprint Triathlon

August: Boulder 70.3

September: Ironman Lake Tahoe

The photo promt for the day was “a favorite things” I have many but the favorite thing I DID today was vote.

Hope you all got out there and and did your civic duty, now all there is left to do is wait and watch.