1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,760 You're listening to episode 268 of the Marathon Running Podcast. 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:06,680 In this episode, we're going to talk about post marathon 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:11,720 recovery and how to do it best. This is the Marathon Running 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:15,880 Podcast with Letty and Ryan. Join us for weekly content on 5 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,760 all things running and let us take you from the starting line 6 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:30,320 to the finish line and beyond. Hey runners, and welcome to 7 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,040 episode 268. My name is Letty. 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,880 My name is Ryan. And we are here with an episode 9 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:41,120 on Post Marathon Recovery. Ryan, how is your post marathon 10 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,160 recovery going? Oh, mine's going well. 11 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,040 I mean, how long has it been now? 12 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,400 Like a year and three months. Yeah, it's a long recovery, but 13 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,000 it's working out. I'm feeling good. 14 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,840 You don't know more soreness. My legs are feeling fresh. 15 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:55,480 That's awesome. Yeah. 16 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,800 Yeah, that's really good. So for that reason, we are 17 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,840 bringing on coach Erica Weitz, who is an Olympic trials runner 18 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,640 and a running coach, and we're going to talk to her about all 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:12,000 things marathon recovery and. Her last marathon was more 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,720 recent than mine. Yes, it was. 21 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,720 She ran Boston. She didn't hit her goal, but she 22 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,480 came close to her goal. Yet she still has different 23 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,000 goals for herself, right? She wants to go back to 24 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,760 qualifying for the Olympic Trials. 25 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:27,600 So these are really, really big goals. 26 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,920 And I feel like the bigger our goals are and the closer 27 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:35,080 together our marathons are, the more important it is to have 28 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,600 some really good recovery, right? 29 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,480 Kind of like polarizing. They say run your fast runs fast 30 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:41,480 and your easy runs easy. Yes. 31 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,160 So how long do elite runners take off? 32 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,480 So. Everyone varies right depending 33 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,440 on their coach but I know that John career he takes a full 34 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,400 month off from running. Like he literally doesn't run a 35 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,640 single mile and just stays off his feet for a whole month and 36 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,720 then starts back with Zumba eventually. 37 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,040 They do a lot of Zumba apparently in Kenya and then 38 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:05,680 eventually he starts running again. 39 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,000 Yeah, I bet they have it down to AT as to how to accelerate 40 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,480 training to the point of when they're racing. 41 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:12,960 I know they don't run a lot of marathons. 42 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:14,880 Right. I mean he's young and he runs 2A 43 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,400 year which is a lot, but it doesn't seem like a lot. 44 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,040 I guess it depends, but like compared to you they don't run a 45 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:21,960 lot. Yeah, but I'm also more of a 46 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:23,480 leisure runner, right? Yeah. 47 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:28,120 And I also don't try to race my marathons as you know, I run. 48 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,680 I race maybe 1 marathon a year and the rest of them are just 49 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,720 because I love running so much. Yeah, and if you want to watch 1 50 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,960 of Letty's race blogs, you can find her at Letty Runs on 51 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:40,320 YouTube. Yes. 52 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,080 One word I do love doing those race vlogs. 53 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,360 It's a lot of fun for me to attend these marathons, and I 54 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,000 think if I were really taking a racing series, I probably 55 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,160 wouldn't turn it into a vlog. So there goes that. 56 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:54,720 So you want to get into it? Sure. 57 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:56,760 So without any further ado, I'm now going to play my 58 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,480 conversation with coach Erica Weitz. 59 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,560 All right, so I am back on with run coach Erica Weitz. 60 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,160 Erica, thank you so much for joining me today. 61 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:10,760 Thank you so much Letty for having me. 62 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:12,720 I'm always so excited to be on your podcast. 63 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:15,880 Likewise, I'm so excited to have you, especially with a topic 64 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,520 like this, you know how important marathon recovery is. 65 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:26,640 So I guess with that, I want to kind of hop into it in smaller 66 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:30,440 stages of recovery. When a runner crosses the 67 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,720 marathon finish line, what is the absolute top priority for a 68 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,320 runner to focus on in order to kick start that recovery 69 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:39,800 process? Because I guess I understand 70 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,480 that this happens as soon as you're done with your race. 71 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,280 Yeah, I would definitely recommend to like walk it out. 72 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,000 Like, don't just stop or lay down or, you know, fall on the 73 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,200 ground unless you unfortunately can't control yourself. 74 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,320 But I know some people like it's a dramatic thing. 75 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,400 They want to, you know, they worked hard. 76 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,800 You just you don't want to be on your feet for another second. 77 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,200 So they just drop to the ground. So I would say like, definitely 78 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,400 try to walk it out. Like, it hurts for sure. 79 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,480 And for me, that walking period after I finish, like after I 80 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,800 stop is more painful than during the marathon. 81 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,880 Like it's very excruciating, but you know that you're done, so 82 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,200 it's worth it and you had a, you know, good race and you get all 83 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:23,760 these endorphins going and everything. 84 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,760 But definitely keep walking because you'll get stiff if you 85 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,120 sit down or you start, you stop or you try not to stand. 86 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:32,400 Just try to like keep moving really gently. 87 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,440 And then also like they're giving out water after the right 88 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:38,600 when you finish water and electrolytes, definitely take 89 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,240 that water and electrolytes because you know, I'm sure you 90 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,160 took tons of water and electrolytes during the race or 91 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,200 at every water stop, hopefully. But if whether you did or not, 92 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,160 you know to make sure you're really hydrating after. 93 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:55,160 And then depending on what the temperature is like, if it's if 94 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:57,920 it's below like 50° or below, that's like ideal marathon 95 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,640 weather. And if that's the case, or even 96 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,880 even if it's warmer, you want to put that tinfoil that they give 97 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,360 you that little tinfoil blanket around yourself because like 98 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,280 your body is just very, very vulnerable and you can get 99 00:05:11,280 --> 00:05:14,040 hypothermia because you know, you're moving for so long, 100 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,920 you're sweating for so long. If you stop sometimes you, you 101 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,560 tend to get really cold. I remember myself like 102 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,280 chattering after, after a big race. 103 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:26,960 I'm like, like uncontrollably. So yeah, just make sure that you 104 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:31,240 you put that jacket on, you walk it out, you try to grab like 105 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:33,640 something that has carbs and protein in it. 106 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,480 The sooner you can get that in, the sooner you can recover. 107 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,600 That's going to help with coming back and recovering from the 108 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,200 marathon. So yeah, just try to get, try to 109 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,120 get something in as soon as possible and try to keep moving. 110 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:47,560 That's awesome. That's super helpful. 111 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:53,360 And you know, if if if you're honest, like it's probably very 112 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,320 interesting, I guess to say that whatever the races have for 113 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,200 finishing food might not be the best, right? 114 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,360 Yeah, maybe not the best, but at least get like a banana or 115 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,600 something. You know, some races have really 116 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,920 good food. Like I've had a burrito like 117 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,240 veggie burrito or chicken burrito or egg burrito after 118 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,280 like CIMI, remember? But yeah, even if you might not 119 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:18,280 want it, like just get something in because your metabolism is 120 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:22,600 going so fast and you want to begin that glycogen 121 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,240 replenishment because that will help your muscles recover best. 122 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:29,720 OK. So force it down. 123 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:35,080 And so then I guess with that, the next 48 or 24 to 48 hours, 124 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,800 what are some specific strategies regarding nutrition, 125 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,880 hydration and light activity that's the most beneficial to 126 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,840 minimize that muscle damage and promoting that healing? 127 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,680 Yeah, definitely make sure that you're keeping up that 128 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:52,560 consistent hydration and and having like nutrient dense 129 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,040 meals. So, you know, try to have like 130 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,800 good quality food. I know when I got back from my 131 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:03,800 last marathon from Boston, I had like a protein shake in a packet 132 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,040 and I just, like, put it in water and I was like sipping on 133 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,480 it while I was in the Epsom salt bath. 134 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:10,680 I luckily was able to take one right away. 135 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,080 Those are really good for, like, the magnesium and helping, you 136 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,240 know, restore your muscles. So yeah, just try to have 137 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,520 nutrient dense meals after that. And you can even do like 138 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,880 smaller, more frequent meals rather than like big heavy ones 139 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,400 because sometimes your body doesn't even want like, a big 140 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:29,240 heavy meal. I've had some marathons where 141 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,520 I'm like not hungry at all, but I know I need to eat some and 142 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,720 I'm that's very rare for me because I'm always eating. 143 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:37,360 I can usually eat anything the second I'm done. 144 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,840 But yes, it depends on how your your stomach and everything 145 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:42,680 feels. So try to aim for those like 146 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:47,200 shorter or smaller, more frequent meals, but try to get 147 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:52,680 good nutrients, like, you know, complex carbohydrates, get some 148 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:57,720 good protein and make sure that you're, you're getting that 149 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,280 you're walking it out too. So like maybe you're in a city 150 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,640 for the marathon and instead of taking an Uber, if you can walk 151 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,240 to a local place, that walking is just going to help stretch 152 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,600 those muscles out and and then, you know, do some gentle 153 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:13,880 stretching. So like if they're offering 154 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,040 massage after the race, I always like to try to take advantage of 155 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,000 that, even though, you know, you can't really massage too deep 156 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,160 after running something like a marathon. 157 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,320 So you usually what they'll do is like some really light 158 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,280 dynamic stretching for you and kind of just like light 159 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:33,000 pressing, but that will definitely help to speed up that 160 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,720 recovery process and improve your circulation. 161 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,200 And yeah, don't, don't do any intense activity. 162 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,960 I would say I don't. Some people run like right the 163 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:43,799 day after a marathon. I'm like, I don't know how they 164 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:46,880 do it. But yeah, make sure you can take 165 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:50,320 like either ice bath, Epsom salt bath, if you're able to do a 166 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,320 contrast bath, if you have access to that. 167 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:54,640 Those are really good, like where you do a minute or two in 168 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:59,000 the in the hot bath, a minute or two in the cold and switch off. 169 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,560 That contrast is really good for helping reduce inflammation. 170 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,200 Yeah. So just make sure that you're 171 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,640 you're getting in, you're getting some movement gentle and 172 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:15,480 you're replacing all those fluids, electrolytes and all the 173 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,760 carbohydrates and protein to help rebuild those muscles. 174 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:20,360 Love it. Perfect. 175 00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:24,040 So when it comes to active recovery, I guess that is active 176 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:27,320 recovery, right? Is there anything else that's 177 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:31,000 besides walking is low impact and foam rolling that you 178 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,680 consider low active recovery? Yeah, yeah. 179 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:37,800 So you can do like any, I call cross training. 180 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,040 And cross training is like any cardio activity that's not 181 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,080 running. So any no impact activity. 182 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,880 So like you don't want to do like an intense workout with 183 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,480 this activity, but you can do like rollerblading, cycling, 184 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:55,880 elliptical, swimming, Aqua jogging, something like that. 185 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:57,520 But make sure that it's very, very light. 186 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,480 And so like sometimes if I'm in the city in a marathon, like the 187 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,480 next day, I might maybe we rent a bike and just like gentle easy 188 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,200 biking. So that will actually really 189 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,240 help promote recovery. And there's no impact. 190 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,400 So it's not going to like, you know, be as hard on your muscles 191 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,120 and and all that. So it'll actually help you to 192 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,760 recover pretty well. Yeah. 193 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:24,200 So even just a lot of walking too, you want to make sure that 194 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,040 that will reduce stiffness for sure. 195 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:31,640 And you know you can do like 20 or 30 minutes worth. 196 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,440 You don't have to do a lot, but you'll definitely feel better 197 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,520 afterwards. Very awesome. 198 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,080 Cool. So Ryan and I in the pre 199 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,800 recording talked a little bit about how much time athletes 200 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,480 take off after the marathon. And I know it's probably also 201 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:52,040 very dependent on what your goal was for this marathon and your 202 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,360 time spent on your feet. But what is your? 203 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:00,080 Kind of gauging how long you have your athletes not run after 204 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,680 a marathon. Yeah, I would definitely tell 205 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:07,920 them or advise them to have at least seven days off because 206 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,280 your body is very vulnerable after a marathon. 207 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,240 Like you just put your body through so much stress mentally 208 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,440 and physically. And so I always recommend at 209 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,920 least seven days off. I would say 6 would be like the 210 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:23,120 bare minimum, but try to take at least seven and then 10 would be 211 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,920 like maybe a maximum like if you need a little extra time. 212 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,840 So usually what I recommend is after that seven day period, you 213 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,280 can start introducing like some light easy running. 214 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,640 And usually I only have my athletes go like every other day 215 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:39,680 for that time period, that second week after. 216 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:44,920 Sometimes if, let's say, depending on what kind of shape 217 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:49,600 they were going into the race, if they were, maybe something 218 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,080 happened before the race and they need a little extra time 219 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,560 after. Or maybe they had had injuries 220 00:11:55,560 --> 00:11:57,240 in the past and they just want to make sure they're fully 221 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:59,480 recovered. I might have them cross train on 222 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,000 that 7th or 8th day and then maybe just do a couple days of 223 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:04,560 cross training before we get back into running. 224 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:07,760 But I want to make sure that, you know, any niggles, any kind 225 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:12,240 of like muscle tightness, pain, anything that they might have 226 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:17,720 had from the marathon or even before or or after is gone 227 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:18,960 before they really start running. 228 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,120 But during that time that they're taking off, that seven 229 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,600 day period, it's important to make sure that they keep up foam 230 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,680 rolling. Foam rolling and mobility are 231 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:30,480 extremely important. And in the past, like when I was 232 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:34,880 younger before I started coaching, I would not do that 233 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,360 mobility during that off period. I just do nothing for seven days 234 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,680 and then when I came back I was OK, like I felt good again. 235 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,440 But then I think it was a couple of years ago during that seven 236 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,240 day period, I was kind of used to not doing anything. 237 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:49,320 Came back and I'm like, why am I sore? 238 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,320 And I was older at the time. So I realized that, you know, I 239 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,280 neglected that foam rolling during that seven day period. 240 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,600 So when I came back, I wasn't feeling as fresh as I normally 241 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,520 do. So I definitely say keep up with 242 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:01,880 the foam rolling. So usually put that on my 243 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,640 athletes schedule, like have my foam rolling routine. 244 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,240 It might be something similar to what they normally do or maybe a 245 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,840 little more intense. But yeah, foam rolling as soon 246 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:12,760 as possible after the race is important, too. 247 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,040 And keeping up with mobility, like, yoga is really good. 248 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:20,160 If you do some restorative yoga, hot yoga can be a little 249 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,320 intense, but, you know, if you're ready for it, to make 250 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,520 sure you hydrate really well. And yeah, so then when we come 251 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:28,720 back, it's like a very easing into it process. 252 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,800 I may not even have an athlete do a speed workout until maybe 253 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:35,480 2-3 even four weeks after the marathon. 254 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,360 Awesome. Okay. 255 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,920 And then once a person is ready to reintroduce that running, 256 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:45,800 what does that smart and gradual return to running look like in 257 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,200 these supplicant weeks? So what do you focus on? 258 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,560 Volume or intensity or any other of the body? 259 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,800 Yeah, yeah, definitely. It always depends on the person, 260 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:59,240 but usually you'll take that full seven days off, maybe even 261 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,720 10, usually about 7. Like I know myself and a lot of 262 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:04,400 runners like we're itching to run by the end. 263 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,080 In the beginning, we're like, I need this recovery. 264 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:08,320 I'm so happy to take off. And then by the end you're like, 265 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,760 Oh my gosh, get me back. So usually in that week off, 266 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,120 like I said, lots of foam rolling mobility. 267 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:17,440 You can go for easy walks if you want to cycle swim, do any of 268 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,880 that cross training, very easy, 20-30 minutes. 269 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,520 You can, but you don't have to as long as you're, you know, 270 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,560 foam roll angio mobility that second week back usually is like 271 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,760 very light running and usually every other day. 272 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,640 So in those days in between, you can either take off foam roll 273 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,400 mobility or you can cross trade in between. 274 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,040 And then I know for there's a lot of overachievers and they 275 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,360 want to run every day that second, that first week back. 276 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,800 But it's really beneficial to just ease into it slowly because 277 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,440 like I said, your body is so vulnerable after that marathon. 278 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:53,160 It really could take like up to three months for your body to 279 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,280 like fully, fully recover. But even in that time, you can 280 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:57,760 still run. You can still have some really 281 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,680 good runs as long as you ease back into it. 282 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,960 So that first week like every other day running nice and easy, 283 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,520 usually about 30 to 40 minutes, maybe 45, but I try to keep it 284 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,520 like 30. And then maybe at the end of the 285 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,800 week you can increase it to 4045 every other day. 286 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,480 And then the next week back, sometimes I'll we'll have like a 287 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,360 kind of a normal schedule of like maybe someone's running 288 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:24,640 four or five days a week. And then we'll have like still 289 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,640 keep the runs easy and short. Depending on how the athletes 290 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,600 were covering, we may do some strides like later on in the 291 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:35,720 week, but just some light gentle strides like maybe 70 to 80% 292 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,320 effort. Then that third week of running 293 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,360 back. So 4th week after the marathon. 294 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,440 Then depending on how, if you know some athletes have like 295 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,840 races lined up, it's kind of nice to not have a race lined up 296 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,800 for a while and maybe you know, build that, you know, build, 297 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:52,560 ease back into it and build that base up. 298 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,920 But depending on if they have a race, we might do a workout like 299 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,480 the second or third week back. Otherwise, we might wait till 300 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,720 that third week of running again and then we'll introduce like 301 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:06,720 an, a short easy workout or maybe even just like extended 302 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,160 strides, maybe like we normally do 4-6 strides after an easy 303 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:12,800 run. So maybe we do 6:00 to 8:00 or 304 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,000 8:00 to 10:00. Yeah. 305 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,120 And then usually after that, depending on, you know, how 306 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,160 they're feeling, we might just kind of gradually work back into 307 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,360 a regular schedule. But making sure we're only 308 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,200 increasing the mileage like 10% a week and, and giving those 309 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,320 recovery weeks in between is really important. 310 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,120 So once you're back in a regular schedule after about 3 weeks, 311 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:36,560 we'll have like of recovery week again before we build up for the 312 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,320 next cycle. That sounds so awesome, thank 313 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:43,400 you for all that insight. One topic that I know you're 314 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,240 very well worse and also is nutrition. 315 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:50,240 So beyond the immediate post race window, what are some 316 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,120 specific nutritional strategies that runner should prioritize in 317 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,200 the first weeks following a marathon and why? 318 00:16:57,400 --> 00:16:59,440 Yeah, nutrition is always very, very important. 319 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,000 Some people think like, oh, if they're not running as much, 320 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:04,640 then they shouldn't be eating as much. 321 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,920 But it's like, OK, maybe you're not having quite as many carbs 322 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,000 as you were when you were carbo loading before the marathon, but 323 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,599 you still want to make sure that you're having those, you know, 324 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:17,119 those good nutrients, those nutrient dense carbohydrates and 325 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,160 protein, because those are essential no matter what level 326 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:23,200 of activity that you're doing. So for me, like there's certain 327 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,680 carbohydrates that I love, but I can't eat before I'm running or 328 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:28,840 if I'm intense running, one of them is quinoa. 329 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,360 It's such an amazing food because it has protein and carbs 330 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,000 and but it kind of upsets my stomach if I'm doing intense 331 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,960 running, But I know that if I'm like running easier, it's not 332 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:39,760 that bad. So I'll have more of that like 333 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:42,720 after my run. Everyone's body's different. 334 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:44,960 So you got to see like what works best for you. 335 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,960 But but definitely prioritize like good complex carbohydrates 336 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,280 like whole grains, whole grains, fruits and veggies. 337 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,720 You want to make sure that you're you're eating your fruits 338 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:56,400 and veggies. You need those antioxidants. 339 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,520 Those are going to help you stay healthy and keep the immune 340 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:04,040 system up and making sure like you're, you know, getting good 341 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:08,000 protein, like whether if you're vegetarian, like tofu, beans, 342 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,120 eggs, if you're, if you're not like, you know, chicken, lean 343 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:14,640 meat, red meat. I'll also take this time to have 344 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:18,000 maybe a little bit more red meat because usually red meat will 345 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,720 upset my stomach if I'm running like really intense. 346 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:22,480 And it does take a long time to digest. 347 00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:26,120 Coming from someone who has had a lot of low iron, I know I need 348 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:28,400 that. And your body is still 349 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,360 rebuilding from the marathon. So your metabolism is still 350 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,760 going to be up for a while too. So like I'll take the time to 351 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,280 have more the red meat and maybe like those starchy veggies that 352 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,040 maybe don't work before a big race or work out like a 353 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,480 cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, things like 354 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,600 that. I'll have more of that since I 355 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:50,680 wouldn't be able to have as much of that before. 356 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:54,520 And yeah, just prioritize having a good, good healthy diet. 357 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,280 You want to make sure that you're you're still recovering 358 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,120 and that's going to help you in the recovery process, even those 359 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:03,960 weeks leading up to or leading out of coming out of your 360 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,440 marathon. So yeah, they'll help to reduce 361 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:10,640 inflammation too. Stay well hydrated for sure with 362 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,880 water and electrolytes. And then those good leafy greens 363 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:14,480 will also help with hydration too. 364 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:20,280 And yeah, make sure you're getting avoiding processed foods 365 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,360 if you can. I know sometimes you got to 366 00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:26,920 enjoy like you want to have some foods that you didn't have maybe 367 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:28,760 before your race because you were trying to make sure that 368 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,040 you're perform well. And if you want some ice cream, 369 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,720 you can have it. There's also always like healthy 370 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,920 alternatives to like maybe unhealthy foods. 371 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,200 So for instance, the Ninja creamy, which I'm obsessed with. 372 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,720 So it makes ice cream. You can put whatever ingredients 373 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,600 you want, but whatever you put in, it tastes like ice cream. 374 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:47,760 So yeah, there's like there's so many different alternatives. 375 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,160 There's good, good, healthy dark chocolates you can have. 376 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,920 And yeah, make sure that you you are still consistently hydrating 377 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,800 and keeping good nutrition even after your race. 378 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:00,640 Perfect. Love it. 379 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:02,400 I love all those little habits that you have 'cause I know 380 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:06,840 you're a big fan of ice cream. My next question about sleep. 381 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:11,360 I know that when we're tapering we're being told to sleep extra, 382 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,720 and then now that we're done with the marathon, are we still 383 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:19,120 being told to sleep extra or when do we actually go back to a 384 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:20,240 regular sleep? Cycle. 385 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:23,640 Oh yeah, yeah. Well, it also depends, like 386 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,480 usually 7 to 9 hours is like that, you know, ideal period. 387 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,880 I, I think at least 8 to 9 or maybe even 8 to 10. 388 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:32,960 Maybe when you're in deep marathon training, you're 389 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,600 getting like closer to some people. 390 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:37,600 A lot of professionals will get 10 hours of sleep. 391 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:39,760 That's kind of hard for a lot of people. 392 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:44,440 But I would say try to maintain a regular sleep cycle as much as 393 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,840 you can. Try to at least get that 7 to 9 394 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:50,040 hours each night. And that's going to help you 395 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:53,280 because when you're sleeping, that's when your body releases 396 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:56,520 the growth hormone, which is like essential for repairing 397 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,720 your muscles and your tissues and, you know, making sure that 398 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,760 you're recovering properly. So after that, marathon sleep's 399 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:05,760 really important. It's hard to sleep sometimes, 400 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,680 like after a big, big race. I don't know if you ever 401 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,920 experienced that, but sometimes like because your heart rate's 402 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:15,720 been going for so long and then it's like it's really hard to 403 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:17,720 wind down. And also you have the excitement 404 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,800 everything. So maybe, you know, just make 405 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,840 sure you stay off the screens at night, like the normal sleep 406 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,720 hygiene they call it trying to avoid blue light at night. 407 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,280 I have blue blocker glasses that I use that help with that. 408 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,720 So I try to wear those like after 7:30 PM if I can or 8:00 409 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,680 PM because it doesn't really interrupt the sleep. 410 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,240 And yeah, I think your body, you probably will sleep pretty well 411 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,360 at least, if not the night after the marathon, after that, 412 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:46,880 because your body really needs it and needs it for repair. 413 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:48,720 So make sure you give yourself that time. 414 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:51,680 Make sure that like your room is dark, it's quiet. 415 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,560 I have blackout curtains that help a lot with that. 416 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,800 And then also like as you get older, your body becomes more 417 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,040 sensitive to certain things like caffeine and alcohol and things 418 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,200 like that. So definitely try to avoid those 419 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,520 before you go to sleep or even in even after like afternoon. 420 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,120 I know for me, I always tell people and they think it's funny 421 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:14,200 like I can't drink caffeine after 6:00 AM because if I do, I 422 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,720 won't sleep at night. Literally like I drank coffee 423 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,440 one time at 10 AM and I could bear it was so hard to sleep 424 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:23,320 that night. It's crazy, but really, Yeah, I 425 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,080 know, right. So I pretty much avoid caffeine 426 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,480 all together. But like before marathon, I'll 427 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,160 have some and before hard workouts, sometimes long runs as 428 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:34,160 long as it's early because it is a performance enhancer. 429 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,760 But it does really upset the sleep. 430 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,840 So you want to make sure that you're you're sleeping well so 431 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,320 that your body and your, your muscles and your tissues are 432 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,960 able to repair properly. And then you'll be ready for the 433 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,000 next upcoming training cycle. I love it. 434 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,720 This is super informative. Yeah, this is always a thing, 435 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:52,840 right? Some people can sleep. 436 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,000 Very well after a marathon. So well that they go home and 437 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,920 they don't even wake up anymore. And then others, including 438 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:03,040 myself, we're just insomniatic for the next two days because we 439 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,640 can't sleep. Oh my gosh, that's crazy. 440 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:09,040 Yeah, a lot of people have. Everyone's different when it 441 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,080 comes to sleep, so you just got to make sure you're like 442 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:14,760 creating the best environment for possible, even if that means 443 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,920 bringing an extra pillow to the to the hotel, bring your own 444 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:19,680 pillow that's. A good idea? 445 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,320 No, it's true. I've seen people traveling with 446 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,840 pillows, so when it comes to pain management, I know that 447 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,440 during marathon training. We were told to. 448 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:30,960 Stay away from anti inflammatories because 449 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,680 anti-inflammatory response from our body helps us with building 450 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,160 what our body is trying to do and taking anti inflammatories 451 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,520 during marathon training is going to backfire and do you 452 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:44,680 know, not allow the body to adapt as well as it should. 453 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,560 What about after the race? What are some approaches of 454 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:53,280 managing that painful muscle soreness and should a runner be 455 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:58,720 concerned and seek medical advice or take medication? 456 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,040 Yeah, yeah, it depends on like what kind of pain you're 457 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,560 experiencing. I never, the only time I ever 458 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,800 take anti inflammatories is if like maybe I had like an injury 459 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:12,320 or something like in the past when I had foot issues and the 460 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,320 foot doctor prescribed it because it would help with, you 461 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:17,280 know, the pain. But sometimes those do mask the 462 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,880 pain and then you don't really know like what's going on. 463 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,400 You're not able to best listen to your body and help recover. 464 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,400 So yeah, you can take them like sparingly, but just make sure 465 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,920 that it's not excessive. Your body can get used to it if 466 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:33,400 you take too much too. But I would say like definitely, 467 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,880 definitely keep up with the foam rolling and the stretching and 468 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:39,400 dynamic stretching yoga. If you can get to yoga classes, 469 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:41,640 that always helps you stretch more than you would on your own. 470 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,240 Or like there's videos and stuff on YouTube you can use for yoga 471 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,040 stretching. And yeah, getting mobility 472 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:52,600 Pilates is, is really good because that's like like matte 473 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,040 Pilates because that would be like a lot of stretching or also 474 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:57,360 a good core workout. So maybe you can do that like 475 00:24:57,360 --> 00:24:59,280 towards the end of that first or second week. 476 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,080 Yeah, just making sure like you don't know, you really want to 477 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:06,960 avoid leg weights like afterwards because your, your 478 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:08,200 muscles are still really repairing. 479 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,440 So you could do like light resistance bands and stuff like 480 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:11,600 that. That will actually help stretch 481 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,640 you out and and keep you more mobile. 482 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:16,160 But yeah, Epsom salt baths are really good. 483 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,200 I try to take those as much as I can for recovery. 484 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,760 I also try to get a massage, like a real deep tissue massage, 485 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:23,800 maybe a couple days after your marathon. 486 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:25,800 And then the last one, I think I took him. 487 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,120 I got a massage about a week after, but I wish I'd gotten one 488 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:31,280 sooner. And then I still felt like an 489 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,040 hour and a half wasn't enough, so I had to come back like a 490 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:35,600 week and a half later for another one. 491 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,880 Yeah, it's crazy. Like muscles that you don't even 492 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:43,280 know are probably tight because like, I felt my legs the most, 493 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:45,520 but then I didn't realize my upper body was so tight. 494 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:48,400 And that can make your lower body tight also. 495 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:51,320 But yeah, when you run the marathon, like everything is 496 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:53,600 tight. So make sure you get that that 497 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:55,240 good massage. It's totally worth it. 498 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,040 It's like one of those non negotiables for me. 499 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:01,880 I'm like, if you know, all else fails, get a massage. 500 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,480 It's very, very important. So yeah. 501 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:09,120 And then just, yeah, make sure that you're doing your best to 502 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:13,320 recover and getting that good sleep to. 503 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,560 Yeah. If there's any like really bad 504 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:18,680 pain that you notice or it's something out of the ordinary or 505 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,440 it could be like potential injury, keep cross training. 506 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,280 Try to avoid running in that case. 507 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,000 If you have a coach, talk to your coach. 508 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:28,760 I know I always try to help my athletes as much as I can if 509 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:30,480 they are feeling something out of the ordinary. 510 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,960 Usually if they tell me right away that something's painful, 511 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,320 then, you know, I'll try to gauge what kind of pain level 512 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:40,240 they have and give them some exercises to do that will help 513 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,240 them to feel better. But if that pain persists for 514 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,440 like a week or more than that's when I want to refer them to 515 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,480 somebody who a specialist, like either a physical therapist or 516 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:53,040 foot doctor, sports medicine doctor or something like that to 517 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,200 figure out like what's really going on soon. 518 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:59,360 So we can, yeah, make sure that make sure that you feel better 519 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:01,680 and you're able to run healthfully. 520 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:04,800 The sooner you address an issue, the better. 521 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:09,200 So yeah, make sure you talk to your coach or or professional, 522 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:11,440 you know, medical doctor if you need to. 523 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:13,840 Perfect super. Insightful. 524 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,680 Thank you for that and I guess now I'm going to bring in 525 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:21,440 another topic which is mental recovery because, you know, we 526 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:25,120 don't talk about it much, but a marathon is a significant mental 527 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:27,840 undertaking. So what are some overlooked 528 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,400 aspects of the mental recovery post marathon? 529 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,320 And how can runners address potential feelings of let down, 530 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,560 fatigue, or, you know, you've heard about the marathon Blues. 531 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,040 Oh yeah, for sure. The marathon Blues can happen 532 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,720 whether you did well or whether you didn't do well in a race. 533 00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:46,680 I know like there's been times where I had a really good race 534 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,400 and I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm on cloud 9. 535 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,120 This is the best thing ever. And then I'm like, wait, is it 536 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:53,760 really that good? It's just a time. 537 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:55,480 And then you're like, no, you got to be proud of yourself. 538 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,400 You guys celebrate. And then sometimes just like 539 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:02,600 having a future, either a future race to look forward to, maybe 540 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:07,600 in the in the far future, or maybe like, you know, reflecting 541 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:11,200 on what you could have done better for the for the next race 542 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:14,600 and maybe focusing whether it's running related or not doing 543 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,720 that to prepare you best for like the future. 544 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,880 So that's what really helped me. Like I finished the Boston 545 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,560 Marathon and I run my best Boston time, but I didn't run 546 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,000 the time that I was hoping to run. 547 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:28,760 And in the past, I would have let that get me down really 548 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,000 hard. But I've run so many races and I 549 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,600 know that like, I kind of looked at like my training, what could 550 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:37,360 I have done better? And now I'm working on those 551 00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:38,920 things. One of them is like strength. 552 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,520 And so that's like something I can really focus on now that I'm 553 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,280 not intensely marathon training, doing a little bit more 554 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,480 strength. So yeah, look at like, and then 555 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,320 also what excites you? Like, OK, now I can take some 556 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,760 more reformer Pilates classes. Those are so much fun. 557 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,200 Couldn't do a lot of those when I was in deep marathon training. 558 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:58,240 And now I'm like, all right, I'm going to sign up for some more 559 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:00,520 of that. Well, maybe you want to try 560 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,880 something new like a boxing or something. 561 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:04,440 Everyone tells me I should try that. 562 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,920 I'm like, let's try it out or like self-defense class or 563 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:08,760 something. But yeah, taking the time to 564 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:12,240 like do something different maybe, or, or keep running, but 565 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:16,640 maybe focus on training for like maybe a different type of race 566 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:18,320 or shorter race or something like that. 567 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,120 Yeah. And the mental, mental. 568 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:26,360 And so like people do overlook the mental aspect because it's 569 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:28,560 draining. Like marathon training sometimes 570 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,960 your, your mind, you know, you've been focusing for so long 571 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,720 and trying to hit these miles and hit this pace. 572 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,080 So like, give your mind a break. And I think a good way to do 573 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:40,760 that is maybe just not have a race for a little bit. 574 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:45,360 And then just like give yourself that time to recuperate. 575 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,560 And also don't forget about what you did right for the training, 576 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:51,920 not just what you did wrong. We can do better, but like what 577 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,120 what you did well and what you want to repeat and do again. 578 00:29:56,800 --> 00:30:00,400 And that's going to help you with your mental, mental 579 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:05,200 strength because sometimes you get like, I know sometimes even 580 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,360 leading up to a marathon, like you feel maybe a little burnt 581 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:12,560 out, like lack of motivation. But the best thing to do is just 582 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:14,080 remember like why you're doing it. 583 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,480 And then also remember that unless you're like professional 584 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:20,720 and you're doing it for your job, you're doing it for fun and 585 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:22,400 you want to make sure you keep it fun. 586 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:26,920 Otherwise, you know, it loses the you lose that love for it. 587 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,520 And so you don't want to lose that love for running because 588 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,560 running is an amazing thing, brings together great people. 589 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,360 And then the race is just so exciting in itself. 590 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,120 I know most people when they finish the marathon, they're 591 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,440 like, or right before the marathon, they think that 592 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:40,560 they're never going to do another one. 593 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:42,600 And then once they finish, they're like, oh, yes, I'm 594 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,000 definitely doing another one. But you don't want to jump into 595 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,120 it. So just remember the process and 596 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:51,760 how much fun it is and give yourself time for the process 597 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:56,160 and think about what you enjoy with it and, and do that. 598 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:58,640 And yeah, and then maybe some things you don't enjoy, like 599 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,000 maybe you need more hill workouts, but you don't really 600 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,040 like hills, but maybe bring some friends with you to the hills 601 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:07,720 and you might actually really like it. 602 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,600 This is so much great information, Erica. 603 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,920 Thank you so much. And for our listeners that are 604 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:17,960 interested in learning more about you and your coaching 605 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,280 methods and want to get in touch, maybe you can let us know 606 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:21,880 how everyone can get in touch with you. 607 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:26,640 Yeah, definitely would love to talk to you and I do free 30 608 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,440 minute consultations with anyone who might be interested in 609 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:31,920 coaching just to see if it's a good fit for you. 610 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:38,000 You can definitely contact me at erica@exclusiveendurance.com and 611 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,480 there's 2ES in the middle. You can also find me on 612 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:49,000 Instagram at Erica Whites runs and that's ERICAWEITZ Runs our 613 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:52,040 UNS or you can check out my website at 614 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:56,400 exclusiveendurance.com and I would love to hear from you. 615 00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,240 Perfect. Thank you so much for coming on. 616 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:01,520 Thanks Letty, thanks so much for having me. 617 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:07,640 Glad we got to chat. Thank you, Erica. 618 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,840 It was a very pleasant conversation with you as always 619 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:14,400 and thank you for your insights. And hopefully, if we are here to 620 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:19,520 this marathon post recovery plan, maybe, just maybe, our 621 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:22,600 next training cycle, we'll start off on the right foot. 622 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:24,680 And good luck with your training, Erica. 623 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:28,640 Yes, absolutely. Hopefully she'll meet her goals 624 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:32,680 and do well at the next trials. Yes, we're big fans and always 625 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,040 cheering you on, Erica. So that's that and that's. 626 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,880 It for this week. And with that. 627 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:42,360 Thank you so much for tuning in. As Ryan mentioned, check us out 628 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,080 on YouTube. We're at Letty Runs. 629 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,000 Everything we talked about and everyone we talked to you can 630 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:51,040 find in our show notes. Hopefully you learned something 631 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:53,440 from this conversation. And with that. 632 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:59,280 Have a good week of running. Thanks for tuning in. 633 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:02,320 For more information, go. To WWW dot. 634 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:06,560 Marathonrunningpodcast.com or check us out on all channels.