My work travels have taken me to the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been here a number of times, but this marks the first when I’ve actually seen that ball of fire in the sky. I just assumed that “overcast and rainy” was the city motto. Fortunately, this oddity and 58* temps made for a rather pleasant running experience. After 21 on Sunday and sitting for 6 hours courtesy of [insert whichever crappy airline you hate], the likelihood for leg stiffness was quite high. Therefore, I was more than happy to sneak a run in not long after landing.
My route:
Lake Union
I took a spin around Lake Union in the heart of Seattle. Yep, that view does not suck. I admit that I caught myself looking around more than usual to take advantage of the scenery and managed not to face plant in the process. Win. Seattle can be picturesque, but those times tend to be rare. The terrain was largely a mix of sidewalks along the pier, a few small bridges and some asphalt. For the most part it was flat … until the last 2 miles, which were uphill … not the ideal thing for a recovery run, but it was ok. My legs felt surprisingly good. Monday’s are always a scheduled rest day, but the travel schedule required an adjustment to the plan. I’ll be interested to see how I feel on Tuesday because usually I feel crappy (long Sunday, off Monday, run Tuesday). It could be shaking out a long run the next day is a good thing.
By the way, after some solid advice from @mpatent, I’ve got the post-long run recovery routine down to a science:
- Immediately after: Endurox, banana, brioche/bagels (or some form of carb)
- Cold plunge in bath tub (10 min) sipping on sports drink, then hot shower (reduce swelling, encourage blood flow)
- Contort legs to get into compression tights
- Meal 1: Cheerios, toast, eggs, strawberries (or blackberries), CytoMax
- Nap (usually this means blacking out for 20-40mins and wondering if I actually fell asleep)
- Meal 2: Cheerios, slices of pizza, and some leftovers (can’t even remember now)
- Walking around the city (had to run errands) to help mitigate stiffness, enhance blood flow
- Legs up for balance of day and intermittent stretching
- Sleepytime by 10pm (usually earlier)
The upshot is that these steps drive glycogen replenishment (note the carbs), reduce stiffness and prep the body for the next hard effort.
Back to the run itself … it’s always interesting to traverse new areas, so from that perspective, I loved it. The downside of traversing new areas is that I always find myself looking around (and occasionally pausing) to make sure I’m not falling off the beaten path. You might say “how is that possible given that you ran in a circle?” I’m directionally bankrupt. Still, I managed to find my way back to the hotel 7.5 miles (8:33 pace) later feeling lucky to have run in such a beautiful city (and not get lost).