Recovery Is Key.
This morning at my gym I saw a quote that read “Recovery is what makes athletes elite.” I thought to myself how true this statement was and furthermore, how overlooked the process of recovery (both physically and nutritionally) sometimes is.
Casey helping with some post run stretches!
I think back to my days of high school cross country. We would do our workout at practice, do some core depending on the day, then I would leave-- typically I had another practice to get to, or I just wanted to get home and eat and start homework. That was always my mindset, on to the next thing. Many of my other teammates would take their time and stretch, but not me, it was always “what’s next”. This continued throughout my entire high school career. Going from one workout to the next, only taking a break to shove food in my mouth so I wouldn’t pass out and the occasional epsom salt bath encouraged by my fitness enthusiast of a mom. Any little pain or strain that I felt I simply iced and hoped it would go away, or ignored it all together and worked through, thinking it would just heal itself…newsflash: it doesn’t, and in college I started to feel it all catch up with me at once.
My body started taking longer to bounce back after a hard workout or strength session. I was no longer a freshman in high school where my body could withstand just about anything with limited recovery and repair. This is when I was introduced to the “wonderful” world of consistent ice baths, foam rolling, physical therapy, and obviously nutrition that I was now responsible for on my own. It didn’t happen overnight. I had to get used to etching out extra time in my day to allow me the proper recovery. I would stretch on my own after practice, have to find my own ride home after practice so I could stay later and get treatment, and I became a professional snack packer so I was always fueled. It helped, a ton. I still had my fair share of bumps and bruises but I can honestly say that I don’t think I could have survived all of college athletics while playing at the level I wanted to play at, had I not learned the power of recovery.
Proof that sleep is DEFINITELY part of the recovery process, especially after Ironman #2
To this day, it continues to be something i have to focus on to ensure it’s done properly. Now more than ever it’s easy to want to come home after a long workout and simply take a nap (however sleep is key for recovery too, but maybe not immediately after a workout), but then I think about how awfulI I would feel after, and choose otherwise. It doesn’t have to be much but if after a workout I can:
do my quick 20 minutes of physical therapy exercises
stretch for 10 minutes (I use the Peloton app to help me stay focused)
roll out any tight/sore muscles
get something nutritious in my body while simultaneously ice any nagging injury
I consider it a win. It doesn’t always happen that way, but it’s always my goal. It makes a huge difference in not only how my body recovers immediately, but more importantly how it performs the next day. I think of it as rewarding my muscles. They just helped me get through an intense training, and they need love, nutrients, and care so that they can do it all again tomorrow.
Now, I may not be an elite athlete, but I truly believe recovery can make everyone a better athlete, no matter their status. It will look different for everybody, just choose one simple thing and start there.
Now go stretch!
-Brooke