Post run recovery

Due to the high humidity it felt really hot today.  I only saw a couple of people I normally see on the road. One elderly gentleman who goes for a walk. I think he goes for a walk every day, because I always run into him somewhere along the course. Then there was this well built person in track pants with a lot of weight tied around his waist. Usually he does a brisk walk with his daughter. Today the father was alone. There are two other older gentlemen who normally do brisk walking on the same route but they were missing today.  But there was someone new - a young woman who I had never seen before.  As I was coming down a hill before my last mile she was turning around the corner and heading up the hill.  Looked like she meant business as she was shifting gears approaching the hill. May be she is preparing for a race. Most of the folks you see on the course are usually friendly and greet each other. It was good to these folks along the way.

I was sweating like a pig about three miles into the run due to the humidity. So I needed to hydrate a lot today - meaning drinking lots of fluids - water.  Hydrate is techno speak for runners - sounds more exotic than saying "drink water" :-)

The body needs three types of recovery after a long run - fluid recovery, fuel recovery and cellular recovery. A lot of fluid is lost during a long run. One time I weighed myself before and after about an hour's run. It was a fairly good day that was not particularly hot or humid. I had lost about 2.4 lbs (more than a kg)!  That is all fluids lost. You need to drink a lot of water during the rest of the day to replenish all that lost fluid. It would help to drink some sports drinks immediately after the run as a lot of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium are lost through the sweat.  Many sports drink replenish these salts.  Water is best for hydration during the rest of the day. Normally, there is no such thing as too much hydration - so keep drinking water throughout the day.

You also need to replenish all the lost carbs. Running is the art of converting food into miles. So eat a lot of carbohydrate rich food, but avoid foods rich in simple sugars.

Lastly, your sore muscles need recovery, too.  Pro runners take ice bath in a tub after hard sessions or races. If you feel particularly sore in your body, you could fill a tub with cold water and chill your body in it. I simply stand under a cold shower. Actually, I cheat a bit - I stand under the shower in my running clothes which kind of softens the impact of the cold water. Although you feel cold and not as cozy as standing under a warm shower, your body will thank you for the rest of the day and recover faster.  Finally, give your body the recovery time it needs.

Ice on some sore joints tonight. Tomorrow is rest day. I'll do some stretches.

Happy running, or happy recovery - whatever you are doing today!