Linda Donaldson: Why Rest and Recovery is Essential Training

Linda Donaldson discusses the importance of post-race recovery.

I am having a restful week after completing my main event of the season - The Cotwolds Middle Distance Triathlon. I pleased to report after months of training, where there were lots of highs and a few lows, I got on the start line with a smile on my face which remained the whole way round. The nerves I had experienced in the days immediately prior to the day disappeared quickly once I started swimming mainly because the lake was warm and the morning quiet and beautiful at 6.30am!

With a good swim and a decent bike time behind me, I entered the run with only a slight feeling of in trepidation. Hoping my right leg and glute - which has been suffering from a sciatic nerve type pain - would hold out.  I was pleasantly surprised as I paced off slowly on lap 1 that it did not feel bad at all. 

The run was split down into three, four mile lap course. I felt good after lap one if not rather soggy and muddy as the heavens opened and we had the most torrential downpour you could imagine. That said it was ideal conditions for me as I tend to overheat easily particularly when running.  Once I stopped worrying about my leg I realised that I was feeling good in myself and that my fitness really must have improved as even though I was jogging / running I did not once feel I had to stop and walk. By lap 3 my leg was aching a bit but not enough to worry me and I finished my event in 6 hours 8 minutes, truly elated. 

In fact I am still on a high, so much so I am itching to get back training. But I am heeding the advice of my trainers and taking a few days off to rest and recover properly. Mostly this involves eating well, stretching and using a foam roller on my quads, calves, glutes and anywhere else that is niggling. It is a bit sore but a foam roller is a good way to really flush out your legs and ease the aches.

Today is the second day after the race and my legs were really feeling too heavy to do a recovery run so I have been for a gentle leisurely swim and it has really helped. I am planning on a couple of miles in the morning just to see how everything feels and I will probably swim again later in the day. 

The trouble with a recovery period is that even although the training pressure is off the main event I feel like I should be doing something. Somehow I need a new challenge even although I have just finished this one, but equally I would like some time to just enjoy training and recover my leg completely. So I will start to think about what I want to achieve next and continue to enjoy some easy training. Today though I will have a glass of red wine with my feet up!