Congratulations! You’ve put in the miles and completed your race! After the miles of training, speedwork, runs with friends, and perhaps even a new personal best, you may be wondering what’s next?
Recovery is Training
You’ve spent several weeks building up to race day and part of training is also resting. Taking downtime away from running is also a necessity in your long term recovery and running goals. Typically recommendation for a full or half is around 2 weeks, for shorter distances you can take less time off due to the duration of the event. Time off running allows for muscles, ligaments, and bones to recover from the stress of day to day impact to build back when you resume training. This is a great opportunity to also determine how you felt or if you had a nagging ache or pain that needs to be addressed before you resume training.
Mental rest is also important to reset your routine to focus on other activities that were in the background while training for race day became the priority.
Other Outlets to Keep you Moving
Just because you’re not running does not mean there are no other ways to keep moving that reduce the impact. Again, a break between training cycles allows for both mental and physical recovery so it’s okay to take time to just rest. For movement, intensity low during this period but if movement is your mental reprieve there are other outlets you can ready for.
Walking
Walking allows you to move your legs at a low impact and catch up with friends. We still recommend coming out to Dave’s events such as Dave’s Monday Runday where you can get your evening walk in with friends and even celebrate your medal Monday. A reminder, your walking shoe is just as important as you running shoe, make sure your shoes still have cushion! Check with the staff at Dave’s Running Shop and if anything changed with your walking or running shoe, now is the time to be refitted.
Cross Training
Cross Training can involve low impact activities such as biking, the elliptical, or even swimming. This is a great way to get in movement and build back endurance when you resume training. We recommend talking to our friends at CycleWerks who can provide options for an indoor bike training during the colder months and have their own meetups.
Strength Training
Now is the time where you can build a strong foundation when you begin a new training cycle. Perhaps your own strength training or rehab exercises from your Physical Therapist fell behind in the block or like mileage in a taper, you tapered off your own strength and conditioning. A break is a good point to lay the foundation for habits to keep you strong so that building back into running is that much smoother.
If you were dealing with an ache or pain, now is the time to address it with a professional and we at Dave’s Training are proud to work with Mercy Health Physical Therapist to address what needs to be done to keep participants moving.
Returning to Running
The break is done and you are ready to return to running. In the early weeks of training, it’s important to keep the amount of running light especially if you are planning a spring race. That’s where guidance is important.
Meet up with Running Friends
Dave’s Monday Runday and Dave’s Meet4Movement provides the perfect opportunity to meet up during the holidays to restart your training, These programs are open to all distances and paces including both walking and running. Dave’s Monday Runday meets every Monday at 6:30pm at the Dave’s Sylvania location
Dave’s Meet4Movement provides an outlet for movement during the holiday season. Starting in December, Dave’s Meet4Movement meets four Saturdays a we countdown to Dave’s flagship training program, Dave’s Spring in Training.
Look for a Coach or Training Program
As the official training program for the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon, Dave’s Spring in Training provides multiple programs from beginner 5k and standard 5k training up to beginner half marathon, standard half marathon, and full marathon. With multiple coaches in each pace group, Mercy Health Physical Therapists to keep you running, participants are set up for success. Can’t make it in person? Remote Training is also an option where a coach will be in touch with you during the week via Training Tilt to provide weekly feedback on workouts and long runs.
Have goals for a specific race? Dave’s Training Program Director Bob Masters has years of experience as an Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier, coaching runners of all levels from high school, to full and half marathon, up to ultra distances. Through Dave’s Personal Training, Coach Bob can help create a training plan specific to your goal race and guide you through the training.
We at Dave’s Running want to congratulate everyone on a great fall season and when it’s time for you to run and move again, we cannot wait to see you.
