I winced as I gingerly swung my legs out of bed, every step a reminder of the post-run recovery I didn’t do after repeats on Sulphur mountain.
I woke up Sunday morning with my legs feeling stiff as a board. Note to self: next time do not skip the stretching or mobility work after a big day on the trail.
This is the price you pay when you skip the vert and run flat – oh and skip the immediate recovery after a long, challenging day.
It has been a long while since I felt the effects of a tough vert day – and wow, my legs are definitely feeling it. All in all I got in about 1,400 elevation again over roughly 20-ish kilometres. It was a fast-paced hike/jog to the Sulphur mountain summit before a solid cruise down to the trailhead.
I have been running local lately, which means I am not getting in a lot of serious vert. I have also been focusing on strength in the gym – building that body that can withstand long and challenging days in the mountains.
That said, I definitely needed that kick in the butt to step up my training for Sinister 7. Six months may seem like a lot of time, but I know it’ll fly by faster than I think.
Post-run recovery
I admit I didn’t do that much post-run recovery when I got home from Banff on Saturday. It was early enough that I could have stretched, done some mobility work or foam rolling. But instead, I waited until the next day to try to undo the damage of the hard day.
The next day, I ran to the gym and flushed out my legs on the bike. Later that night I spent some time with my massage gun before calling it a night. Monday I was still walking a little funny but my legs were in better shape.
Lessons learned
Recovery isn’t something I can push aside if I want to stay injury free during this training season – regardless of how strong or experienced I think I am. Every challenging effort – whether it is on a mountain or in the gym – requires some level of self-care or recovery. I would argue it is just as important as the training itself.