What a great weekend! I have been taking it pretty easy since the Boston marathon last week, but I did get out for a nice ten miler on Saturday. It's what my running partners call a "victory lap". There are quite a few things you should do to help your recovery after a marathon. I do some of them. I should do more of them.
Mark Buciak, who I've mentioned before in this space, has a list of recovery tips he gives to the runners he coaches. They have helped him run 28 Boston marathons in a row, so there must be something to it! I'll share some of the highlights. Mark suggests getting a message and taking a yoga class once a week. You shouldn't think about racing for quite a while after a marathon, so you have to have something to keep you focused and disciplined. One of those things can be cross-training. If you belong to a gym, try a spin class. Do your core workouts daily, and get in the pool when you can. Swimming is not only great cross-training, but the water helps your recovery. Mark is starting another training group on May 9th to help prepare you for a fall marathon. You can find out more information by e-mailing him at: www.theroadtoboston@rcn.com.
I'm not ready to think about another marathon, but I am signed up for a half marathon this weekend in Des Moines. It's the Drake Relays on-the-roads race that I run every year. As a Drake alum, I really enjoy running the race, then going to watch the relays that afternoon. Drake always gets some great athletes for the feature races, and I always get inspired for the rest of the racing season afterward. This year is a little different, however. I usually don't do a spring marathon. First, I plan only to run really easily during the race. Second, if I feel a bit sluggish that morning, I'll turn around early at the 8k mark. There will be plenty of other races this summer.
There are a couple of great races in Chicago this weekend. Sunday is a busy day, with the Ravenswood run. It's a 5k through the Ravenswood neighborhood. You can get more information at Fleet Feet. And the Lakefront 10 miler is also Sunday. It's sponsored by Universal Sole.
Speaking of great races, how about the London marathon? If you follow that sort of thing, you know they had one of the best fields in recent memory! We've seen most of them in Chicago over the years, but this year they were practically all there in one race! Several of the top runners dropped out as the race went along, but American Ryan Hall hung tough in his first marathon. He was with the leaders at 23 miles, before dropping back to about a minute off the winner's time. Hall ran about 2:07:40, which was an American debut record, and the second fastest American time ever, behind Khalid Kannouchi. You may recall Hall also obliterated the American half-marathon record in January in Houston. He has an exciting future to say the least!
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