I’ve been doing this sport for 10 years, which doesn’t make me an expert, but I feel that 10 years of constant wear and tear (and experimentation in recovering from that wear and tear) gives me a pretty good n+1. I’m basically my own research project. In years past, after a big training weekend or race, I’d feel like I was run over by a bus. I distinctly remember my first half marathon – I couldn’t walk normally for nearly a week because I was incredibly sore. Now, my goal is usually to be functional enough after the hard workouts where I can hit the next day’s (or week’s) goals. Or when I race, recover so I can at least walk normally.
Disclaimers – I am not a doctor or have any specific education/certifications on recovery practices. As previously stated, I have 10 years of being my own guinea pig (as well as several years of coaching and seeing what works for my athletes). The items discussed below are what works for me and are intended as suggestions to help you in your recovery practice. What works for one person may not work for another, so use your judgement and listen to your body.
Nutrition
This is such a huge and complex subject. This is what I’ve figured out works for me (and some back story). I did my first Whole 30 in January 2017. Prior to that, I ate paleo and ate what I thought was clean and thought I minimized sugar intake, but Whole 30 really brought true clean eating to my attention. Basically, sugar is EVERYWHERE. Read labels, it’s enlightening. (example: sugar is in Costco’s pre-packaged rotisserie chicken!!). My body also really doesn’t like dairy. In addition to being an inflammation agent, my stomach generally rebels when I eat it. (it will tolerate whey but that’s about it). Eliminating these two inflammation agents from my daily diet REALLY helped mitigate the daily effects of training and the damage that happens along the way. I don’t eat Whole 30 on a 24-7 basis; I usually eat Whole 30 Monday – Friday and then relax a bit on the weekend (usually in the form or a beer or two and not being super diligent with reading labels… and I like to eat rice).
One thing to note is that my meals/snacks are usually Whole 30 but my training nutrition (ie the things I eat while I’m swimbikerunning) are NOT Whole 30. For me, it’s just too impractical to carry around 7 hours of food with me on a bike ride and my stomach does better with simpler, less complex food (I’m a huge fan of Honey Stinger waffles and chews + NBS Hydration drink mix).
One thing that is HUGE in setting you up for a strong recovery from a hard workout is pre-planning and having your recovery drink/food ready and waiting for you. Timing is SUPER important, especially if you’re a woman. – we have a very small window (30 mins) to get that recovery nutrition on board so we can best absorb it and replenish our bodies from that workout. My personal rule of thumb for post-exercise recovery is usually that I’ll have something after a 1.5 hour run or a 2.5 hour ride (outside, 2 hours if I’m on the trainer). If I have a super hard hour long trainer ride and I know it will be a while before I eat, I’ll have half a serving of my recovery mix. I really like NBS Recovery +. Its made from quality ingredients, mixes easily with water (so you can keep the powder separate from water and mix it right when you need it), and it tastes good.
Then for lunch and dinner, I make sure that I eat really good, clean food. During my IM Boulder training last year, I got in the habit of having steak and roasted potatoes after my long runs. (We get part of a grass fed cow every year – it’s awesome). It also made for a really nice reward after a 20+ mile run.
And finally, I have a glass of NBS Goodnight EVERY night before bed. It’s got all sorts of amazing stuff in it, which helps promote muscle recovery and rebuilding and it’s also got stuff in it which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. I love this stuff and it’s now made it into my “required” things to have on hand always.
Recovery Tools
I personally use a combination of compression boots and a self-massage torture tool and will wear compression socks (or tights) if I feel like I need a little extra boost.
Self-Massage Tools: I have nearly every gizmo out there…. The stick, a few foam rollers, moji….. Two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff and was unable to hold myself up enough to foam roll my legs or use my left arm with enough oomph to use my other hand-held tools. I bought a Roll Recovery because the tension of the device does most of the work and all you have to do is move it around. I freaking love this thing. Yes, it hurts like a mofo. But it’s also crazy effective. I can roll out my legs in 5-10 minutes and be done and on my way. My sports chiro even commented on how well my legs were holding up to my really intense Ironman training last year, and credited a lot of my muscle mobility to my use of the Roll Recovery. It doesn’t do the best job on my glutes or my shoulder and back so I do have a Grid foam roller to take care of those areas.
Compression Boots: I honestly thought these were gimmicky and was very skeptical about how effective they would be. They’re expensive and well, triathletes are known to be lemmings, going after the most high tech fancy gizmo out there. After a lot of research, I ended up purchasing the Air Relax boots, mainly based on price. At $400, they’re significantly cheaper than the other boots on the market. They might not have all the bells and whistles of the other boots out there, but for a potential $1000 cheaper price, this was something I could live with. I was genuinely shocked at how much I love the boots and how effective they are. After big workouts, I’ll do a quick session with the Roll Recovery and then hop in my boots for a good 45-60 minutes (pro tip: have food + water handy because you WILL get hungry and thirsty as you sit there). I didn’t feel the need to use the boots nightly – just using them after key workouts was enough for me to get the job done.
Other Options:
Ice Bath - Before I got the compression boots, I would do an ice bath. Fill your tub with water deep enough to cover your legs, about 55 degrees F, and soak for 15 minutes. Bonus points if you have animals that will sit at the edge of the tub judging you.
Compression Tights/Socks – I will wear compression socks during the week to work if I feel like I need a boost or if my calves are giving me a hard time. Pre-compression boot time, I would do an ice bath and then hang out in my recovery tights and socks for several hours before going to bed.
See the Professionals
Massage: I personally go and get a deep tissue massage every 3 weeks (2 if I’m in a big training block). Timing is really important, as you need ~24 hours to fully benefit from a massage. So if you have a coach, please talk to them about timing and/or tell them when you have massages scheduled. There’s nothing worse than “undo-ing” a massage by having a super hard bike ride or run immediately after the session. I usually schedule my massage for Sunday afternoon knowing that Mondays are either a recovery swim or ride or a rest day.
Sports Chiropractor / Physical Therapist: I have a list of chronic injuries (or, more accurately, potential injuries) and I know that I need to enlist the help of professionals to make sure that those injuries don’t rear their nasty little selves. Right now, I go to my sports chiro monthly for a 30-minute dry needling session, where I ask him to evaluate my lower body and my shoulder to ensure that I don’t have any adhesions or muscle imbalances that could cause an issue later on. As with the massage, it’s important to schedule these sessions appropriately, so talk to your coach about timing.
Note: I am a Breakthrough Nutrition Ambassador; however, I loved and used these products before I became an "official" Ambassador for them. Their stuff WORKS.
Giveaway Details: I have one bag of NBS Recovery + to give away via random drawing based on entries associated with the following actions:
Disclaimers – I am not a doctor or have any specific education/certifications on recovery practices. As previously stated, I have 10 years of being my own guinea pig (as well as several years of coaching and seeing what works for my athletes). The items discussed below are what works for me and are intended as suggestions to help you in your recovery practice. What works for one person may not work for another, so use your judgement and listen to your body.
Nutrition
This is such a huge and complex subject. This is what I’ve figured out works for me (and some back story). I did my first Whole 30 in January 2017. Prior to that, I ate paleo and ate what I thought was clean and thought I minimized sugar intake, but Whole 30 really brought true clean eating to my attention. Basically, sugar is EVERYWHERE. Read labels, it’s enlightening. (example: sugar is in Costco’s pre-packaged rotisserie chicken!!). My body also really doesn’t like dairy. In addition to being an inflammation agent, my stomach generally rebels when I eat it. (it will tolerate whey but that’s about it). Eliminating these two inflammation agents from my daily diet REALLY helped mitigate the daily effects of training and the damage that happens along the way. I don’t eat Whole 30 on a 24-7 basis; I usually eat Whole 30 Monday – Friday and then relax a bit on the weekend (usually in the form or a beer or two and not being super diligent with reading labels… and I like to eat rice).
One thing to note is that my meals/snacks are usually Whole 30 but my training nutrition (ie the things I eat while I’m swimbikerunning) are NOT Whole 30. For me, it’s just too impractical to carry around 7 hours of food with me on a bike ride and my stomach does better with simpler, less complex food (I’m a huge fan of Honey Stinger waffles and chews + NBS Hydration drink mix).
One thing that is HUGE in setting you up for a strong recovery from a hard workout is pre-planning and having your recovery drink/food ready and waiting for you. Timing is SUPER important, especially if you’re a woman. – we have a very small window (30 mins) to get that recovery nutrition on board so we can best absorb it and replenish our bodies from that workout. My personal rule of thumb for post-exercise recovery is usually that I’ll have something after a 1.5 hour run or a 2.5 hour ride (outside, 2 hours if I’m on the trainer). If I have a super hard hour long trainer ride and I know it will be a while before I eat, I’ll have half a serving of my recovery mix. I really like NBS Recovery +. Its made from quality ingredients, mixes easily with water (so you can keep the powder separate from water and mix it right when you need it), and it tastes good.
Then for lunch and dinner, I make sure that I eat really good, clean food. During my IM Boulder training last year, I got in the habit of having steak and roasted potatoes after my long runs. (We get part of a grass fed cow every year – it’s awesome). It also made for a really nice reward after a 20+ mile run.
And finally, I have a glass of NBS Goodnight EVERY night before bed. It’s got all sorts of amazing stuff in it, which helps promote muscle recovery and rebuilding and it’s also got stuff in it which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. I love this stuff and it’s now made it into my “required” things to have on hand always.
Recovery Tools
I personally use a combination of compression boots and a self-massage torture tool and will wear compression socks (or tights) if I feel like I need a little extra boost.
Self-Massage Tools: I have nearly every gizmo out there…. The stick, a few foam rollers, moji….. Two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff and was unable to hold myself up enough to foam roll my legs or use my left arm with enough oomph to use my other hand-held tools. I bought a Roll Recovery because the tension of the device does most of the work and all you have to do is move it around. I freaking love this thing. Yes, it hurts like a mofo. But it’s also crazy effective. I can roll out my legs in 5-10 minutes and be done and on my way. My sports chiro even commented on how well my legs were holding up to my really intense Ironman training last year, and credited a lot of my muscle mobility to my use of the Roll Recovery. It doesn’t do the best job on my glutes or my shoulder and back so I do have a Grid foam roller to take care of those areas.
Compression Boots: I honestly thought these were gimmicky and was very skeptical about how effective they would be. They’re expensive and well, triathletes are known to be lemmings, going after the most high tech fancy gizmo out there. After a lot of research, I ended up purchasing the Air Relax boots, mainly based on price. At $400, they’re significantly cheaper than the other boots on the market. They might not have all the bells and whistles of the other boots out there, but for a potential $1000 cheaper price, this was something I could live with. I was genuinely shocked at how much I love the boots and how effective they are. After big workouts, I’ll do a quick session with the Roll Recovery and then hop in my boots for a good 45-60 minutes (pro tip: have food + water handy because you WILL get hungry and thirsty as you sit there). I didn’t feel the need to use the boots nightly – just using them after key workouts was enough for me to get the job done.
Other Options:
Ice Bath - Before I got the compression boots, I would do an ice bath. Fill your tub with water deep enough to cover your legs, about 55 degrees F, and soak for 15 minutes. Bonus points if you have animals that will sit at the edge of the tub judging you.
Compression Tights/Socks – I will wear compression socks during the week to work if I feel like I need a boost or if my calves are giving me a hard time. Pre-compression boot time, I would do an ice bath and then hang out in my recovery tights and socks for several hours before going to bed.
See the Professionals
Massage: I personally go and get a deep tissue massage every 3 weeks (2 if I’m in a big training block). Timing is really important, as you need ~24 hours to fully benefit from a massage. So if you have a coach, please talk to them about timing and/or tell them when you have massages scheduled. There’s nothing worse than “undo-ing” a massage by having a super hard bike ride or run immediately after the session. I usually schedule my massage for Sunday afternoon knowing that Mondays are either a recovery swim or ride or a rest day.
Sports Chiropractor / Physical Therapist: I have a list of chronic injuries (or, more accurately, potential injuries) and I know that I need to enlist the help of professionals to make sure that those injuries don’t rear their nasty little selves. Right now, I go to my sports chiro monthly for a 30-minute dry needling session, where I ask him to evaluate my lower body and my shoulder to ensure that I don’t have any adhesions or muscle imbalances that could cause an issue later on. As with the massage, it’s important to schedule these sessions appropriately, so talk to your coach about timing.
Note: I am a Breakthrough Nutrition Ambassador; however, I loved and used these products before I became an "official" Ambassador for them. Their stuff WORKS.
Giveaway Details: I have one bag of NBS Recovery + to give away via random drawing based on entries associated with the following actions:
- +1 for commenting on the blog with your favorite recovery practice
- +1 for commenting on my facebook page with your favorite recovery practice
- +1 for liking my facebook page (let me know in the comments to this blog or on facebook if you have done this)
- +1 for tagging a friend on the facebook post
- +1 for sharing (let me know in the comments on facebook if you've done this)
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