Recovering From Brazos Bend 100 Pacing
Having just completed pacing at Brazos Bend 100 where everything was flat and I had to adjust to using the same muscles repeatedly, I’m starting to think about recovery and how I can best prepare for my next set of races. The Bandera 100k (pacing a superb athlete), and Rocky Raccoon 100 (shooting for sub 19 hours) are are going to be extreme iwith varying terrain and lots of speed, and they get me thinking about how I want to avoid past mistakes I’ve made in my recovery.
I was 10 days post Ironman Louisville and I may have made one mistake on my way to being properly recovered. What was that mistake? Deciding to ride 40 miles on the Saturday after the race was not a big deal. Was the problem that I rode my CX bike, which has knobby tires, so pushing the pedals takes a bit more energy? Nope, it was going out to run trails the next day. I thought I was running 5-6 miles, but wound up at 8 and on a humid day. That was not smart. When you combine those two items you end up with a body that isn’t fully recovered.
Fortunately for me, I was smart enough to have recognized that problem and did nothing other than sleep in, swim, and jumped on the trainer to allow my legs to spin as I recovered. To that end, I was asked about preparing and recovering from an Ironman race or even a 100-mile ultra trail run. These are my tips.
Nutrition:
The focus on nutrition is a key for me regardless of race prep or not, but during the week before and two weeks after a race, my focus on nutrition is on high alert. I focus on lean proteins such as eggs, tofu and tempeh. I try to get those into every meal so that I am healing my body from the inside out, repairing muscle tissue that has been crushed during the race.I also add in lots of healthy fats in the form of nuts, beans, avocado, and of course the previously mentioned eggs. When I do this, I notice that my body repairs quickly.
When it comes to spicing up my food, I add turmeric and cinnamon as much as possible.
Inactivity / Rest:
Of course, I started by saying I made a mistake by getting too much in too soon, but the key to recovery and taper is inactivity. It is hard for athletes to sit around and just enjoy life, but I find that when I do that, I am healing my body heading into the race, as well as healing it coming out of the race. This rest also gives me an opportunity to do things that are not swimming, biking, and running. I get closer to family and friends, but it also allows me to not get burned out.
Sleep:
This should go without saying. Sleep is a key to relaxing the body and mind. It is during sleep that our body resets itself, and leading into the race, it may be difficult to get enough. However, when you come out of the race, sleeping in for an extra hour or two, plus naps, is essential. Without a structured training plan, sleeping in until 8a or 9a is golden. You can still get a 1 hour workout in and still be done by 12pm so that you have the whole day ahead off.
When it comes to sleep after the race, I pay a lot of attention to my sleep environment. Not only does having a comfortable mattress help with my recovery, but I make sure to turn mine because I like to have a 'fresh' mattress to sleep on. I also make the room very cold and dark. Lastly, I do not want to be distracted, so I turn the phone to Do Not Disturb and let the world go.
Sleep: The Most Valuable Free Item Ever?


How Much Sleep Do You Get Per Night?
3 Tips To Improve Your Health
- Motivation and Inspiration.
- Change from our normal routine.
- Reminder
- Tips
3 Tips To Improve Your Health
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- Sleep deprivation was linked to metabolizing glucose less efficiently in addition to the fact that levels of cortisol were higher.
- The glucose levels for the group were no longer normal during the sleep deprivation week and resembled those found in the elderly. Since we know that glucose and glycogen (stored glucose) are the energy sources behind the ability of an endurance athlete to perform one can conclude that getting enough sleep is very important.
- What the study doesn’t address is how much sleep is enough? I don’t know that getting 8 hours is perfect but I do know that getting 4 hours is not enough and not just because of the glycogen stores, but because your mind is not in the game. You have a tendency to lose focus with sleep deprivation and this is caused by the increase in cortisol. If your mind is not focused then the task at hand is going to be more and more difficult to perform. Think about your best race and how well you slept the night before and think about your worst race and how you slept the night be.

2. Massage And A.R.T.
Yesterday I rode a portion of the Ironman Texas course and then drove home and straight to a massage. That means that yesterday was 4 hours in the saddle, 3+ hours in the car and 1.5 hours on the table. How did this make me feel? I felt healthy on the bike, then a slug in the car and rejuvenated with a renewed focus after the massage. The massage was much-needed and being two weeks before the race it was perfectly timed. Regular massage can do a couple of things can help to improve the status of your health:- Massage increases the blood flow to muscles to help speed the healing process by flushing out metabolic waste. By having the muscle healed faster an athlete can resume training at a quicker pace and build up their strength to compete at a higher level than before.
- In addition to healing quicker, a massage will allow an athlete the opportunity to reconnect with their body. The mind will be able to decipher which muscles are sore/fatigues and need to be treated more often. It can bring awareness to those areas that are not functioning properly and in the long run help prevent injury.

- Yoga is a form based movement. If you have poor form in yoga you will fall over. By focusing on your core you will improve your balance and a stronger core will lead to improved health.
- Yoga focuses on breathing. To get deeper into your stretches you need to breath and losing that focus will cause the body to not react the way we would like. Have you ever been so mad that you don't even realize that you aren't breathing which causes stress on the body. By focusing on your breathe your anger will come down and you will be able to make better decisions.
- Yoga has poses the force you to back bend and get the spine engaged. The spine is a key component of your core and having a stronger spine will also improve your balance.
Which Of These Three Do You Incorporate Into Improving Your Health?
Sleepy Foods?


How do you sleep? What do you do to help you sleep?
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Sleep - Is 8 Hours Really Necessary?

What Constitutes A Perfect Day?
