Up until a bout a year ago, I would have thought those two words sounded utterly ridiculous next to each other, but now I revel in them. Recovery runs are the greatest thing since sliced bread (which yes, is not really that great). Or maybe since Avatar or chocolate or a hot bath. I usually don’t schedule a recovery run; I’ll just be getting ready to head out and get a sudden message from my body saying, “Hey lady, would you please take it easy today?” And that’s that. But it’s so much more.
A recovery run is usually done in between rigorous workouts, say like mile repeats or other speed work routines. It is the brief rest period in which one revels in a slow jog and recovers, literally. For distance runners, a recovery run could be a whole day’s run, just done at a very easy pace. Today I was feeling weary from the speed work and hurtling I did that day before and also was nursing a possibly fractured foot. I wasn’t in enough pain to stop me from running, but enough to stop me from running fast.* I am not telling you how “fast” fast is, you’ll just have to imagine this gawky gazelle leaping and bounding all over the snow covered terrain, and now with a possibly broken foot.
*[A side note on running through an injury: This is always a stupid idea. I strongly encourage any reader who is running and feels a possible injury starting to happen to stop and asses the damage properly. Please take a look at the articles on Runner’s World.com regarding when to keep running with pain and when to stop. I don’t pretend to be an expert on running or fitness, I just do what I love and for me I often run through an injury I think I can handle. It may be stupid, but that’s my choice. Please be cautious when dealing with a possible injury from running.]
Anyway I was tired so I went for a nice slow 2 miler. It was perfect. I just coasted along and focused on my gait. I discovered that changing my stride pattern, by lifting my legs a little higher on each step, really decreased the pain in my foot and in my knee. I was pretty surprised by this because I figured that if you lift your leg higher as you run, you would bring it down to the ground with more force. Apparently when your strides are short enough, this isn’t the case. I felt stronger after then run and like I had not died expending all of my energy just to go fast.
I spent the run thinking a lot about different things, allowing my mind to mingling through the topics in my head. I thought a bit about an upcoming race I am doing and felt excited. I thought about my friends and how each of them is doing in their lives. I thought about my family and what new endeavors they are entering into. I thought about my dog and imagined all the things he would be chewing to bits while I wasn’t home. But I did all of this with a relatively neutral attitude. I just kind of coasted, like as if in a Zen state. It was very relaxing.
The run seemed to end as quickly as it began and before I knew it I was back at work. My foot ached a bit and my knee was sore, but I was in great spirits for the rest of the day.
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