Recovery – What’s That?

I was perusing one of the issues of Triathlon Life (USAT’s magazine) that I had laying around and I stumbled across an article on recovery. This being my second serious season in triathlon, I still have a lot to learn about nutrition, recovery, speed work … well, let’s just say I have a lot to learn about a lot of things related to triathlon! The one thing I think I have been fairly successful at doing is fitting IM training into my already hectic life, without feeling like any big balls are being dropped or like I am completely neglecting some other area of my life.

Then I read about all of the other things I should be doing (e.g. recovery) to ensure peak performance, and I feel like it is a lost cause. There are simply no additional hours in the day! I did my long run this morning and instead of taking an ice bath I took a shower and went to work. I did eat oatmeal right away – does that count for something? Saturday I will do my long brick for the week, and again an ice bath and nap should be on the schedule, but I will be rushing to make it to my son’s first soccer game, still covered in sweat. I will have a change of clothes, but I imagine, I still won’t smell very good. Thankfully, at 5, Andrew will not be embarrassed by my attire or by the fact that I stink. On both accounts, I couldn’t start my workouts any earlier to build in time for proper post workout recovery.

This is when having a coach would be so helpful – having someone knowledgeable to help me prioritize my workouts, nutrition and proper recovery, all the while understanding that my employer does not have afternoon nap time and that my children want to see their mommy. I am not downplaying the importance of recovery in anyway, in fact, I have a day off every single week and I do try to utilize my hour of TV time before bed to stretch with the foam roller and most importntly, I listen to my body… but let’s face it, the average age grouper is living a life similar to mine. What tricks do you all use to maximize your recovery?

Another article I read suggested that the lack of recovery (post workout meal, massage, nap, etc) is one of the key differences between the FOP (front of pack) and MOP/BOP (middle/back of pack) athletes.

All said and done, performance is important to me, but I am racing against myself, trying to do the best that I can do and of course, have fun! Oh, and if you see a stinky mom or dad at soccer this weekend, be kind!