What I daydreamed about on this weekend’s long run

On Saturday morning, I did my longest run since last spring—14 miles in prep for the Rock ‘N’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. It was also my first solo long run in quite a while, so lots of time alone with my thoughts. As usual, I wasn’t able to hold a train of thought for very long, my mind skipping over topics like flat stones skittering across a calm inlet. But my thoughts kept coming back to my post-run treat: a tall glass of chocolate milk. Dimity and I are different in a lot of ways—I have to listen to music in a race; she finds tunes distracting; she hits snooze; I pop out of bed before my alarm—but there’s one thing we both wholeheartedly agree upon: Lowfat chocolate milk is the perfect post-run refuel.
Chocolate cow-juice is Step 1 in my post-run recovery process. Here’s what I did once I walked in my back door—and I’m thinking it’s the reason my legs felt no worse for the wear-and-tear in the days since my 2:20-trot.
-Lowfat chocolate milk: A big glass of the brown, lowfat liquid provides the perfect blend of carbohydrates and protein, sending those vital building blocks straight to my muscles even if my stomach can’t handle anything solid. Since it’s tasty, I chug-a-lug, ensuring I take in enough liquid to make a difference, both in terms of nutrients and hydration. Recently, I was surprised to learn chocolate milk contains many of the same elements as sports drinks, like sodium, magnesium, and potassium. (Who knew?!)
-Stretch and roll: I wasn’t always diligent about this step toward recovery, but my plantar fasciitis makes me dedicated to doing heel drops on our back porch stairs. I balance all my weight on the ball of my bum foot, then drop my heel as far as possible below the step and just hold the stretch for 30 to 45 seconds. For good measure, I do the same on the other foot, but I usually hit up my “bad” foot an extra time or two. Motivated by Dim’s video from last week, I then spent a few minutes with my oft-ignored foam roller, but we’ll see if that stays a part of my routine.

Ice, ice, baby

-Sit in ice bath. (See my previous post for 411 on that fun 15 minutes.)
-Shower, then slip on a pair of compression sleeves. I go through phases of wearing compression for recovery and skipping it, but thanks to a Runner’s World review I’m writing, I’m all about my hot pink CEP calf sleeves. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my tight-for-months (years?) calves are no longer continually tender.
-Head back to the kitchen and make a proper protein-packed lunch. Saturday it was scrambled eggs with spinach and feta (along with Dave’s Killer Bread toast) because the kids were asking for eggs, but it could have just as easily been hummus and pita or a turkey sandwich.
-Yardwork with the family. Oh, wait, that was just regular life, not recovery.
What are your must-do’s for post-run recovery?
[Disclaimer: Yes, Dimity and I are spokespeople for the Refuel with Chocolate Milk campaign, meaning we’ll each run the Rock ‘N’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon as a Team Refuel Road Warrior. But we’ve been preaching the power of chocolate milk for years (even giving it a shout-out on page 125 of Run Like a Mother), way before any of this affiliation.]