What "Recovery Week" Means to Me

After 12 years of endurance sports and training, I have FINALLY come up with what I call the "perfect recovery week". For me, recovery not only provides a physical rest, it also provides a mental break. So for two out of every three weeks, a recovery week is a hard earned block of unstructured time.

I have certain things I like to include in a recovery week such as extra sleep, yoga, running, and swimming but other than that, I do what I feel like doing (physical) when I feel like doing it (mental). And if I feel like taking a day or two off, I do -- guilt and conscience free.

Recovery week also means allowing my body to heal. In the case of coming off a 400 mile ride week, I have come to appreciate wearing boxer shorts (my own, not my husbands ;-) I haven't really had to deal with saddle sores (chafing or tender bumps on the skin from friction or pressure) until the three I acquired last week but let me say, wearing boxers provides that extra "ventilation" to let my pink parts air out, breathe, and heal!

Food plays an integral part of recovery as well, including smoothies and juices that pack a nutritional wallop. This morning I made "Sweet Garlic Juice" -- a combination of carrots, avocado, green apple, ginger, garlic, mango, kale, and cucumber, all pressed through my juicer to create a beautiful green beverage. I am enjoying the juice right now and I should be pretty safe from any vampires for the rest of the day!

I still have five recovery days left until I get back into my structured training regiment and I plan to enjoy each and every minute. And if I do a recovery week right, I start to get antsy near the end and I am rearing to get back to training!

400 Miles: Sunday (Done and DONE)

Daily Goal: 10 miles
Weekly Goal: 400 miles
Distance Completed After Today: 400 miles

A long week of riding was wrapped up today with a wonderful (and short) 10 mile bike ride from home into Lakeway and back. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing warm, and I felt pretty darn good as did my legs (tired but good). I am very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow and a recovery week next week. Plus tomorrow is Valentines Day -- just the excuse I need to go out and enjoy a TexMex dinner at Maudie's Cafe and maybe even a little dessert! I think my legs would appreciate it.

Can't wait to keep blogging as I continue towards June 18th and the start of RAAM. But I will miss "unique" trainer workout opportunities like riding in Macy's Department store. I'm off to do more laundry...again.