Recovery week and the guilt.

Post Marathon is an interesting time. Take away the fact the foot has prevented me from running, the rest of my body has taken a hammering!

The baby cows and quads have been nothing but tight all week. Even a spinning session on the bike and some roller sessions did nothing to ease the muscles. A massage would have helped, but I couldn’t manage to fit in a time slot around work.

Monday I did an easy spin on the turbo trainer. Not getting out of zone 1. Tuesday was an arm only swim. Wednesday was a rest day – would loved to have done something but other commitments prevented it. Thursday was the first real day I did anything of significance with a bike ride in the SUUUUUUNSHIIIIIIIIINE. Friday evening I hit the bike again for another sunny ride. Then due to other commitments the weekend was a training free weekend – though it wasn’t a workout free weekend as it was spent acting as a removal guy (that is some seriously hard work right there).

Both bike rides this week were spent with a grimace etched across my face. The batteries in the legs were running on empty. The pistons were not firing. Every slight elevation felt like my own personal battle with Everest. Even the near perfect conditions didn’t help me enjoy the riding on Friday. There was definitely no love from my legs when they were eased over the top tube of bluebird.

Having never pushed my body as far as I did last weekend during the marathon, it is of no surprise to me about how long the recovery could be. I remember all too well my first 100 mile bike ride, and how much that took out of me back then. I am 100 times fitter now than I was during that period of my journey, so I don’t expect the recovery to take as long, but I still have to expect fatigue and aching muscles for a few more days yet.

As I couldn’t train this weekend I had to watch on longingly as the Brixworth Velo group were smashing it. The mountain bike contingent heading out onto the drying trails and putting some serious miles in on the knobbly tires on the Friday. Not to mention Pep throwing in a 80 miler in the evening. This is all after some serious commuting had been taking place throughout the week, especially from Mr Hodges. Then 4 of the #BXVCREW did the Evans Ride It Milton Keynes Sportive on the Saturday – in what looked to be the perfect conditions for being in the saddle. Then Sunday the crew headed out to the @bikebus:gel-international, a favourite of mine, with some of them doing an early morning meet so they could top the ton for the day. Ego pointing out that the group had hit 4500+ miles between us all this week. Chapeau every single one of you…. Chapeau.

With the weather improving and the group smashing it the guilt started to kick it. I should be out in this weather enjoying it. Even as I type this I am fighting with myself to not go out on the bike. Despite not being able to train, the body has definitely taken a pounding this weekend, and I know I need to recover as much as I need to train.

But when you see your mates doing some unbelievable riding it is hard not to feel guilty that you are not out training. And as well as the guilt I also feel envious. A weekend with near perfect weather and they have been able to enjoy it, and boy didn’t they make the most of it. I am hopeful there will be many more weekends as good as this that I can enjoy, after all we do live in the UK and summer is always good – yeah?? 😀

Next week the training will kick into full swing once again. The countdown is well and truly on for Roth with only 10 weeks to go – I have just realised how close it is now I just said that out loud!!! No more stupid marathons to recover from, and hopefully once the foot injury is fully healed I’ll have no more injuries to hold me back. I’m giving the foot another week of no more running, so out the saddle training is still on the cards so I can keep the same muscles under strain. Swimming will be what it will be. And with the weather looking like it is improving I can increase the miles once again. After all I have some serious competition within the Brixworth Velo Group, and I do love a challenge……….

Big G