Ultrarunning recovery: Soul edition
Rest. I can’t remember the last time I rested properly after an ultra. Like really rested. Took some time off. But how much recovery do you need after a long ultra?
On Tuesday Johnny and I and our friend Roxen ran Huddingeleden (Huddinge Trail) together in the South of Stockholm. 50 miles from start to finish. It was such a wonderful trail with mostly (quite technical) trails but also some gravel and road running. A pretty good mix of everything. We had a great day out there, never focusing at all on how fast we ran, but rather on how long we were out. We wanted to get a good day of training in for our upcoming races and adventures, and time on feet was the most crucial. For around 12 hours we ran together, walked some, had countless interesting conversations, practiced moving meditation, goofed around, ate mashed potatoes… For me this day was also a day of testing out different kinds of nutrition and energy to see what works for me and what doesn’t. But that’s a post for another day! I also wanted to see how my body would respond to running such a long distance after not having run that far in over two years for various reasons.
Enjoying the beautiful trails on Huddingeleden
A section of our run. Recovery is well needed after a long ultra, it doesn’t matter if it’s a training run or a race.
Dream team ready to take on the last leg of our 50 mile adventure! From the left: Daniel (who ran the last 13K with us), me (Jënni), Johnny and Roxen. + Ellen, our crew, behind the camera!
Recovery after a long ultra
It’s now been five days since Tuesday, and even if our run wasn’t a maximum effort in terms of pace (more so in terms of distance), it was still waaay more than just a walk in the park. And as it turns out, I have already learned more from this run than just what to eat and drink and how my body reacts to running ultra again. I’ve learned about the part of recovery that not many people seem to talk about — the recovery for your soul, heart and mind.
In the past, I’ve always mistakingly thought that as soon as my body feels somewhat ok again (which usually happens only a few days after a really long run or race), I’m good to run. It might be that my mind hasn’t felt all that excited to run again, but if my body feels strong — why shouldn’t I run again? I think many of us feel this way. We don’t prioritize the time needed to recover. We get started with running again way too soon after a race, and in that way we make our bodies more prone to injury. There are muscles, ligaments and tendons in the body that need time to repair. How many days one should take off from running after an ultra effort can be a difficult question to answer, but a general, very simplified rule is to take one day off from every hour of running. That is, before you should go for another run that requires some real effort (like a race, a long training run, intervals or hill training). To me, that would mean taking twelve days off.
Anyhow. I’ve realized that being fully recovered is about more than just “feeling okay” or being ready to run again physically. One would think that as long as you don’t feel like running after an ultra effort, you simply won’t do it. But I think I’m not the only one who quickly starts thinking that I “should” run again, I “can’t” lose any time from training, etc etc. We just want to get started again, and we want to do it fast. We already have our minds set for our next race, project or long run and we forget that we need to chill for a bit.
And guess what? Perhaps this feeling — that you’re not mentally ready to run yet — means that there is a soul and heart in there that also need rest and recovery. Not just the physical body. A wise ultra runner once suggested to take some time off running after an ultra effort to preserve your love for it. And then only start running once everything in you is itching to take those first steps again.
If you want to read more on how to recover faster after an ultramarathon, we’ve written an article were we’ve collected our best tips on recovery.
Move (differently) and meditate
I haven’t practiced yoga in a while. To be honest, it hasn’t felt right. Even though I know yoga is one of the best training forms you can practise, when you’re an ultrarunner. Maybe I’ve been too worked up lately, or maybe the body just needs different things at different periods in life. But what’s interesting is that in the last few days, yoga is the only thing my body and mind have been craving. I haven’t felt like running at all. But going through the different movement patterns of yoga, stretching this and that body part, working my breath through a flow — has never - felt - so - good! Everything in me screams for more. I haven’t felt that way about yoga since I started five years ago!
Enjoying the magic of nature… Yoga is great for ultrarunners — it increases your mobility and helps with recovery — both mental and physical.
I think that feeling is so special — the feeling that the type of movement you’re doing right now is exactly the right one. Everything is in tune. To me, that feeling is a sign that I should truly cherish that movement and not take it for granted. For if truth be told, it may not always feel right. Maybe next week, yoga will not feel as good.
So when something doesn’t feel right, why do we keep doing it? Why do we keep running if we don’t have our heads in the game? Because we think we have to? Because we want to prove something? Can it actually be beneficial to wait even a little longer before you run again, even though your body “feels okay”?
One thing I know for sure is this: until I feel really excited to run again, I will take some more time off from it. I will practice yoga, bike some, go for walks in the forest. Meditate. I will not run — with the intention of preserving my love for running.
/Jënni