Recovery

My recovery has been good.

I'm actually, you know, taking a real break this time.  I figured after 31 miles, my legs deserved a little rest.  Like, real, honest to goodness rest.  Who woulda thunk it?

I haven't been sore even one little bit.  I know, weird, right?  I felt great on Monday and thought that Tuesday would bring nightmares.  So I scheduled a nice massage.  Woke up, just fine.  Still got the massage though.  Uh, you can still want to feel good, even when you don't feel bad. 

I chalk that up to running as slowly as I did.  Taking an ice bath even though I really didn't want to sit in that cold water for 20 minutes.  Foam rolling all over the living room.  Icing my knees and my hips each night.  And stretching like my life depended on it. 

Or maybe just luck. 

Tuesday afternoon I did start to lose a full range of motion in my hips so I waddled a bit.  Amusing for my co-workers I'm sure.  But I wasn't sore.  Just really tight after sitting for a bit.  The bottom of my left foot was a little tender yesterday and today.  I'm icing it like a good pink girl.  But other than that, muscularly, I feel pretty good!

Muscularly.

I got one heck of a sunburn.  In February.  Ouch.  Now, I know better; I should have worn plenty of sunblock.  But I didn't because you know, it was February and supposed to be rainy.  Well, it was hot and that Texas sun has no mercy even in the Winter months, apparently.  THAT is what made me feel miserable.  A totally avoidable, entirely nasty sunburn.  I ran a slight fever on Monday because of my stupidity.  Yep.  Ran a 50K and what hurt me the most was a sunburn.  Ouch.  Lesson learned.

Strangely, I had no appetite.  My girls brought tortillas and chips from Joe T's on Sunday and I nibbled on the corner of a tortilla in the car on the way home, but wasn't even the slightest bit hungry.  By Sunday night I thought that I best eat SOMETHING.  I mean, c'mon, I was operating on a serious calorie deficit.  Still no appetite. So I made a green monster. Which, I promptly ralphed up.  Eeeeew.

Monday, still not hungry.  I guess my body was in complete shock.  It didn't know what to do.  So I just made sure to drink plenty of water and threw in a little Gatorade every now and then.  By Tuesday afternoon my appetite returned and with a vengeance.  I was eating everything in sight!  It still has not slowed down.  Must.have.more.food. 

I've been sleeping like a cat.  As in for hours and hours at a time.  I fall asleep on the couch when I get home from work and hit the biscuit for good before 9 pm.  I'm sleeping until the last possible minute each morning.  I'm really looking forward to some quality naps this weekend and sleeping very, very late.  This girl is tired. 

I still can't believe that I did it.  I usually get a little blue after a race if I don't have something else planned.  Not quite sure how I top this as far as training goes...but I'm signed up for a half marathon in April and again in May.  I'm taking March off from racing! 

I never buy race photos.  They are always absolutely horrible.  But I think I might actually purchase a few this time.  You only run your first ultra once, right? 

Wishing I had removed the wet paper towels woven around my neck.  Hmm, wonder if they can photoshop that out of the pic?  They snapped this one as I "sprinted" towards the finish line with my cramping calves.  The smile says it all. I really felt that great!

 

However, just seconds after crossing the finish line they captured this one.  Ha!  As happy as I was, I was even happier to finally STOP! 

Well, my brain really isn't working. Sorry that this post is kind of all over the place.  Not sure there is a single complete sentence.  Like I said, I'm incredibly tired!