Post race/long run recovery

It has been said that my taste in literature is somewhat odd, but if one is hungry for knowledge on running and nutrition then one must, at times, endure some rather dull books, it has been pointed out to me in fact I am often reading a text book!

It should come as little surprise then, that I have no real idea about post race/long run recovery as these books are generally written for people that already have a degree in sports nutrition, and understand the process of phosphocreatine synthesis with ease!

So my post race recovery has been a matter of trial and error. The error often comes after pushing myself far to fast for the last three miles of a 20 miler and wanting to do nothing other than spew up energy gels, powerade and porridge!

I have found a rather cliche strategy that works for me though, at least I think it does, listen to your body. Yeah yeah sounds all mystical, spiritual hippie stuff, but our bodies have been bodies far longer than we've had brains big enough to override them, and as a result have evolved subtle ways of letting us know what they want when they want it, without consulting the conscious part of the brain . Blimey, it almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about!

Any way, what does listen to your body actually mean. Bizarrely enough, exactly that, if you have a craving for something after a long run then eat it, even if its a burger!

My theory is, it's like a pregnant woman, no not round and unpredictable, but when their up the duff, hormones raging and they get a craving for peanut butter and gherkins its probably because there is something in peanut butter and gherkins that their body needs, but under normal circumstances this message would be over looked by the conscious brain. I am certainly not saying that to find out the best post race recovery strategy we should all get preggers, apart from being physically impossible for most, I imagine its a touch difficult running any distance with a mini me bouncing on your bladder!

What did I do then, and what works for me. Well, I tend to have a vast selection of confectionery and nibbles in my car and I normally end up in the car after a race/run, so I just looked at what I had, imagined eating it and if that sounded good I got stuck in! I think the easiest way to find out what your body wants is to imagine eating it first. Sounds a bit daft, but how often do we eat things without thinking because they're there, rather than because we want them, think about not just what your eating but about eating it, and you should find something that suits your post long run recovery.

What works for me? Yazoo strawberry milkshake, a packet of ready salted and a banana, that normally does the trick. I also enjoy driving home bare foot, heaters full blast on my feet and the windows open, try it you will be amazed!