Ironman blog by Jenny – follow me on my journey to Ironman Austria (My first & only full distance triathlon)
Where I plan to provide some insights, tips and thoughts that any outdoor endurance sport enthusiast might find interesting, regardless of your level, sport or distance.
3 – May ’25 – Recovery
This past week in clinic there has been a big focus on recovery, as our Sports Therapists have been busy with recovery sports massages for clients completing London and Manchester marathons. We don’t solely think of recovery after events though, as recovery from training sessions are even more important as your body absorbs the progressions made and prepares for the next training session. For many of our clients, this is the final week of preparation ahead of the Bristol 10k and half marathon next weekend, and for me, my triathlon training hours are now consistently 14-15 hours per week. What has been new for me was a “Big training day” this weekend, where I completed a 3km swim, 90km bike and 16km run spread out through the day with a 90 minute ‘rest’ between each element to practice nutrition and pacing.
From my point of view, recovery is a hugely important factor in training that ensures I do my best to stay injury free and ready to complete my next session as well as possible. So with all this in mind, I thought now was the perfect time to discuss recovery.
As with all training, recovery is personal to you, your body, your goals and performance level, as well as life style, and of course will vary depending on the type of training session or race duration. Let’s face it, you cannot recover like a pro while juggling family life and a full time job. The chances are, you do not have access to ice baths, massage several times per week and top of the range circulation increasing compression equipment.
What do I mean by recovery?
It is easy to think of recovery as purely a cool down jog, but for me it is multi-factorial.
Recovery of course varies depending on the training session or race undertaken, in general for me, recovery is about refuelling, resting my muscles and bones, and getting sleep.
What methods do I use to recover after a multi hour training session or race?
Soon afterwards…
- Electrolytes (my ‘go to brand’ is Precision Fuel & Hydration) and salt crisps
- Light, simple, quick meal such as beans on toast
In the hours and days following…
- Stretching and foam roller
- Good, balanced diet
- Light exercise such as walk, easy 30min bike or swim (especially in cold water)
- Sensible bed time to allow for 7-8 hours sleep
Why electrolytes?
Water is of course important, but an electrolyte based drink before, during and after longer training sessions (duration, intensity and temperature all are determining factors) help your body restore important salt and mineral levels. This ensures good muscle function but also stops other symptoms such as headaches.
Why sleep?
Think about how much babies and young children sleep. Our bodies need sleep to recover, restore and adapt. It allows our muscles to rebuild through the release of growth hormones, it reduces our stress and inflammatory hormones, and increases blood flow.
How does massage & light exercise help?
Quite simply through increasing blood supply and promoting circulation, allowing waste products and damaged fibres to be moved and processed by the lymphatic system, while promoting the distribution new cells. They help to reduce inflammation and promote healing, helping to stop you from ‘seizing up’.
Final thoughts… There is a place for planning and preparing your recovery
Hopefully you have taken on sufficient nutrition (food and drink) during a long training session, and on my 4hour bike ride this weekend, I thought I had. That said, the weather was warm, and so I weighed myself pre and post ride, and was surprised to see I had lost 1kg in weight (dehydration) during my bike session. This was a really good indication to me that I needed to get some more electrolyte based fluids on board before heading into my next training session, and should have taken more on board during the ride. Planning and preparation are therefore also valuable components toward recovery.
Having a light meal or snack pre planned also prevents you from mindlessly consuming whatever comes out of the cupboard first. Let’s face it, smashing half a packet of chocolate hobnobs isn’t the best while you think about what you could eat, so a bit of pre planning is better for a focused recovery. Your muscles and digestive system will thank you more from a simple, protein and carb based meal than sugary ultra processed “foods”.
