Still, every single time I run a marathon, I can’t believe that I actually did it. 

HOW did I cross the finish line of my seventh last weekend?

The older I’ve gotten, the more value I’ve put on recovery — because I love running and the joy it’s added to my life, so I want to be able to do it as long as possible.

Over the past few years after doing things like relays, running festivals and two marathons in one month…I’ve needed to learn how to recover for real.

4 Running Recovery Methods That Really Work

1. Celebrate.

Duh. Even/especially the pros do it.

2. Epsom Salt Bath.

 When I was younger, I used to be more hardcore and take ice baths…but I just can’t hang like that any more and prefer the coziness of a warm/hot bath. (Apparently I’m right on trend; a recent study found that heat is more helpful than ice on muscles. SWEET.)

3. THE STICK

I know, this thing looks like a torture device…and it sort of is. But man, does it help get into muscles to relieve restricted blood flow so that your muscles can grow and repair. And it feels a little easier to roll this over my muscles rather than putting all of my weight on top of a foam roller. It’s also awesome for traveling.

AND! You can win one by commenting below with your favorite recovery techniques.

4. Compression Boots

I meannnnn, Ryan Hall did it, and he has the fastest U.S. half marathon record, so…

But I first tried these babies after Chicago a few years ago, and I really think they’re why I was able to go on and do a long run that weekend and then run NYCM two weeks after that.

My friends at Custom PT are offering a Fresh Legs special from now until December 31 — buy one, get one 50% off. Their Fresh Legs includes 15 minutes in these babies and 30 minutes of hell soft tissue work. 

OWWWWWW. 

But…10/10, would Fresh Leg again. (Though, full disclosure, I got a free service to tell you about it, but I probably would have done it anyway.)

Tell me for a chance to win a Stick — what’s your fave running recovery method? [This will stay open until 9PM EST on 11/15)

Hi, can someone help me figure out how to bottle endorphins? Because I am still riding a serious endorphin high, and I don’t ever want to come down.

From the day I got into the marathon lottery until I toed the start line yesterday, I was nervous about how I’d handle marathon day emotionally. From just being sad that my mom might not be there because she was too sick, to being devastated that she wouldn’t be there because she was no longer with us, I was terrified of this day. I think on some level I didn’t start training until September because I didn’t want to face the marathon without her after she died. And then I pulled myself together and realized I’d be more sad if I didn’t do it. Either way I would have been some level of sad yesterday; I might as well just run the damn thing, right?

My mom was there by my side for my Junior League brunch two years ago, so I made sure to surround myself by friends this Saturday, and I made my best friend sit next to me, ready to grab my hand as I sobbed. I cried getting ready, but I’m not sure if it was a weird combo of anxiety and gratitude, but I made it through the brunch without crying.

Our president, Suzanne (to my left), tells me I’m crazy every time marathoning comes up. She’s not wrong…(pretty sure she’s telling me that here.)

I love every single one of these ladies (including the littlest one) so so much. Having them by my side has meant everything to me this year.

I was running with Leah (to my right), and I’d asked her the day before if I could stay with marathon eve. My mom always stayed with me the night before and got ready with me and the idea of being alone was overwhelming to me. Leah is one of the sweetest people I know and said of course immediately 🙂

If you follow my Instagram stories (@theodorable), you know that I’ve had some wicked insomnia this year. I was a little nervous about not sleeping in my own bed, but a few minutes of a meditation app, and I slept like a baby!

I woke up and still watched the Alec Baldwin video in bed like I have before, teared up just a bit, and bolted out of bed to get ready.

Leah’s sweet husband took a photo of us just before we left. Although I didn’t have my mama to pin my bib on me, I pinned her on my back. (And another big shout to my BFF, Meg, who helped me with my letters.)

(Kelly had recommended this site to me, and I think this cost less than $15 even with shipping.)

One more benefit of staying with Leah: she lives around the corner from the New York Athletic Club, where we were taking the bus from. One of our friends is a member and arranged to get us on the buses. The last time we’d run, we were told we had to be at the NYAC at 6, and the bus left at 7…so we left at 6:05 from Leah’s, and when we got there, we were told that the buses were about to leave. We decided to run downstairs and grab a croissant. Leah is one of those people who always cuts things close, but they miraculously always work out, so I decided to follow her lead. Well, we ended up sprinting for our bus…but we made it.

The bus left around 6:30, and we got to Staten Island just before 8.

We were starting at 10:40. EEP.

Other years, I only ended up waiting for about an hour once I got there, so I was a bit nervous about waiting for 2 hours to get into our corral. We showed up and settled into the blue start village.

Kelly had posted something on IG stories about THERAPY DOGS

AND THIS WAS NOT FAKE NEWS. THERE WERE, INDEED, THERAPY DOGS IN THE CORRALS. Holy happiness. We snuggled with this guy and then sat down to wait and take turns going to the bathroom. My aunt and dad called while Leah was in line for the bathroom and I teared up as I talked with them about my mom watching me and keeping me safe, but I chose to see the beauty in this, rather than the sadness. I sat and meditated while I waited for Leah as I got overwhelmed by the wide range of emotions I was feeling.

And before we knew it…it was time to begin.

EEP.

OK…let’s do this??

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