Recovery

...and my recovery.

After running the Juan de Fuca Trail my muscles never really became sore (although I'm sure they were still beat up quite a bit), but my joints had plenty of complaining to do! My knees, ankles, and feet all swelled up for three full days. I took anti-inflammatories the first day, slept with my feet up on a box all three nights, and generally took it really easy. I still walked places, but slowly. On the fourth day I felt a lot better and I had the opportunity to go to Panorama Recreation Centre to swim in their pool. This actually did wonders for my recovery. Walking against the river current, kicking, and general swimming all moved my sore joints without the added weight of my body and when I left the pool I felt rejuvenated. I would definitely recommend trying some sort of water therapy to ease sore muscles or achy joints. 

Exactly two weeks since my 47km run was the first morning I laced up my trail runners and headed out for a 30 min easy jog to explore the trails in a local park. I felt a little tighter than usual in my legs, but I felt pretty much back to my 'normal' state. Now it has been over three weeks and I am back at CrossFit to build my strength again. I would like to focus on building strength and learning some new skills (such as the olympic lifting and gymnastics movements of CrossFit) for the next few months. I am trying to cycle a little bit and run some smaller distances to keep my cardio at a satisfactory level, but I currently have no plans to run such an epic trail (or distance) for the rest of the year.

...But I am contemplating some sort of endurance adventure for next summer, if not sooner. Needless to say, running the Juan de Fuca has left me hungry for more...more adventures and more ways to push my training and discover new limits. I hope my journey has inspired you in any way, big or small.