Post-Race Recovery

Step 1: Breathe

Your body is in severe oxygen debt. Start by taking full breaths in and sending out full exhales. Make a "shh" sound every few breaths instead of just panting. 

Step 2: Move

You need to help flush out the lactic acid from your muscles. It won't just pump out on its own if you collapse on the floor or on the dock. Start with easy movement, even just moving back and forth on the slide is okay. 

I like to spend at least 15 minutes cooling down on the water, but more is probably better. Light rowing is great, helping the muscles flush and the heart rate come down. A good sign of when you can stop is when you can take normal pressure strokes with normal breathing. 

Step 3: Hydrate and Refuel

Start rehydrating! Plain water is better than nothing, but not the best answer. Electrolytes will help your body/muscles absorb and retain the water (i.e. be able to use it). And having a recovery drink or food with carbohydrates and protein will start the refueling/rebuilding process right away.

Ideally, you have drink & food available right when you get back to the dock after (or even before) your cool-down. A little preparation here will go a long way. You don't want to wait to get back to your car an hour after you cross the line to start refueling.

Step 4: Gravity, Temperature, Pressure

Once you’re back at your house/hotel after the race, don’t just go straight to bed!

A little bit of work now will go a long way towards racing better tomorrow. I’ve learned these three factors from a good friend Anderson Burrell (@andersonbwell).

All of these techniques help you process new, fresh blood through your body, especially your legs. Your muscles will thank you for the new oxygen and nutrients that this brings, and CO2 that it carries away.

Gravity

Put your legs up the wall and elevate your hips above your heart. Easy.

Temperature

Even just a plain ol’ hot shower helps! Better yet, do a contrast shower: 30 seconds as hot as you can handle, 30 seconds as cold as the water will get. These will help your blood vessels constrict (in the cold) and re-expand (warm water) to pump more blood. It will also help pump your lymphatic system, which is (in part) responsible for clearing away cellular waste.

Pressure

Grab that foam roller/lacrosse ball/tennis ball/softball/peanut/water bottle and spend some time getting cozy with it. A post-race massage is a treat reserved for those athletes lucky enough to have physios, PTs, or massage therapists on staff. For the rest of us, there’s no better way to help those muscles relax and, again, push fresh blood into your legs.