Friday Thrive

Friday Thrive

Happy Friday! How has your week been? I’ve been deep in the peak mileage of marathon training and really enjoying my runs. This week’s Friday Thrive rounds up some of my favorite reads, podcasts, and recipes from this week – along with celebrating some of my athletes’ accomplishments! 

Friday Thrive

Recover

Do you take ice baths after a race or long run? According to Gretchen Reynold’s recent article in The New York Times, a warm bath might be better for muscle recovery (not to mention, far more comfortable). “Running a Marathon? Think Hot Tub, Not Ice Bath, Afterward” discusses a recent study that found warm baths helped muscles absorb more glycogen and therefore recover more quickly. (The study did not examine how muscle pain was affected, just muscle power). As someone who has never taken an ice bath (I have a hard enough time as it is keeping my core temperature up after a race!), this is really good news – and all the more justification for a hot soak after a race. 

Read

“We Shouldn’t Care Where a Runner is Born” by Martin Fritz Huber for Outside. 

Certain websites qualified Shalane’s victory at New York City, respectively, as the first American to win the race in decades – neglecting Meb’s incredible NYCM win in 2009. Meb may not be an American-born, but he is an American in every right – and his running was cultivated on American soil with American coaches. (Miki Gorman, the last American woman to win NYCM 40 years before Shalane, was Chinese-born to Japanese parents.) As Huber argues, “At least by the lofty standard of this idealized national self-narrative [you can become anything you want to become], fretting over whether a U.S. athlete was actually born here seems fundamentally un-American. 

Eat

I made the marinara sauce from Run Fast. Eat Slow and I don’t think I can go back to store-bought. The recipe was hands-off – all I did was chop vegetables, add canned tomatoes, and let everything simmer on the stove – for a flavorful vegetable-packed sauce. (Bonus: no added sugar and a savory taste, unlike many store-bought sauces!). We used half of it in baked pasta and saved the other half for chicken parmesan with spaghetti squash. 

Friday Thrive

Listen

On her Running for Real podcast, Tina Muir interviewed Renee McGregor, a registered dietician. McGregor is releasing a book entitled Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Goes Bad. This podcast is a must-listen for runners, whether or not you have dealt with orthorexia. McGregor addresses carb-phobia, the social and psychological harm of orthorexia, and more. I appreciated most where she falls on the avoidance of whole grains and over substitution of low-carb alternatives: “It’s not that carbs are bad. No one food group is to blame for anything, it is a multifactorial system, and it is about understanding that your body needs something from every group to perform well.”

Friday Thrive

Celebrate

Jamala ran a 6-minute course PR at her hilly 5K this weekend! 

Ann Marie ran her first marathon at the New York City Marathon!

Ana ran her first marathon at RNR Savannah! 

Annmarie won her age group in a 5 mile race! 

Melanie ran RNR Savannah!

Rechell ran the Run for Water 10 Miler! 

Do you take ice baths after races?
What podcasts are you listening to recently?

 

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12 Responses

  1. We are on the same wavelength! I have taken a few ice baths in my life but have felt a ton better doing a hot soak in Epsom salts instead. My PT and massage therapist are the ones who got me hooked on that a couple of years ago.

    1. So funny because we’ve shared the same articles in past weeks as well! A hot Epsom soak sounds so nice after a hard effort – and it’s good to know that professionals recommend it!

  2. I don’t do ice baths, although sometimes it is fun to run the shower on cold after a particularly hot run. I do like taking hot epsom salt baths occasionally though. When I was on the cruise last week, I spent a lot of time in the hot tub and I think that helped my legs recover as well. I think some of it is psychological- some runners here jump into their swimming pools after runs because it’s so hot, and maybe it’s not the cold water that is helping but just the fact that they are relaxing in the pool, who knows?

    1. I bet you are right – relaxation is a huge factor in recovery! I think temperature is a big factor as well – a cold shower or jump in the pool sounds downright unpleasant after a run out here, but a hot shower probably sounds equally unpleasant to you!

  3. Lately, I”m all about the Nerdist. I don’t know why, but I love hearing about the entertainment industry, even if I don’t follow it at all. Terrible, Thanks for Asking is always good, but it majorly tugs the heart strings.
    I loved peak mileage weeks. I really did! Some people hate them or are scared, but I loved it!

  4. I have a hard time with the no carbs or eliminating diets. I don’t eat dairy, or try not too, due to allergic response. But I try to eat whatever else makes me feel good and gives me energy to perform. I can definitely tell the difference when I eat bad processed foods. But for me, carbs in moderation are just fine! I get too much brain fuzz and low energy without them. Thx for the shout out 🙂

    1. I agree. I don’t know how much of those gluten-free/grain-free recommendations you encountered, but I have read and heard so much about how I shouldn’t eat carbs or gluten because of my endo and lean PCOS. But they are definitely important for energy – I would be a walking brain fuzz without them! Congrats again on your awesome race!

  5. I’ve never taken an ice bath, but I usually take cold showers after warm runs because I always kind of feel like I’m on fire. I like warm Epsom salt baths for soothing achy muscles.

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