As I dive deeper into ultramarathon training, I keep hearing the phrase “take recovery seriously.” Sounds simple, right? But what does that actually mean?
Massage? Naps? Yoga?
I’m currently following a structured plan with an awesome coach, checking the boxes, hitting the workouts, yet I still find myself wondering if I’m really recovering the way I should. In this episode, I open up about the real-life juggling act of hard training, sore legs, second-guessing myself, and trying to strike that sweet spot between pushing limits and not completely wrecking my body.
I share what I’ve been experimenting with, the advice I’ve been given, and the challenges of slowing down when everything in you wants to keep grinding. Because let’s be honest, running more feels productive. Resting? Not always.
So let’s talk about it. What does “prioritizing recovery” actually look like in the middle of big goals and ambitious training blocks? And how do we know if we’re doing enough…or maybe too much?
Tune in, and then tell me: what does recovery mean to you?
Chapters
00:06 - Introduction to Ultra Marathon Training
01:08 - Trusting the Process in Ultramarathon Training
ultramarathon training, recovery strategies for runners, trust the process in training, running in your 50s, half marathon training tips, hilly running routes, sleep and recovery for athletes, coaching for ultramarathons, strength training for runners, managing running injuries, training plans for older runners, how to take recovery seriously, running motivation for older athletes, endurance training for beginners, tips for better sleep as a runner, heart rate training for ultramarathons, back-to-back long runs, running community support, benefits of ultramarathon training, managing workout volume for runners
Mentioned in this episode:
Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast
A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.
Transcripts
Speaker A:
What does take recovery seriously mean?
Speaker A:
I actually don't know.
Speaker A:
Well, hey y'.
Speaker A:
All, welcome back to Mama Runs and Ultra.
Speaker A:
I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to train for my very first ultra marathon and this podcast is helping me figure out what the hell am I thinking.
Speaker A:
So I'm well into my second block of official ultramarathon training and we're still in territory I have tried before.
Speaker A:
And if you're new here, I'm working with an excellent coach, but I'm not going to give away any of their trade secrets.
Speaker A:
I'm just going to generally about what we're doing.
Speaker A:
And the main thing so far has been moving around where my miles are each week.
Speaker A:
It's not so much the overall volume, cause that's.
Speaker A:
Well, I've been here before and so far the back to back long runs have not looked scary on paper and honestly went pretty well.
Speaker A:
But these next few weeks have some big miles back to back.
Speaker A:
And again, the overall weekly volume is volume I've done many times in various half marathon builds.
Speaker A:
So it's kind of funny that looking at it is freaking me out a little it so I was joking about it with a runner friend and then I remembered her tattoo.
Speaker A:
Trust the process.
Speaker A:
So that's what I'm going to continue to tell myself on this is just trust the process.
Speaker A:
I do trust the coach.
Speaker A:
I do trust that they have very good knowledge about not only ultramarathon training for relative newbies who are well into their master's category of running, but also specific knowledge of this actual race that I will be doing this summer.
Speaker A:
So part is to let myself get out of the way and trust the process.
Speaker A:
It's been kind of fun.
Speaker A:
I had a couple of little long weekend road trips and was able to plan ahead and run in some new places.
Speaker A:
Well, not new places, they're places I've been before.
Speaker A:
But I've never run these particular routes.
Speaker A:
And historically I've been one of those people that if I go somewhere I'm like going to avoid that hilly route.
Speaker A:
But since I need to get all this vert my new word from a few weeks ago, I actually had a hard time seeking out the hilliest routes in the places I went.
Speaker A:
I even reached out to a couple running stores like, hey, do y' all have any advice on how I find a super hilly but safe route around here?
Speaker A:
And one of them was completely no help at all.
Speaker A:
And one of them was like, oh heck yeah.
Speaker A:
Let me send you some GPX files of Four different favorite routes.
Speaker A:
And I was like, oh, hell yeah, y' all are awesome.
Speaker A:
So I don't want to, like, call names because it'll make it really obvious who the person who wasn't helpful was, because there's only two running stores in that town anyway.
Speaker A:
Two more than we have where I live.
Speaker A:
So I am at the point of thinking I might sign up for a half marathon just as part of my training and then follow the training prescription.
Speaker A:
You know, that trust the process thing of, you know, if I'm supposed to stay within a certain heart rate zone, go do the half marathon as part of this long run training run, but stay in the lower heart rate zone.
Speaker A:
I don't even know if I'm capable of doing that because as I mentioned, my last two half marathons, I got very carried away in the first two, two or three miles and went way too hot and then completely burned myself out finishing in historically slow times overall, because I was cooked.
Speaker A:
So half the reason I'm thinking of forcing myself to do this is to make myself follow the plan.
Speaker A:
I think I'm capable of doing that because I'm afraid enough of burning up within this overall ultramarathon training plan that I'm willing to do what the coach tells me to do.
Speaker A:
I am coachable.
Speaker A:
I'm just not a very good coach of myself because my overall life philosophy is, what the hell, let's try it.
Speaker A:
And so show up and blow up does not scare me.
Speaker A:
But that's not the process right now.
Speaker A:
The process is to do what the coach tells me.
Speaker A:
Trust the process.
Speaker A:
Like everything.
Speaker A:
If I say it out loud enough, I'll maybe listen to myself.
Speaker A:
Maybe.
Speaker A:
I don't know.
Speaker A:
As I've been reading more about ultramarathon training in general, one of the things that has me a little confused is when people talk about take your recovery seriously.
Speaker A:
So I don't really know what that means.
Speaker A:
I am trying very, very hard to get more sleep.
Speaker A:
But sleep, as I've mentioned, has been elusive for me my entire life.
Speaker A:
I've never been a good sleeper, so I do get in bed and lay flat, but sleep, not so much.
Speaker A:
Although I have to laugh.
Speaker A:
Don't get too wound up about whatever sleep metrics your watch are giving you, because the other day I took my watch off when I brushed my teeth at night and then went to bed and never put it back on.
Speaker A:
And then I got up in the morning, made coffee, you know, did all my stuff.
Speaker A:
And then as I was getting ready to come into my office and do my work, I realized I didn't have my watch on and went to go put it back on.
Speaker A:
And so as my watch updated throughout the day, it told me that I had had 11 hours of low quality sleep.
Speaker A:
And I was like, well, it was on the bathroom counter by my toothbrush.
Speaker A:
So I'm thinking that's not accurate.
Speaker A:
So all I'm saying is I'm gonna go by the way I feel, not by whatever the watch is telling me as far as recovery and sleep and that sort of thing goes.
Speaker A:
But I really genuinely don't know what they mean by take your recovery seriously.
Speaker A:
Beyond that.
Speaker A:
I'm not a person who is going and, you know, going above and beyond of what the coach has told me to do.
Speaker A:
I'm doing exactly what the coach tells me.
Speaker A:
I do my strength work, I do whatever they tell me.
Speaker A:
But I'm not then going and doing like spin classes or any crazy thing like that.
Speaker A:
Only because, like, I don't want to break myself.
Speaker A:
And that's a real concern when you're in your 50s.
Speaker A:
I won't name names, but someone very close in my life who has been a lifelong athlete of pretty much every sport they've ever tried, also has battled multiple injuries and multiple surgeries throughout their 50s because in their head, they're still 22.
Speaker A:
And as much as I love this person, you know who you are.
Speaker A:
If you're listening, I would like to avoid that when possible.
Speaker A:
So I guess this week's mantra is to trust the process.
Speaker A:
But my question to y' all has to do with recovery.
Speaker A:
What does that mean?
Speaker A:
Beyond going to bed on time?
Speaker A:
What does take recovery seriously mean?
Speaker A:
I actually don't know.
Speaker A:
Can answer that in the comments.
Speaker A:
YouTube, Spotify, Apple, wherever.
Speaker A:
If this podcast has been entertaining or helpful in any way to you, I would love it if you would share it with a friend.
Speaker A:
People are DMing me on Instagram, which is fine, but I hate social media.
Speaker A:
But it's actually useful for messages.
Speaker A:
So I don't know.
Speaker A:
Would rather you just left a comment.
Speaker A:
I mean, I'd rather you just left a five star review with a comment.
Speaker A:
Oh my gosh.
Speaker A:
Y' all know that song, Stone Cold Pimpin'?
Speaker A:
That's what I feel like whenever I have to say that.
Speaker A:
Anyway, it's true though.
Speaker A:
That's what they make us do because five star ratings and kind reviews are Internet currency.
