Pool Walking

Last marathon cycle something new that I added to our program was pool walking after mid-week and long run workouts. When thinking about training, I always hesitate to add anything to a program unless it has proven value. Making pool walking a part of the schedule was well worth the investment and made a noticeable difference in recovery. 

According to Dr. Richard Hansen, pool walking is one of the "easiest and most efficient recovery tools available." From a scientific perspective, essentially the deeper your tissues are under the water, the higher the pressure gradient created. The benefits of pool walking are essentially the same as compression socks, but to a much larger degree. You can read more about Dr. Hansen's explanation here.

Last marathon segment, after a mid-week workout we would typically get in a strength session and then hit the pool for 15-20 minutes of walking. That made for some very long Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, but in my opinion it all was time well spent that made a big difference on race day. Throughout the cycle, I recovered faster from big sessions than previous segments and I think pool walking had a lot to do with it. 

If one was to rank order the importance of a workout day, pool walking would be third on the list after the running workout itself and a strength session, but if you have the time to get it done it makes a big difference. Coach Tom Schwartz is also a big advocate of ending any strength session with 10-15 minutes of light aerobic activity, and pool walking also does an excellent job of checking that box. 

Get in the pool, walk around, go through some of the same motions you would if doing running drills before a workout, and chances are you will probably feel more recovered the next day.

Post-workout Fueling

Over the course of the past five years, I've read about the importance of post-workout fueling hundreds of times. Everyone knows it is important, but the most concise reasoning I've read comes from Matt Dixon. 

Matt talks about the importance of such fueling in his book The Well-Built Triathlete. His claim is the fueling that occurs within 15 minutes of finishing any training is very important to trigger proper adaptations. He recommends consuming 15 to 20 grams of protein within that window, but his reasoning behind why it is important is what I feel has real value.

The intake of protein after every single session sends a signal to the brain that it is no longer under stress and to start the recovery process. Cortisol is produced in your body when it is under stress, including training, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. What you do want to stop is the prolonged cortisol response after training, which is slowed by consuming the protein immediately after training. You should consume a full meal within 90 to 120 minutes of the end of the workout, but the immediate protein intake is the first step in the recovery process that is important. 

In all honesty, this is not something I have been great about in my training, but I am committed to changing that. Matt explains at several times in his book the full meal within 2 hours goes a long way to prevent hunger cravings later in the day as well. Too many times I've had just a small snack after a hard long run only to have insatiable cravings later in the day. Getting a solid, well balanced meal in helps return the body to homeostasis and curb global stress on the body. 

Frequently we feel like eating is the last thing we'd like to do when getting back from a hard session, but in order to get the most out of your training proper recovery is essential.