The period of time after running a marathon I find is often the most frustrating. Once the initial aches and pains have gone, which takes me about three days, it is a slow reintroduction back into running. They say it takes a day per mile to fully recover from a marathon during which time the body should be under no stress.
This means only running at most four times a week for the next month starting with short distances and slow pace and build up to longer distances with some speed work involved. I'm used to running five or six times a week and instead of welcoming this reduction I just want to go out there and run. Doing so would be a disaster as this is also the easiest time to get injured. Stick to the schedule and it'll see you through to the other side. That's what I have to keep telling myself.
In the meantime I'm eating like it's going out of fashion. Combine this with less running and the old calories in/calories out scale tips in the wrong direction. It doesn't bother me much as I know that as soon as I start the next training schedule for my next marathon (in just over two weeks' time) I'll soon be tipping those scales the other weigh (see what I did there!).
On another note I had to go to the doctor's the other day and as part of a general health check she took my blood pressure. It came in at 160/110 which is stupidly high. She told me to relax and took it again. Same outcome. She knew I was a runner and am not overweight so didn't seem that bothered but told me to monitor it regularly using the machine they have in reception. As soon as I got home I ordered a home monitor off Amazon (£16, not bad) and started researching everything I could about high blood pressure. Turns out I could have had "white coat syndrome" which is the act of being in the doctors having your blood pressure measured actually increases your blood pressure! The irony.
The home monitor kit arrived yesterday so I used it as soon as I was able. 130/80, which is much better. The ideal is 120/80 so I'll keep monitoring myself to see if it comes down over the next few weeks.
Now it's back to the slow runs. I can't wait to start training for the Chester marathon.
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