Nov 5, 1999

How can I know when my race recovery is optimal? (Steve Vaughan)

REPLY: Recovery goes through three stages, each taking longer than the one before. The first is recovery from acute muscle soreness, which takes no more than a few days to ease.

Then you still have to deal overall weariness felt mostly as dead legs, which takes longer to wane. Finally there's psychological recovery, that don't-want-to-go-hard again feeling that is slowest to leave you after a hard effort.

You know you're recovered, then, when the legs feel pain-free and lively again -- and when you've forgotten how hard the race felt and want to try it again.

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