A lot of bigger races really go the extra distance to celebrate runners with some impressive post-race festivities, which can include live music, vendor booths, beer or even games. In my opinion, wearing ASICS running shoes is one of the best parts of racing. One thing that many of my teammates and I share is a love of free stuff. It may sound ridiculous, but one of the first things.
Some runners may think the race is reward enough, but I thrive on that sense of accomplishment and earned exhaustion I experience in the moments following a finish. If we've traveled out of town for the race, we'll make plans to meet up later in the evening to explore the area, but if the race was local we'll usually lay low the rest of the day and plan to meet up later in the week for an easy recovery run or a happy hour.
Sports drinks, snack foods, smoothies (my favorite!)—these are all great things to look forward to as you walk around and stretch your legs after a strong race effort. I check when signing up for a race is who is sponsoring it, because sponsors often provide many of the freebies that you'll find in the race recovery area. After a group stretch, we'll usually stick around for quite a while to enjoy all the fun.
Smaller races can also offer impressive post-race celebrations. For instance, a handful of us just ran a 5K charity race a couple of months back and were rewarded with a finishers' champagne brunch. You can't beat that.
At some point, we'll typically leave the finisher festivities and head to brunch together. Brunch allows us to get off our feet and settle in to discuss the nuances of the race—who felt strong, who was having a tough time, how that hill at mile nine was way steeper than expected. It's a great time for reflection and togetherness, for celebrating the effort we just endured.
Physical exertion and overindulgence at brunch are the perfect recipe for a midday nap, and most of us sneak away after brunch to catch some zzz's.I like to use any ounce of energy I have left to soak up the glory of race day, which means that much of the recovery routine is built around entertainment.
What's your post-race routine?
ASICS Shoe Lover Natasha Harris lives in San Diego.
Source: http://www.asicsamerica.com/blog/post/2010/12/09/SOCIAL-My-Favorite-Post-Race-Recovery-Routine.aspx
.
