As the daylight hours wane and our training load ticks up toward January, time is of the essence.
We will need to prioritize more time toward covering the miles that will prepare us, but we will also need to prepare for the mechanism of the seven-day schedule. One area requiring discipline is recovery, with a limited window to do so.
At home, we can order takeout when we're too tired to make dinner after a long run, or slip into a warm Epsom salt bath. On this trip, we'll have a general schedule framework of travel and racing, but we'll need adaptive strategies to make sure we are as prepared as possible for the next 26.2.
By identifying and paring down the essential needs to recover and recycle quickly, we can hopefully reduce at least some of the variables we will face.
— Dena Evans
Use Training Days as a Dress Rehearsal
Between now and January, we have an opportunity to hone that routine. On selected training days, try a short checklist of things you can do wherever you are, even if the weather or schedule throws you a curve.
- Practice a simple warm-up you can repeat before each run.
- Afterward, see how quickly you can change into dry clothes, refuel, and fit in a few minutes of rolling or stretching with whatever you can carry.
- Figure out which foods reliably sit well before and after a run, and identify a few you can bring along in case the options on the trip don't agree with you.
- Care for the clothes and shoes you might need to be ready the following day.
- Consider a mental routine to aid the wind-up and wind-down.
Pare It Down to What's Essential
By practicing these things in training in a way that reflects the needed time and logistical constraints of the trip, we can build a portable, repeatable routine that travels with us. The goal isn't perfection at home. It's knowing exactly what you need and being able to execute it, wherever you land next.