On the Run with Sam: Now's the Time to Devote Some Time to Recovery

I’m ready to admit it. I am NOT invincible. I need to bring fuel and water on long runs. I need to stretch. I need to sleep more. I need to do what my body can handle.

As some of you readers know, I’m in my early 20’s. By no means is that old, really; but if I don’t start taking care of my body, I will regret it in the near future.

I am rather injury prone, and I would like to blame it on poor genetics or something of the sort, but the reality is that I just don’t do enough outside of running to truly recover. I have long suffered with odd sleeping patterns, which lends itself to some recovery problems but not all.

I’ve recently started trying not to eat like the teenager I no longer am as an entry point to taking care of me. 

Adding in some lunges or planks occasionally just to make myself feel like a more rounded athlete helps too. I’m sure the glutes I seldom activate before a run are proud of me. 

For so long I’ve always been the youngest in the room, and while that may still stand true in some cases, it’s not an excuse to be reckless with the one body I have. We all kick the bucket down the road on becoming more disciplined in pre- and post-run recovery, heck, with almost every decision in life we’re going to kick it down the road until it becomes a much more overwhelming problem than it should be. So, why can’t we just do the thing we say we’re going to do, the thing we want to do? 

I have yet to figure that out. If you know why and how to fix it - you know where to find me. 

It’s never too late to start a new habit. So, maybe, if you’re a 20-something like me, who has never really understood what it meant to be stiff after a run until now, you’ll join me in taking that extra 10-15 minutes to take care of yourself and be prepared for your run, your day, your life.

And as a recent college graduate and having just stepped into a new full-time job outside of my part-time ventures at Fleet Feet, I’ve found it increasingly important to do the things I love outside of work to keep my body and mind active. Whether it’s running, hiking, or being with friends, I’ve selfishly increased the time allowance in my schedule for these activities. I believe this plays an important role in the outcome of my day.

We all know it’s important to keep moving now so that we can do the same in our old age, so let’s make sure we’re treating ourselves like we only get one body, because that’s really all we get. It’s a tough idea to wrap your head around, especially when you’re young, because, again, you think you’re invincible, but one day that ache in your knee or the strain in your back won’t go away and you’ll be stuck wondering why you didn’t do more to protect your body.

Have a great month, stay cool, stay healthy. 

Samantha Simmons