Re-Run: Unlocking Post-Race Recovery Secrets for Triathletes

Re-Run: Join Coach Chris for post-race recovery triathlon success. We explore immediate post-race actions, the art of active recovery, and the power of listening to your body's nutritional needs. Our episode sheds light on preventing common issues such as upper respiratory infections and managing temporary gastrointestinal troubles, while offering insights into soothing recovery methods like Epsom salt baths, massages, and compression gear to promote healing and reduce inflammation.

For those of you dreaming big for 2025, we have some fantastic plans in store to help you achieve your goals. We invite you to join us for our virtual open houses this week and next, where we’ll focus on making your triathlon dreams a reality.

We’re launching some amazing programs in 2025, including group training for Ironman and 70.3 events, a scholarship program, and our winter strength and speed training. If you’re ready for a personalized training plan designed just for you—one that’s based on proven science and supported by a real coach—then this is your chance! Save your spot at our open houses, where you can ask our coaches anything, discover how we can help you accomplish incredible things, and become part of a supportive community. Visit theenduranceedge.com/2025 to secure your spot today!

Chapters

• 0:28 Post-Race Recovery Tips for Triathletes
• 8:55 Post-Race Recovery and Maintenance Tips
• 15:38 Celebrating Ironman Achievement and Future Goals

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:28

Hello, all you awesome triathletes and soon to be triathletes. I'm excited to reshare this five-day podcast series that covers everything from preparing for race day, having a great swim, bike and run, as well as post-race tips specifically for Ironman, north Carolina 70.3, though you really can apply these insights to any triathlon. So if you're racing this weekend, good luck. You've got this. For those of you who are dreaming big for 2025, we have some amazing plans in store for you to achieve your goals. We invite you to join us for our virtual open houses, both this week and next week, where we'll focus on making your triathlon dreams a reality. Week and next week, where we'll focus on making your triathlon dreams a reality, we're launching some pretty amazing programs in 2025, including group training for Ironman and for 70.3 events, as well as a scholarship program and our winter strength and speed training. So if you're ready for a personalized training plan designed just for you, one that's based on proven science and supported by real coaches with more than 60 years and a thousand races under their belts, then this is your chance. Save your spot at our open houses, where you can ask our coaches anything, discover how we can help you accomplish amazing, incredible things and become part of a supportive community. Visit theenduranceedgecom forward slash 2025 to secure your spot today. And again, that's theenduranceedgecom forward slash 2025.

Speaker 1: 2:02

Welcome back to the Find your Edge podcast. We are on day five of our podcast blitz as we lead into Ironman, north Carolina 70.3. But, as I've said, all the podcasts before, this can be applicable to really whatever race that you are doing. Today's episode is all about what happens post-race, because we're all talking about how you swim, how you bike, how you run, how you get prepared, and then what do you do afterwards. So we're here to tell you some insider tips and secrets to do post race to make sure you feel your best in the coming days. So, first of all, huge congratulations.

Speaker 1: 2:41

Secondly, it's important that if you are in immediate pain or need some immediate assistance, that you go to the medical tent. This is, if you're like feeling like you're going to faint or pass out, or if any of your injuries needs medical attention. This is the time to do it. However, if you are feeling pretty good or feeling pretty done, my suggestion to you because I see it all the time is don't stop moving. So many people get across the finish line and they'll put their hands on their knees or they'll lay down or whatever, which lying down is totally fine, especially if you are really overworked or if you're really really hot. Um, if you are in a hot race which this race probably won't be super hot but if you are in a hot race it is important to help your core body temperature come down, to get to a shady spot or to get to some air conditioning, lie down and put your feet up, which helps with additional recovery and circulation. But if not, if you are in the situation like we're going to be in tomorrow, which looks like the high is going to be sort of in the upper 60s, so it should be pretty pleasant Just don't stop moving.

Speaker 1: 3:46

Initially, very light walk around for some active recovery, just letting the blood flow slow down nice and easily, rather than just plopping down. We see it all the time when people just plop right into the grass or they head right to the beer tent and then they sit down and then everything locks up. So take your time at least for the first 5, 10, 15 minutes just to walk around, at least for the first 5, 10, 15 minutes just to walk around. Let your heart rate come down, let some of that blood flow, return to your GI tract and come away from working muscles. If we sit down too quickly or if we certainly like, bend over too much, we make it a little dizzy, so and we certainly don't want to faint or pass out. So once you are done, you've had some of that active recovery.

Speaker 1: 4:29

If you are feeling up for having something to eat or drink, go for it. If you're really thirsty, go grab some water If you really feel like you need something specific. When somebody puts it in front of your face whether it be anything from a sandwich to a rice crispy treat, to sports drink or whatever you might look at it and be like, oh, that sounds terrible. Or you might be like, oh, wow, that sounds delicious. So honor your body's need in that timeframe and go for it.

Speaker 1: 4:57

I would recommend not chugging something at this time. Just sip on something very lightly if you are thirsty and we don't want to upset our stomach. So you have to remember that your GI tract has pretty much been not really online a whole lot and all that blood flow has to come back. So let's do it pretty easily If we stuff it too full. I had a guy who finished a half marathon and they were handing out chocolate milk and he grabbed it and he just threw it back as soon as he got across the finish line and in about five seconds it came right back out. So that is a good testament to say, like all right, let yourself chill out a little bit, pay attention to your body, listen to it. You need water, or if you need sports drink and it sounds appealing, go for it. Sip on it nice and easily. Don't be shoving things down your throat. So, and from a recovery nutrition perspective, if you're gonna continue doing exercise, exercise If this is like not a one and done kind of thing if you want to feel good in the coming days, then good recovery nutrition is optimal.

Speaker 1: 5:59

Here we want to try to have something on board within about 30 minutes. That doesn't mean immediately afterwards, that means somewhere around 30 minutes, which is a good opportunity to walk around, maybe take your shoes off If you've got some blisters, or put a thermal blanket on just to make sure you maintain some of that heat, or get out of the heat if you're in a hot race. So and then hopefully getting something down the hatch within 30 minutes. It's ideal. This is an ideal time to take in carbohydrates. They can be as bananas, they can be as a sandwich, it can be as a recovery shake. There's a lot of different ways to skin a cat but those carbohydrates that you take in are more likely to be stored as glycogen, which is stored in your liver and muscles. So that's an optimal time to take in those carbs.

Speaker 1: 6:46

And then a little bit of protein goes a long way. So can we get anywhere from 10 to maybe even upwards of 40 grams of protein into the system. So that might be in the form of a burrito, which is one of my favorite post-workout foods. It might be a shake. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything expensive or fancy. If you don't want it to be, it just has to hopefully taste good to you. So that's our fueling and hydration, and then just continuing throughout the rest of the day, hopefully having a meal within two to three hours after finishing. Uh, that can be more like a sit down kind of real meal, if you will. I'm air quoting here.

Speaker 1: 7:22

Um, and also consider, where does alcohol come into this? So there has been a little bit of research to suggest that maybe one beer post-race is good for rehydration, because people are more motivated to drink it, it's typically cold, it's bubbly, it's tasty, so they get it down a little bit more than if they're just like eh, this is water. However, it starts to become a problem if it's two, three and four. Then we start to really tap into our recovery and not benefit it nearly as much to our recovery and not benefit it nearly as much. So then we might start to have headaches. Later we might just slow our recovery, especially how you are genetically formed. Some of us just don't clear some of that alcohol quite as quickly. So that's up to you.

Speaker 1: 8:10

A quick story I, after one of my first races, I went with some friends to go get pizza, beer and wings and that was probably one of the most regrettable things I've ever done in triathlon, because I felt like death for probably three days easily. Um, I've learned a little bit more about myself as it relates to like my genetics and, um, why that was such a bad idea. But again, this is you, so take care of yourself. You just did an awesome thing and hopefully you can continue to do awesome things. So I think Athletic Brewing is actually one of the sponsors for Ironman North Carolina. They are alcohol-free and honestly, they're pretty tasty. So if you're just a beer purist, just try it, but if you prefer to go another route, that is totally fine too. All right.

Speaker 1: 8:56

It is important that you focus on hand-washing for the next couple of days. There is an increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections, so things like cold flu, things like that. So just make sure that you're being really good about your hand-washing for the next couple of days, as your immune system is weakened a bit after doing something like this, especially a half or a full marathon or a half or a full Ironman. Understand that sleep may not be particularly wonderful in the couple of nights after a race. You might sleep like a baby that's great or sleep fantastically, but just know that maybe sleep might be a little off for a couple of nights. That is normal, just knowing that everyone's recovery is a little bit different. So be patient with yourself. The more you have experience in the sport, the more your body will adapt to it and then you can be able to obviously predict what's going to happen and certain recovery methods might work better for you.

Speaker 1: 9:54

You might really love to get into an Epsom salt bath for that additional magnesium. Especially if you tend to be a cramper, that's a really good one to do post-race, or you might like to do an ice bath is a great way to reduce inflammation, especially in the immediate hours afterwards. You don't have to be in there for a long time and it doesn't necessarily have to be freezing cold. We have a couple of podcasts on that, so I would point you in those directions. Other things you can do is get into some, you know, get a massage, get some physical therapy, put on some compression hose or compression boots. Those are really fantastic to help with blood flow circulating, all of those inflammatory markers just a little bit quicker, if you can. But honestly, your best recovery tool is sleep. So we need to get good quality sleep in those days afterwards to recover a little bit better.

Speaker 1: 10:46

Another thing some people don't necessarily talk about, but your gut, your GI tract, especially for women who have more sensitive GI tracts especially depending on where they are in their cycle or how much jostling is going on or guts just tend to be a little bit more sensitive your gut might not be normal for a few days. You might notice a little bit of diarrhea or just unusual habits as again, especially post-race as your gut kind of quote, unquote comes back online and starts to function again, it's going oh, what's happening here? I'm going to pull a bunch of water and send it into your gut and then you're going to be hanging out in John for several times or for a long time. So know that that is normal. We certainly don't want to see blood in your stool, so if that is something that happens to you, you definitely want to hit urgent care or that or call your healthcare provider. But just understand, yeah, a lot just went on in your gut. Be patient with it and know that it will be back online in a few days. Just go a little slower. Make sure you're getting your hydration, make sure you're getting a good quality diet to refeed all that gut microbiota, things like your fruits and vegetables, good quality proteins, good quality grains and starches and beans and things like that to kind of get everything back online.

Speaker 1: 12:04

Another one that you're probably going to be aware of is chafing or blisters. Going to be aware of is chafing or blisters. So these are really common. Chafing tends to be for women, maybe where the sports bra is, or for men, where the heart rate monitor might be around your chest. You might have some underneath your armpits or along sort of the insides of your arms, the back of your neck, where maybe some Velcro from your wetsuit has hit you, back of your neck, where maybe some Velcro from your wetsuit has hit you, or along the sides of your neck. Oftentimes people will have some chafing where their saddle was, in the niddle regions, Other places where there might be some sort of a seam, like around your thigh, around ankles or toes, things like that. Yes, that is totally normal.

Speaker 1: 12:47

Hopefully you can. You'll find them. You'll find them when you hit the shower for the first time, especially as all that salt water from the swim comes off. It is. It'll wake you up right there. So that's where you'll find everything and just make sure you take care of those blisters and chafing spots, just like you would any other sort of skin injury. Be nice to them and hopefully they'll feel a little bit better in the in the coming days.

Speaker 1: 13:15

Otherwise, go grab your equipment and go grab your bike gear or have somebody else do it for you. But this is a good opportunity especially after you get home or maybe even the next day is to just give your equipment a quick once over. Um, you have just dripped all over your bike with salt water and with sports drinks Some of you who are savvy enough to pee on the bike so let's just give it a rinse down. You can literally wash it with a hose and some Dawn make sure to dry it so that your chain doesn't rust so that's important to do and then rinse your wetsuit and just kind of hang it up in the shower so that it can drip dry Try to hang it not in the sun, if possible and just checking other things like your race number belt and your shoes. Everything might need a nice wash. So go ahead and take care of all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1: 14:09

Also, join a community if you haven't already. We have celebrate with other people Like you just did an awesome thing, so hopefully you've got a local or an online triathlon community, a club. You're always welcome to hook up with us, the Endurance Edge Club or team, as we like to say, but definitely it's a good opportunity to socialize, to celebrate, to nerd out with all of your friends about oh my gosh, did you see that cow on the course? Or what about that pothole? Or oh my gosh, what happened when you got caught in the rain? So you could just talk through things. Have fun, celebrate your accomplishment. That is really what life is about. It's about relationships and celebrating your successes together.

Speaker 1: 14:51

And then maybe it's time to plan some future goals or to plan some future races, depending on what type of challenge you want to tackle next. Is it a different type of race? Is it a different length of race? Is it going to a certain location? There's so many different options when it comes to various races. I would encourage you to try to race locally if you can. Even if it's some short races, that's totally fine. And then do you need some support and professional guidance? Maybe this is the opportunity to get a coach so that you can learn more, or so that you can start to know what you don't know and get better at the things that you really want to get better at. And hopefully, by this point, you've already smiled and gotten a finish line picture. I think I forgot that at the very beginning. Definitely go get yourself a finish line picture with your medal If you are done, or when you are done, uh, celebrate with friends and family for sure.

Speaker 1: 15:39

You're awesome, you're amazing. Congratulations, and don't forget to reach out to us at our tent at Ironman, north Carolina post race. We've got a blue tent with orange writing that says the endurance edge, so come see us. If you are somewhere where you'd like to join our team, don't forget to find us at the endurance edgecom. Hey guys, thank you so much for joining us on this five day podcast blitz. It's been a lot of fun. If you enjoyed it, let me know, chris at the endurance edgecom, and if there's anything else that you want to learn about via our podcast or any guests that you want to have on, I'd love to hear about it. And again, congratulations and keep on racing, and don't forget that you're invited to join us for our virtual open houses this week and next week, where we'll focus on making your triathlon dreams a reality. Visit theenduranceedgecom forward slash 2025 to secure your spot today and I look forward to personally meeting all of you again. That's theenduranceedgecom forward slash 2025.