Lightning-Speed Recovery Secrets For Triathlon

Researchers have suggested than an Ironman triathlon takes a minimum of 19 days recover, and possibly several more weeks or months.

I use to think they where right.

Three years ago, I accomplished my fifth Ironman, I admit I was pissed off at the intense pain that seared through my body for the weeks after the race. Climbing or descend stairs was a formidable task; sitting down, standing up and going to the bathroom was no fun; and hobbling through the airport on the way home was frustratingly slow. For nearly a month, I experienced “dead leg syndrome”

The years since that Ironman, as a coach and sports nutritionist I’ve learned a ton in recovery. The assessment of my newfound knowledge was tested one week ago at Ironman Hawaii World Championships in Kona – a ideal race for me to use myself as a guinea pig and test how quickly the body will recharge from hills, wind, dehydration and world class competition stress. During the race I left it all out on the course, crossing the finish line at 9:53, with a stop for a flat tire.

It is 5 days since the Hawaii Ironman. When I finished, I released my emotions, crying from the pent-up feeling of the race, but also hurting from the nail driving sensation tearing into my IT bands, quads and hamstrings. But 5 days later, as I stand at the airport writing this post, my body feels a great in comparison to previous Ironman races: pain-free, spry and comfortable. Just this morning, before leaving for the airport, I had an hour long cycling interval workout on the bike, and my joints felt fantastic – with my body experiencing no variations in heart rate and speed compared to pre-Ironman rides.

What about the day after, and the 4 days since Ironman Hawaii? The recovery tools I am about to share with you in this post, I was am by amazed how much more pain-free, light on my feet, un-stiff and recovered I was in comparison to any other Ironman races. In this article, I will give you the secrets of lightning-speed recovery from an Ironman triathlon, broken down into four groups Ironman and each day after Ironman: Activity, Supplements, Gear & Advanced Techniques.

Pre-Race Ironman Recovery:

Activity: Tight muscles can be full of adhesions and knots that tend to magnify stiffness during the race, and soreness after the race. I used a local massage therapist (thanks Tim Gilreath) to work on me 4 times in the final month leading up to Ironman, and in between sessions with Tim, included stick work or foam roller at least once every three days. To enhance hydration and limit free radical formation, upon arriving in Hawaii, aside from swimming every morning, I only trained twice – two very quick 30 minute outdoor bike rides followed by brief 15 minute runs.

Supplements: half before the swim ,I took in 6 capsules of a beta-alanine supplement for enhanced tissue oxygenation and 1 tablespoon of a greens supplement as a non-acidic energy source. For a potent free radical buffer, I took a double dose of Synergy Sport powder – one of the most potent anti-oxidant cocktails on the planet. To enhance joint mobility, I took a double dosed with a pharmaceutical grade fish oil capsule from Bioletics in the final week prior to the race. Pre race, in transition, I slathered my legs and upper body with topical magnesium, which can increase blood flow and displace calcium, a contributor toof post-race soreness.

Gear: To limit blood pooling pre-race, I wore long compression socks for the final 3 nights up to the race. This scored me zero points in the bedroom with my lady, but it helped to flush my legs.

Advanced techniques: I utilized a electrostimulation device in “Recovery” mode to keep the blood moving whenever I was sitting around the house in the days leading up to the race. This gave me 30-40 minutes of daily electrostimulation. I used this unit 5 times in “Exercise” in the month leading up to the race.

Racing Recovery:

Activity: Gear mashing is a great way to leave your legs feeling like they’ve been smashed by a hammer after Ironman. I chose a different gear ratio for this race, and maintained a higher cadence (for me) of 80-85. At least every 3 miles in the run, I took 45-60 minutes of fast walking to cool down a bit.

Supplements/Fueling: Consuming a beverage that is a mix of protein and carbohydrates, rather than pure carbs, is crucial for maintaining speed, but also optimizing recovery. Recent research that just appeared in 2010, suggests zero performance deficits from actually substituting a large portion of carbohydrate containing sports drinks with protein! So, I used a carbohydrate gel that contained amino acids during the race. While dehydration will increase post-race soreness, it is impossible to cross the finish line fully hydrated, and there is in fact, a positive relationship between dehydration and race finish time. Recent research has displayed the effectiveness of ice slushies for cooling core temperature during exercise, so I also chewed cups of ice at every other station.

Gear: During the bike and run, I wore, compression socks. Although I felt like Larry Legend Bird at the time, these socks actually increase blood flow and minimize the amount of muscle, tendon and soft tissue vibration that occurs in the lower leg, leaving less post-race tissue damage and blood pooling.

Post Race Ironman Recovery

Activity: After finishing I headed to the nearest ice-water bin and doused the body with cold water, to bring my temperature down and encourage flushing of metabolic waste. I grabbed 4 bags of ice from the massage area and placed them on my quads and hamstrings, under my race shorts (ice+compression). Once my heart rate had lowered, I lay for 5 minutes with my feet up above my heart to flush out my legs. Instead of laying around the remainder of the evening until bedtime, I made sure to get up and move every hour. The next day, I took two cold showers, which would have been ice baths if enough ice had been present . I walked 30 minutes the day after, 60 minutes 2 days after, and then did a light swimming and cycling workout on days 3 and 4.

Supplements/Fueling: Immediately post-race, I took 8 Recoverease capsules, which are a mix of proteolytic enzymes and branched chain amino acids, the former of which can act as an anti-inflammatory and the latter as an amino acid repair source for muscles. I continued to take 8 (on an empty stomach) for 2 days following the race. Rather than consume 1 large, pre-race meal, I consumed 400-600 calorie meals each hour for the 4 hours following Ironman, which research has shown to most quickly replenish glycogen levels and amino acids. These meals were are at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of protein to carbohdyrate. With each meal, I took 1 Phenocane capsule, which is an purely natural alternative to ibuprofen and stomach damaging anti-inflammatories. Pre-bed, I applied another layer of topical magnesium, and consumed 2 tablespoons of amino acids from Bioletics. For the next 4 days, I applied magnesium at night, and a topical anti-inflammatory from ActionWipes during the day.

Gear: At night, I wore full leg compression tights, for flushing of the hamstring and thighs. I continued to use these for 4 days following the race, and wore compression socks during each day.

Advanced Techniques: On day 2 and day 4 after the Ironman, I did a 40 minute electrostimulation session, using the “Recovery” setting on the Compex Sport Elite. On my sorest areas (the upper and mid-calves) I followed this with 20 minutes of infrared, using a home device called a “Kenkowave” (I don’t think you can get these anymore, but there may be other models available). These advanced recovery sessions were easy and were performed while watching TV at night. Each morning after the race, I also performed a 10 minute foam roller session followed by 5 minutes of static stretching. Lastly on day 3, I took a 30 minute bath with magnesium salts.

This may seem like a bit of work, but if you plan on doing two big priority races in a row (such as a Half Ironman followed by an Ironman, or vice versa), you want to feel good ASAP

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