Recovery from Running Long

I keep reminding myself that I'm running a marathon in December by running these really long runs on a treadmill like a gerbil on a running wheel. It's not that I don't like running outside, but that I haven't found an appropriate loop to train on. As self-appointed "Safety Girl", on my long runs, I prefer to run in loops, because if I chicken out or break my leg, I always can run/hobble back home pretty quickly.

Yesterday, I decided enough was enough, and that running outside had to be better. So I just picked a set of roads and ran on it. What a difference! Mostly the run consisted of sidewalk trails, but at one point I was running on a low-traffic road which was only partially lumpy. For me, it was a great trail -- lots of rolling hills, very few heavy inclines, and views of the mountains. Before I knew it, I had run 14-ish miles (confirmed today via the car odometer). The fact that I felt so good on the run makes me feel better about my training.

What I want to talk about though, is recovery. Clearly science tells us that recovering is severely overrated, and that "no pain, no gain" is the type of mentality that keeps a person injured. The real motto should be "as little pain as possible", at least to me. So I take recovery very seriously after a long run.

This is my current routine:
1) I take 2 Super AO caps and two ibuprofen with a big glass of Crystal Light. I swear by Super AO -- I'm not sure what it exactly does, but it allows me to walk around through the rest of the day and not be sore the next day, which is an incredible result. If you run (heck you don't even have to run seriously to benefit), you should really think about E-Caps supplement products.
2) Take a hot jacuzzi bath -- Ideally, one should have an ice bath after running, but I am not so amenable to cold water. I've found that this combination works the best for me -- I use bath salts and jets on medium. Using the jets, I massage my feet until I can't stand it anymore. The result of this is that the next day, I can walk like a normal person, without feeling like the balls of my food are going to fall apart.
3) Use Jointflex Ironman over all significant areas of complaint after a run...namely feet, ankles, knees for me. This feels good, and I believe it does help you walk easier the next day.

Using this method, I was able to comfortably hop around last night like usual, and today I am only marginally incapacitated by stiff legs (it used to be that my legs would be totally sore after a 10+ run), so I think it works pretty well.

Some other cool things for running:
--Sole Custom Footbeds: Put the footbeds in the oven, then in your shoes to mold them to your feet. Great concept!
--Ipod Shuffle: I like the idea that even if I listen to every song on this player, I will not have that awful feeling that I'm starting over at the beginning. This is good for long runs.
--Injinji Socks have individual toes so that you don't get blisters. Dad used these last year in the LV marathon and just loves them.
--Under Armour Shorts: My new favorite shorts for running! They are compression shorts (which helps keep my quads loose), but don't lose their elsasticity as many of my other compression shorts do.
--Brooks Addiction 6: My new shoes. I chose them because they have a wider base -- this keeps my feet from turning in as much as they usually do, which is definitely a good thing. There is also a lot of toe room in the front, which is important for me as well.
--Hammer Gel: This is my energy gel of choice! If you like the inside of a McD's apple pie, try the apple-cinnamon flavor. I switch between that one and the expresso (which tastes a bit like chocolate pudding).

Anyways, that's the running report for this week :). Next week, Frank and I start XC training, which should be fun, and there will be another trail run on Tuesday!