After-competition rest period: how slow do you go?

I ran a half-marathon last October, and I think I slept the whole day afterward, and didn't run for at least three weeks following the race. You deserve it, I told myself. You need to rest, recover.

Then came the Hood-to-Coast, and my far superior conditioning. Remember how I thought I could run six miles every 12 hours, forever? Instead I napped for a half-hour that day, and didn't run again... until Tuesday. And I was running downtown to meet another mama and teammate in the Hood-to-Coast, who was herself running at lunch.

Rest periods: they just don't make 'em like they used to! Our team's brief recovery time made me revisit some truths I've always held dear, like the two-week recovery period after a major competition. I'm not the only one who believes in that truth; several physiologists used two weeks as their hypothesis in a study of Ironman athletes, and found much to their surprise that only three days was needed for a complete physiological recovery.

So the three days Olivia and I took to bounce back was plenty ... and there goes my justification for missing the run on Friday. Drat.