Recovery, pictures, and what's next?

This week so far has been interesting. I had minimal soreness which is now completely gone. However, I have been super tired since the race, and a little blah about any type of physical activity. My stomach has been finicky and if I don't see a gel the rest of my life I am going to be happy (I know this will pass, but for now, no gel talk).

I took an easy swim on Sunday @ Walden, and that helped loosen up my legs. It was nice to swim, rest on my back, and just enjoy the water, with no pressure. Chris joined me for a bit, and he almost got hypothermia (no wetsuit and zero body fat will do that to you) so we had to go home quickly so he could take a warm bath (he kept shivering for at least 1 hour, scared me a little!). On Monday I hopped on my bike to spin the legs for a bit. On Tuesday I attempted a run without the Garmin. Legs felt fine, but my breathing was heavy, sign I need more rest. I ran again today and had a nice cool run. Everything felt great. Just what I needed:)

I am trying to figure out what my next move should be. I am registered for Baystate and this will be my next A race. McMillan says 3:06, but I would be happy with 3:15. I have been getting 10+ minute PRs at Baystate for the past 2 years (3:29 from a 3:45 for my second ever marathon, and 3:19 last year). I feel I am a better short distance runner, with HM as my best event, and I have always ran marathons 5 min slower than what McMillan predicted based on my HM time. Right now, though, I do not have any desire to train, so will probably just play around for the next couple of weeks, and get myself excited by designing my training plan. I am also going to fit some no pressure tris for the summer. Biking and swimming have kept my body healthy, so I will continue enjoying them regularly until August, and then I might cut them down completely, or just keep swimming, will see. In terms of mileage, I may try 70-75 peak, since last year I had a couple of weeks of 65, so not a huge mileage jump. I want to make sure I get to enjoy summer with my boys!

Here are some pictures from the race.

Barely keeping my balance at the end of the swim...Man, that thick wetsuit is darn flattering..ha!