You don't get stronger from running. You get stronger from resting, after you run. That's when the muscles heal up and grow. Or so I've heard.

I sure hope it's true, because my quads need some rest and recovery. I was too sore after the race to do much of anything. I stretched just a little, but even walking was tough.

The good news was, and is, that my sore, strained hip flexor (or lower psoas or whatever the heck it is) didn't feel any worse for wear. It's still sore, but no more so than before. The worst of my soreness is in my quads, from all the running downhill. Going down stairs is brutal.

Kara posted a link to this really excellent (if somewhat technical) article on running downhill. I wish I'd read it before the race! 

Considering my race schedule this spring (Merrimack River Trail Race next Saturday, then Muddy Moose, then Seven Sisters), I decided extreme therapy measures were in order. After I got back home, I filled the tub with cold water, emptied the ice trays from my freezer, had a beer to brace myself, and gave my legs a good long soak. As with the race itself, it felt really good to stop.
I followed that up with a hot shower, and a generous slathering of Recovery Rub on my thighs before bed. Who knows if it helped. I could hardly walk this morning, but I prodded myself out for an extremely slow four-mile recovery run this afternoon, followed by a good long stretching session. I feel a bit better, and who knows, maybe I'll have another ice bath this evening. I think I'll take Monday off, though. If I take Clover for a walk, that will be about enough.

I'm sure I'll get out for a few shorter runs this week, and then come Saturday, we're running the Merrimack River Trail Race, in Andover, Mass. It's a more mellow course (10 miles with negligable elevation), unless of course one runs for speed…. I'll just see how I feel when the time comes. I've heard it's a great race, and it would probably make a fantastic first forray into the off-road running world. Come join the fun, here's the application!