A Slow Marathon Recovery

I'm not sure if it was the rain, wet roads, or 22-mph winds that completely destroyed my legs. It has never taken me this long to recover from a marathon or long distance run. My left knee is swollen (2 weeks post race), tender to touch the knee cap, my left hip is so stiff I can barely bring my leg up to a normal walking stride.. I'm falling apart over here!

Maybe my culprit is that I never stretch. So, last Sunday I went to a Yoga Class for "Athletes". The entire class incorporated these long deep stretches and poses that we would hold anywhere from 2-5 minutes. After the class I felt like a noodle! However, I am still really stiff in my hips. My coach *a fellow Oiselle Team member* Mollie Turner (Website Here - Piece of Cake Running) told me to incorporate some serious stretching and yoga into my daily routine. The poses we completed in the Restorative Yoga class where:

1. Pigeon
2. Happy Baby (Longest pose. My hips/inner thighs are super tight; coming out of this pose was painful)
3. Cobra
4. Downward Dog (We did this a few times, I always walked out my feet to give my calves a little love)
5. Forward Fold
6. Crescent Moon
7. Hamstring Stretch (Used a rope to pull leg further towards me)

Last night I came home and my knee was still bothering me. So again, I took my coaches advice and took cellophane wrap and wrapped my knee with a package of frozen spinach. Today my knee feels much better! I missed my scheduled 5-mile run yesterday (late school night) so I'm swapping it today with my scheduled rest day.

So I'm still not sure what caused this mess with my knee and my hips - but I am determined to get over it quick and get back to my #1 love... Running.