The Aftermath

I think it's fair to say that I pushed my body to its limits last Saturday, so recovery is a relative term. It will take several months to be fully recovered from that effort, but luckily I don't have to wait until full recovery has been achieved.

As reported, I very nearly fainted immediately upon stopping, which must have been low blood pressure following the cessation of muscle activity in my legs. This subsided quite quickly and a few minutes later I felt much better already.

My legs the following day were in much better shape than after the last 24 his race, when I was basically bedridden for two days and unable to walk. This time we went to the Titanic exhibition on Sunday and while I did not exactly feel like running around, I managed reasonably well, walking down staircases providing the only real issue.

My stomach seemed to have shrunk for a few days, I would sit down at the table ravenously hungry and feel full after about three bites.

The strangest thing happened to my face as my skin exploded in a hundred tiny spots, I had worse acne than ever during my teenage years. The worst affected area was my forehead, but it spread all over my face and even my neck. Googling what was going on still left me a bit bemused, the most likely explanation seemed to be that it was a stress reaction; after all, I did put my body through a fair amount of stress that day.

We went straight on our holidays the Monday after the race and I did not bring my running gear, enforcing a break on my weary bones. Mind, Niamh already suggested I should run up the nearest mountain, and I don't think she was joking. The legs still feel a bit heavy, even a week after that race, but that matches my usual experiences, namely that it takes longer to recover if you remain idle. But I think I really needed a break, the last few months had been very tough.

As for the future ... well, it looks like my plans of training for a fast marathon next spring will have to be cancelled, possibly for good. There is another race that has taken precedence, in Turin, April 2015. There is one problem I have to deal with beforehand, which happens to be very similar to Rory McIlroy's problem for the next Olympics, though I hope I won't get any hate mail. I want this resolved sooner rather than later. Mind, it feels good being wanted by two sides.