50K recovery

I just finished my first 50K. It was amazing and I had relatively no problems. This race included over 10,300 feet of elevation gain...needless to say there was a LOT of hard climbing. I finished feeling like I still had more to give. I could have run longer and climbed more, sprinting the last mile at a sub 8...all of this came as a surprise to me. I have not known what to expect following the race and I did not do a good job of reading up on what to expect from my body as well as what I need to fuel my body for speedy and healthy recovery. Several of my friends talked about the ravenous hunger and exhaustion that would over come me, I have not experienced either. Today is day 3 post race. What can I do to be adequately fueling my body for good muscle recovery?

Doesn't sound to me like you need to worry about it -- aside from the fact that you've already passed the most important recovery period (immediately after running: carbs within 30 mins, protein within a few hours to 24 hrs) ... you finished feeling great, no major exhaustion, hunger. (You didn't mention your time or how much training you did relative to finishing time, but if it was near the top of the heap, count yourself lucky; that is, one of the lucky few who are naturals at ultramarathoning ... in which case maybe we'll see you among the elites in the future :)

Thanks for the info. My time was definitely not the best (10:23:10) but I was being extremely conservative in the first 17 miles as the beastly climbing was in the second half of the race. My goal from the start was to simply complete the course. (www.runwildidaho.com) I have only been trail running for literally a month. I have been running for about 3 years though, just not on trails. I am absolutely in love with trails however and feel absolutely no desire to go back to the road unless necessary for supporting a runner friend or something similiar.

I highly doubt elite anything is in my future but thanks for the ego boost. :) There was basically no cut off time since we were racing with 50M who had a very generous 28 hrs to finish (made to match the cut off for the earlier starting 100M'ers) Do you have any suggestions for recovery in future races? I want to make sure that I'm recovering adequately and as smart as possible. I was very pleased with my body's performance and want to try to excelerate even more through recovery. Any info you could provide would be beneficial!!! Thanks so much!

A belated reply, but - again good job entering the world of ultramarathons and trail running with a successful race. I feel the same about trails vs roads.

Just some guidelines I found some time back and try to follow:
- within 30 minutes after running, eat around 0.5 grams of carbs per lb of body weight
- repeat within 2 hrs of running
- also shortly after running eat 10 - 20 grams of protein
- immediately (but gradually) start replacing fluids lost (~23 fl oz per lb of body weight lost during race)

Some people swear by ice baths asap after a really hard race/run.

Make sure you get enough sleep (some people have the luxury of napping after a hard workout in addition to regular sleep - if you have the time and feel like it). Muscle repair time.

And almost ironically: doing a very easy (maybe 2 mins/mile slower than usual pace), shorter run (or cross-train) the day after a hard run instead of resting can accelerate progress because it sends the message to your muscles that you're serious and they need to get stronger. This is probably not wise after an ultramarathon, though, unless your body is really used to the thrashing. Also not wise if you're prone to injuries or overuse/overtraining issues, in which case complete rest is better the day (and maybe more) after a hard race. It's your call.

Basically, nutrition and rest (or easy recovery workouts) do the trick.

Great work, sounds like you had a blast and did really well !!

Well done, now you are stronger, better informed and ready for more.