Post‑race recovery after a half marathon should reset your legs, your energy, and your mindset before you start your next training block. For me, that means a week of easy movement, intentional rest, and reconnecting with my “why” before I jump into 16 weeks of marathon training for the Maine Marathon.

Train with Intention

(A Manifesto That’s Really Just Me Trying to Keep My Legs From Falling Off)

Last Saturday, I ran the Old Port Half‑Marathon — a race that somehow manages to be both beautiful and mildly chaotic, like Portland itself. One minute you’re cruising along the waterfront thinking, Wow, this is lovely, and the next you’re climbing a hill that feels like it was designed by someone who wanted to teach runners humility as a character‑building exercise.

I crossed the finish line, grabbed the medal, and — because I don’t drink unless I’m on vacation — skipped the beer tent entirely. Instead, I made a beeline to the Standard Baking Company, which, yes, is the correct name, and yes, it deserves every ounce of praise I’m about to give it.

I walked out of there like a carb‑loaded pack mule:

• one baguette

• one artisanal loaf

• and a bag of koffiekoeken

If you’re not Belgian, here’s the translation: koffiekoeken are basically what happens when pastries and joy have a baby. Flaky, buttery, slightly sweet breakfast pastries that make you question why you ever settled for a sad American “danish” that tastes like laminated disappointment.

Standard Baking Company is the closest thing I’ve found in Maine to the bread I grew up with in Belgium. This is not a paid endorsement — this is a spiritual one.

So yes, that was my post‑race recovery: carbs, carbs, and a little more carbs. And honestly? Perfect.

What does a good post‑race recovery week look like?

This week has been my official post‑race recovery week, which is really just a polite way of saying:

• I’m walking like a retired pirate

• I’m stretching like a cat that just remembered it has a spine — which is ironic, because I once was a cat professionally. Coricopat lives on, apparently, just with tighter hamstrings.

• I’m eating like someone who “earned it”

• And I’m pretending this is all part of a sophisticated training plan

But recovery isn’t just about letting your legs stop filing HR complaints. It’s also the perfect time to reflect — not in a dramatic, monk‑on‑a‑mountain way, but in a “why do I keep signing up for these things?” way.

Which brings me to the Manifesto.

A Manifesto (But Not the Cult Kind)

Let’s be clear: This is not one of those intense, chest‑thumping manifestos where I declare that running is my religion and the road is my church. No candles. No leather‑bound journal. No chanting in the woods.

It’s more like:

Train with intention. Move with purpose. Every step should take you closer to the runner you’re choosing to become.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. Simple. Direct. Zero incense required.

Why do I run?

Running gives me these little windows — after a race, during recovery, before a new training block — where I get to check in with myself. Not in a heavy way. Just in a “Hey, what’s the point of all this again?” way.

And the answer is always the same:

I run because it makes me more me. More grounded. More disciplined. More curious about what I can do next. More connected to the version of myself I’m building mile by mile — the version that shows up, even when it’s hard, even when it’s early, even when the legs are still negotiating their contract.

That’s my why. Not glory. Not perfection. Just becoming.

(And yes, somewhere deep inside, Coricopat is probably nodding approvingly at the choreography of it all.)

How I transition from half marathon recovery into marathon training

Recovery week is the bridge — the space between the runner I was on race day and the runner I need to be for what’s next.

And what’s next is big:

• Beach to Beacon in August — the race that proves Mainers will absolutely wake up at 5 a.m. to cheer for strangers running uphill, and somehow still feels as essential to summer as lobster rolls and the annual sunburn you swear you didn’t plan on.

• 16 weeks of marathon training starting June 15th

• The Maine Marathon on October 4th

• Goal: break 4 hours

• Mindset: intentional, but not precious

• Approach: one honest step at a time

This is the season where the work gets real — the early mornings, the long runs, the humidity that feels like running through warm soup. But this is also the season where the identity gets built.

If You Want the Full Philosophy

The real manifesto — the one that’s not trying to start a cult — lives here:

Read the Manifesto

And if you’re training for something too, or just trying to get back into a rhythm, here’s your reminder:

You don’t need perfect. You need consistent. You need intention. You need purpose. And you need to start where you are.

That’s the whole thing. That’s the manifesto. And that’s the work we get to do next.