Racing Recovery

We just got back to town on Sunday around 8 pm.  We raced the Teva Winter Games Snowshoe 10K and it was one of the hardest snowshoe races I've done ever.  And I've been racing ss races for over a decade!  I was 2nd behind Josiah which was pretty good on his home turf so the goal for the year has been to try my best at winning a National Championship.  2nd twice is starting to be a little frustrating but Josiah Middaugh was strong as an ox this weekend.  It was a great race effort and should get me ready for Nationals back in CO in two weeks but I have to make sure it's not at a cost. 
Recovery is a tricky thing which really isn't tricky, it's just a little more detailed than people realize.  What do you do within the first hour after your race, the next three hours, and the next 24?  We didn't get to bed until midnight, were up at 5:45 a.m., and spent 13 hours in the car driving home.  Back to work Monday morning after getting up at 6:30 with the kids.  So how to recover?
Within 1 hour of your event make sure you hydrate with good fluids like water or electrolyte drinks and eat a healthy portion of proteins and carbs.  I use Ensure meal replacement shakes a lot right after hard workouts or races.  They're easy and have a pretty good ingredient list.  Then I try to eat a meal within the next three hours that is healthy and has plenty of calories.  ie.-Stay away from too much sugar like pop or deserts.  It's normal to want to indulge after a big race but if you want to make it through to your next race healthy a little self-control goes a long way.  Sleep!  Recover.  At least 8 hours would be great or more if you can.  While driving home, we alternated driving shifts with 1 to 2 hour naps in the back seat.  Eat healthy while traveling.  We buy gallon jugs of water, and take bananas and carrots as easy snacks along the way instead of pop and candy/chips.
I know, it sounds like so much work but you know it's fun to have a great race.  So recover from the last race or workout and make sure your tail-kickin' ready for your next competition.