Recovery is Strategy

When the race ended, I thought the hardest part was behind me. But, a new challenge emerged.

The Athlete continues, despite what may be accomplished.

I told myself I was “recovering.” I slept late, skipped my routines, grabbed quick meals, and even poured a drink or two. I justified it all as "rest." But a week later, I didn’t feel restored—I felt soft, sluggish, and undisciplined. My mood sucked, if I am telling on myself.

That was the lie of vague recovery I chose.

Reflecting back, I suspect that recovery, like training, must be deliberate. Sleep matters, but so does nutrition. Rest matters, but so does keeping active. Celebration matters, but so does its ending. Without that structure, “recovery” becomes drift.

Leaders fall into this same trap. After a big win—a contract closed, a quarter crushed, a project completed—we reward ourselves with the earned ease of victory. We tell ourselves we’ve accomplished something great, we deserve reward. And we have. But when the celebration blurs into comfort and indulgence the habits that carried us to victory erode.

I had a superintendent while at the Virginia Military Institute that cautioned us of the peril of comfort, indulgence, celebration, and rigor. General J.H. Binford Peay said, "All things in moderation." I can see his stoic face as I type out his words. Strategic recovery, as I suggest, would meet General Peay's criteria. The strategy of strategic recovery would mean retaining control over moderation. It is the discipline to rest with intention, so that our strength compounds instead of decays.

So the question is not: Will you recover?

The question is: How will you recover?

Draw a clear line. Celebrate, then close the book. Recover actively. Fuel your next challenge. Leaders don’t just win the race they build momentum for the next, and practice all things in moderation.