Books: Quarantine Recovery Double Feature

I've found that the flip side of training for a half-marathon is recovering from all the miles you're putting on your legs. After all, it's no good to push yourself hard if you end up injured and unable to train for a month. To that end, here are a couple of books that provide some unique perspectives on repairing and replenishing the human body:

Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery, Christie Aschwanden

Athletes go to strange lengths to bounce back from a hard workout. Soaking in a bathtub full of wine? Blasting yourself with subzero air? In Good to Go, Christie Aschwanden tries out these newfangled treatments with a skeptical eye. Some of them sort of work (at least they feel good), some don't work at all. In the end, she finds the best ways to recover are the ones that don't require spending a lot of money - plain water, homecooked meals, and a decent night's sleep.

Year of the Cow: How 420 Pounds of Beef Built a Better Life for One American Family, Jared Stone

Part family memoir, part healthy living treatise, and part cookbook, Year of the Cow follows TV producer Jared Stone as he feeds his family for a year (well, it's more like two) using beef that came from a single, grass-fed, responsibly-raised cow. While Stone admirably commits to not wasting anything, it is a daunting task at first...the meat doesn't even fit in his freezer. Over time, though, he learns to cook all of the animal (including the heart) and learns a lot about taking things slow and being grateful for what one has in the process.