Few athletes have achieved more at the Paris Games than the swimmer Katie Ledecky. She won four medals, including gold in the 1500-meter freestyle in a new Olympic record of 15:30.02. In the process, she became the most decorated female Olympian ever for the United States, with 14 medals to her name.
But her most significant achievement came in her final year: winning gold in the 800m for the fourth time, making her the only woman ever to win four times.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Ledecky tells SELF after returning from Paris. “I felt relief, excitement, all the emotions at the end. You always want to end on a good note.”
So how does an athlete unwind after such an incredible high? Here's how Ledecky takes care of her body and mind after competition so she can return to training mentally and physically refreshed.
1. The “preliminary cover” is as important as what follows it.
The preventative play is especially important for Ledecky, who was Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome was diagnosedor POTS, in 2015. The condition causes blood to pool in the legs when standing, sometimes causing symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, or exhaustion.
In addition to staying hydrated and taking in extra sodium, Ledecky manages her symptoms by wearing compression garments to improve circulation. She has a shirt and leggings, but the compression socks are the most important thing to keep blood flowing through her legs. She always wears them when traveling long distances (like on flights from the U.S. to Paris).
“A lot of people use compression socks when they fly anyway,” she says. “Especially athletes, it just helps your legs feel better and helps you start recovering on the plane before you even land.”
2. Refueling between races becomes even more important when the schedule is tight.
Ledecky's Olympic schedule was grueling — between the preliminaries and finals, she swam eight different events over six days, totaling about 6,000 meters. After each event, she did easy laps to “warm up,” as swimmers say. cool down.
She also focuses on getting protein, carbs, and electrolytes to fuel up and prepare for the next race. The best way to do that: in a grab-and-go fashion, because who has time to eat when the race schedule beckons? Ledecky turns to protein shakes—she’s partnered with Core Power for years—for training and racing.
“It was easy for me to grab one of these right after the race,” she says. “I’d drink it when I was warming up.” Chocolate is her favorite flavor, but she sometimes mixed it with vanilla. (Luckily, Team USA had 11,000 bottles of Core Power shipped (We arrived in Paris early and brought huge fridges full of drinks right to the pool so they were always on hand.)
3. Make time for fun and celebrate all the good things.
Although this was her fourth Olympics, Ledecky had never stayed beyond the second week of the Games after swimming ended. So for the first time, she watched other events, appearing at men's and women's basketball games and golf matches before carrying the flag at the closing ceremonies.