How should you recover after a marathon? Read these tips to help 🙂
You’ve done all the hard work after months of training and completed your marathon. Now it’s time to recover strong so you can go again… if you want to!
As you finish
Try to keep moving for at least 20 minutes. Avoid static stretching. The soreness you feel is down to a lot of muscle damage, static stretching could make this damage worse.
Within an hour
Eat a carb-rich snack or drink. Make sure you replace the carbohydrates you’ve used up. Within the next 1-2 hours, try and eat a balanced meal of carbs, vegetables and protein.
Make sure you keep hydrated and keep an eye on the colour of your urine over the next 24 hours – it should be a light yellow or clear. If it was particularly hot then take more fluids and salts on.
Avoid lingering in damp, sweaty kit. Get changed and get a wash as quickly as you can. I tend to put my ‘event’ t-shirt on if I’m given one!
Later in the day
Try having a nap. Sleep is key when it comes to muscle repair, so rather than heading to the pub, have a nap – your body will thank you. You may want to balance this with celebrating with your friends, and all the early nights and sacrifices you’ve made.
Drink milk before bed. The carbohydrates and proteins in milk can help aid recovery.
Avoid taking anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen. These should be avoided for several days after the marathon as they can damage your liver. If you are in pain, paracetamol is fine.
Avoid excessive alcohol. A celebratory alcoholic drink is fine, but avoid turning things into a big celebration, as excessive alcohol can dehydrate your body further, slowing down recovery.
The next day
Try wearing compression socks or tights as much as possible. Studies have shown they can help boost recovery.
Avoid people with colds and infections. The amount of stress you’ve put your body under makes your immune system is compromised, making you more susceptible to a post-race cold.
In the next few days
Try a gentle walk, swim or cycle. Active recovery is better than sitting on the sofa. This will help with the muscle soreness you’re likely to experience in the proceeding days (DOMS)
Avoid ice baths. If you’re going to have an ice bath, make sure it’s almost immediately after the race. In the days after, opt for a warm bath. Hot baths promote blood flow to the muscles by dilating blood vessels – this is not what you want immediately after exercise. In the days that follow, when any acute pain has receded, a hot bath is best to help increase circulation, which aids healing.
5-6 days later
Go for a ‘test’ run of 20-30 minutes, observing any enduring aches or pains.
Avoid speed-work, hills and sessions. Especially attending your local club night and trying to keep up!
When should you run again?
Unfortunately, there’s not one specific answer here, and it really depends on how you ran and how you feel. Some experts recommend one day of rest for every mile raced, or 26 days of rest. Remember, running a race at a less than maximum effort is different from racing it. In reality though is that there is no exact formula to follow for recovery after a marathon, so the best guide is really tuning in, listen to your body and try a few small sample runs to gauge it.
Spend time with family and friends. Marathon recovery is also mental, you’ve likely become more of a hermit during training. Consider a holiday and even leave your running shoes at home.
While you may feel ready to go, your muscles, tendons and soft tissue are not. Jumping straight back into your running routine will only increase your risk of injury. Burn off your excess energy with one or two weeks of light cross-training.
If you use running for commuting or socialising it can be hard not to rush back. This will all be in context to your running experience, so running within a week following a marathon is not recommended for the majority of recreational runners. If you’re unsure, consider using an online running coach who can plan your return and what to do next.
See my post on marathon recovery and top tips to run your best marathon. 😎
