A little fun first…this video is for all you fall marathoners out there. I was out for a run with my long distance friends yesterday, some of them had run the Chicago Marathon and they were back on the road. They are experienced marathoners and each have their own recovery methods. It’s amazing how great they looked. Here are five tips for recovery:
1–Keep moving after the race: walk as much as you can right after the race. A walk back to the hotel is great. A nap or at least a rest before hitting the town is also good. I am usually so excited it’s over that the adrenaline keeps me going until I collapse happily into bed. I feel like the more I move around (slowly) after any race, the better I feel the following week.
2–Re-hydrate immediately and eat as soon as you can: after all that goo/liquid during the race, it is sometimes hard to get it down but it is important for recovery. I usually eat a half of protein bar with a bottle of water/or a recovery drink (chocolate milk is good) until I can stomach dinner. A meal high in carbs with a little protein is perfect. A goat cheese, artichoke and roasted red pepper pizza with a glass of wine comes to mind…
3–Relieve muscle soreness/pain (right after): I always take an Advil right after a marathon. It takes away some of the muscle soreness. If I am really hurting in one area, I follow the RICE ( Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation) routine. I am not one to jump into an ice bath, but I know runners that say it helps. I prefer a warm shower and some cozy clothes.
4-Rest: Take the next few days (or a week) off from running. Handle yourself with care. Your resistance will be down as your body recovers from the race. Eat good food and continue to hydrate. A massage feels great once the initial soreness goes. I like to stretch everyday (slowly-ouch!) to loosen muscles.
5–Share your experience: One of my favorite parts of the training process is the re-cap. I love to hear the stories from fellow runners about mishaps and pivotal moments in their race. I recommend you schedule a coffee walk or get together to relive the pain and share the moment. It will help fight the post marathon blues and get you motivated to start training again.
Getting back into training…
Start back slowly into training by allowing some time for enjoyable maintenance runs before embarking on another marathon effort. But don’t get too comfortable if you want to keep running, I find that waiting too long to get back out there can be tough on the body!
