Congratulations! You are now a marathoner, you have completed that 26.2-mile trek, and no one can take that away from you. However, all your mental and physical energy for a long time has gone on just figuring out to do your best on the day and get across that finishing line, but now there is a new challenge…
So, you have put in all that hard training to get across that marathon finishing line, blood, sweat, and tears have gone into your preparation. However, the new challenge is how are you going to be able to walk down the stairs for the next week, or how are you going to be able to get back to doing some light jogging soon or maybe you just want to be able to walk around the office without that annoying co-worker making comments about how your walking funny.
Well, it is what you do after your marathon that will be the main aspect of how long your recovery will take.
Why the Marathon Recovery Matters Most
You have achieved your goals and I am sure all you want is to be able to relax and just be happy with yourself! Well, luckily the reality is you will be doing something just like that, even if you have full focus on recovering properly from your marathon. The recovery part after a marathon is basically a nice bit of TLC for your body, this can involve massages, warm baths, and eating whatever you like. But it has to be done right!
Your marathon may have been the big goal, but that does not mean that your marathon was not part of your overall training as well. That 26.2 miles you have just done can benefit your training a lot, and why waste those hard miles by not recovering and adapting properly from it? If you do not take your post-marathon recovery seriously, what will likely happen is you will find yourself exhausted when it comes to running again, maybe injured, aching constantly and you will definitely be a lot less fit.
9 Tips for Improving Your Marathon Recovery
1. Keep moving
Now this one I feel evil even putting on this list. You have just ran a marathon for god’s sake and now I am telling you to not just sit down and chill!? Well, just keeping your legs moving with some slow walking for 10-15 minutes helps to avoid your legs cramping up and making your marathon recovery 10x longer. By just walking you will help get blood circulating in your body and it will help your body clear out any lactate acid left in your muscles.
2. Get some carbs in fast
Within 60 minutes of finishing your race (or more ideally within 30 minutes) get a carbohydrate-rich snack or drink in. Your body is probably going to be the most glycogen-depleted it has been in your entire life, replenishing those carbohydrate stores as fast as possible with plenty of carbs will help to speed up that recovery process by a lot! This does not mean you should just ignore your protein intake as well though, protein will help to repair those torn muscles to speed up your marathon recovery.
Top tip: Chocolate milk is great for post-run recovery because it has a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein. If you want to fork out for something a touch more professional then this is the best recovery drink I recommend: https://amzn.to/3SuLilQ
The next window is the 1-2 hour window where you are going to want to get a big meal in, something carbohydrate-heavy but also something with a fair bit of protein in. Eat like a king and enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to stuff your face. You have burnt so many calories and you deserve this anyway.
3. Supplements are your friend
Supplements are a great way to improve marathon recovery. Some things our bodies just can’t make enough of themselves and sometimes it is hard to get everything you need in your diet. Supplements not only help you to run faster but they can also help you to recover faster as well to help you avoid that horrible aching and get you back to feeling yourself as soon as possible.
Check out GeorgeLewisHealth’s guide to supplements for runners: https://www.georgelewishealth.com/post/top-6-supplements-for-running
4. Re-hydrate
One thing you may notice when you cross that finish line at the end is that you have a bit of a sweat on. You are going to want to drink enough water to replace everything you have lost in sweat, you are going to be dehydrated and missing a lot of electrolytes- generally drinking 400-800ml of water per hour after the race is ideal. If you do not rehydrate properly then you are risking muscle cramps and injury, these are things that generally put a bit of a downer on that marathon high.
You will probably want to reach for a bottle of water as soon as you finish, but making sure you carry on drinking water for the next few hours is just as crucial.
5. Get a massage
Now, you deserve a massage after running that for sure, so treat yourself. However, if you are on a budget then self massage is absolutely fine with the use of foam rollers, massage sticks, or massage guns. Any form of massage is going to speed up marathon recovery a lot, getting knots out of muscles, lengthening your muscles again, and getting some fresh blood to the muscles will make you feel so much better.
6. Whack some compression gear on
This is a big one for me personally, I used to get really bad calves after longer races, I would be aching like crazy and I was walking very funny. However, this is where I really noticed the benefits of compression sleeves, I bought a pair of Bearhug compression sleeves and they helped loads with my recovery.
Compression sleeves help with getting fresh blood circulating your muscles, reducing inflammation and also you can wear them when you start running again as they lessen the impact on your muscles by reducing muscle oscillation. This means your muscles take less of the strain of the impact of running. Here are the ones I have always used: https://tidd.ly/3Sr2Cbi
7. Sleep well, my friend
“If sleep were a supplement, it would be banned.”
This is a saying I have heard many times and it is so true, the benefits of sleep for humans in general.
Sleep improves:
- Mental health
- Physical health
- Cognitive function
- Recovery rate
- Athletic performance
Seriously, after your marathon, you will want to focus on getting some good sleep so that you can recover better and improve your chances of getting proper adaptations from the marathon. If you have the chance then take a nap soon after the marathon then take it, if not then be sure to get as much sleep that night as possible to give yourself the best chance at proper recovery.
8. Active recovery
Active recovery means doing very easy exercises that help you to recover, such as walking or slow cycling. Maybe you won’t be able to run too soon after your marathon or at least you will not want to try. However, active recovery helps to get those aching muscles moving, recovering faster with fresh blood circulating to them and making you feel mentally better for staying active.
I recommend aqua jogging (which is running in the pool) or if not then just normal swimming. Being in water means that you are not weight-bearing, therefore your muscles will not be taking any load and you can focus fully on getting them moving without any risk of further damaging them. Find a form of active recovery you enjoy and just do a little bit here and there until you start to feel better.
9. Cold therapy
Now, I won’t lie to you, this one is less fun, but immediately effective. There are many different ways in which you can do this, whether it is running a cold bath (maybe throwing some ice in there), finding somewhere with a cold plunge, or using some hydrotherapy boots. This is a method where you will be uncomfortable but the cold speeds up recovery very very fast, it does this by improving circulation, reducing inflammation, and decreasing swelling.
Cold exposure comes with many more benefits too such as decreased risk of depression and anxiety, increased mood, improved cognitive function, and improved mental strength.
Final Thoughts
Taking your marathon recovery seriously is very important, and if you ignore it, it could end up in a bit of trouble. You do not need to do everything on the list. In fact, if you just did the things on the list you think you would enjoy (eating like a king and getting massages doesn’t sound bad to me), then your marathon recovery is sure to go well. The main thing is you should be very proud of yourself for having completed this challenge!
You may also like: https://www.georgelewishealth.com/post/improving-post-run-recovery-will-be-the-biggest-thing-you-need-to-smash-your-pbs
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This article is published by our independent team of health and wellness pundits that publish original and informative content to empower readers to take charge of their health and embark on a physically, mentally, and emotionally balanced lifestyle.
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