There’s no better feeling than crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles. All your months of hard work and training sessions have paid off, and now all you have to do is relish your accomplishment.
But while your mind may be ready to party, your body may feel ready for bed. Running a marathon is no small feat, so believe it when they say recovery starts when you cross the finish line. From nutrition and hydration to rest and massage, there are many important strategies for optimal marathon recovery.
Below, a registered dietitian provides tips and tricks for feeling your best in the days and weeks after the marathon. Keep reading to learn more.
Why Focus on Recovery?
Many runners spend weeks and months preparing for a marathon, but the moments, days, and weeks right after are often neglected. What you do, even the first few seconds after crossing the finish line is crucial for recovery.
Developing a post-race recovery plan can help you recover faster, feel good during your recovery, and minimize or prevent future injuries. While it’s tempting to keep the momentum going after the marathon high, taking it easy for at least one to two weeks post-marathon can help maximize long-term fitness goals. Not only are you recovering from your marathon, but you’re also repairing and restoring from the months of training you did leading up to your big day.
“Longer distance running, especially at the intensity and duration of a marathon, places a large demand on your body from a fueling perspective but also a tissue perspective,” explains Madison Doherty, PT, DPT, a doctor of physical therapy and certified running coach at Perfect Stride Physical Therapy in New York City. “There are expected amounts of micro-damages in your muscles, which occur after a marathon, and your body needs to undergo its inflammatory process to repair so you can get back to moving at your best.”
Marathon training is physically taxing but can also be mentally fatiguing. Your body and brain need time to relax and return to baseline. Physically, the body triggers an inflammatory response in the hours after completing a marathon. Inflammatory markers such as creatine kinase, c-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and troponin are elevated.
Because running a marathon impacts so many body systems, it’s difficult to rely on subsiding muscle soreness alone as an indicator of full recovery. As a result, recovery requires a combination of rest, nutrition, hydration, and activity.
What to Do Immediately After a Marathon
- Keep walking
- Sip some fluids (sports drink and water)
- Eat a small snack that contains carbs and protein within 30 to 60 minutes after finishing
Although you may want to lay on the ground in relief after crossing the finish line, it is actually important to keep walking immediately after finishing your marathon, says Doherty. “Similar to how you ramped up your training load in preparation for your race, you must ramp down your body’s activity.”
In fact, stopping and lying down could potentially leave you feeling nauseous and ill. Walking slowly lowers your heart rate, and flushes lactate out of your muscles, which can aid in decreasing inflammation.
Also, many runners don’t have a big appetite after a marathon. Start by sipping some fluids, water, or a sports drink to start rehydration and replenish the electrolytes lost during the race. Eat a small snack that contains carbohydrates and protein within 30 to 60 minutes after finishing to maintain your blood sugar levels. It will also help with muscle tissue repair and replenish muscle glycogen. Pretzels with peanut butter, a banana with almond butter, or half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich are some good options for immediate post-race nutrition.
What to Do a Few Days After
- Prioritize rest
- Do some restorative movement and stretching
- Soak in an ice bath or cold plunge
- Sleep
- Consume balanced meals rich in carbohydrates and protein
The few days after a marathon, you should focus on some more rest and TLC for your body and mind. Do some restorative movement and stretching if that feels good to you. The yoga pose, “legs up on a wall” or Viparita Karani, helps to reverse circulation in your legs so they feel lighter and refreshed and provides a gentle stretch for your lower body muscles. It also helps to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which brings down cortisol levels and aids in decreasing inflammation post-race.
Consider spending five to 10 minutes soaking in an ice bath or a cold plunge tub. Cold water causes small blood vessels to constrict, which decreases blood flow. This contributes to decreased inflammation and reduced soreness, which can be beneficial after a marathon, lead to faster recovery, and help prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It is recommended to use ice or cold treatment until the soreness and stiffness subsides.
Don’t underestimate the power of sleep, either. Prioritize good-quality sleep after a marathon, and don’t restrict carbohydrates, as your body still needs them to replenish glycogen stores.
Nutritionally, your body is still recovering and replenishing calories and electrolytes lost over 26.2 miles. To stimulate muscle recovery, be sure to eat balanced meals that include carbohydrates and fat and at least 30 grams of protein per meal.
What to Do a Week After
- Continue to prioritize rest
- Focus on light effort and short cross-training exercises, if you feel up to it
It’s a week after your race. You’re still riding the post-marathon high, your muscle aches and pains have gone away, and you’re ready to get back out there. Not so fast. While you might feel physically better and capable of an easy run, many of your body systems are still recovering. Give your muscles, tendons, and ligaments time to heal fully as well.
Running again too soon after a marathon can set you up for more injuries. Plus, you need a break both mentally and physically. While many runners worry about losing fitness, rest and recovery periods allow your body to get stronger and make adaptations to all the stress you put it through during the months of training.
So what can you do one week after a marathon? Along with rest, focus on light effort and short cross-training exercises. Try walking, biking, swimming, or yoga. These activities warm the muscles and help with circulation. You can also participate in activities you didn’t have time for while training.
Go for a walk with a friend, shoot hoops with your kid, or try a fun dance class you want to sign up for. Listen to your body and watch for tight muscles and aching joints. This will inform you how ready you are to get back into running.
Also, continue focusing on regular, balanced meals and good hydration. If you’re still feeling that post-marathon “runger,” add more protein and fat to your meals or have substantial snacks between meals. Helpful snacks include peanut butter and banana sandwiches, protein bars, or cottage cheese and fruit.
When Should I Return to Running?
Every runner responds differently to the stress of a marathon and requires different amounts of time off. Most runners should plan on taking an average of seven to 10 days off, but some runners may need more time before returning to running.
While jumping right into a 10-miler may be tempting, the key is easing back into it. Doherty always recommends initiating a walking program along with gentle movement and mobility as a good place to start. Then, try re-introducing easy effort runs no longer than 30 to 45 minutes. If you monitor your heart rate, keep it below 60% to 70% of your max heart rate.
Pay attention to how you feel, and don’t be afraid to give yourself some grace. If your first, second, or even third run feels terrible, it’s OK to stop, slow down, and give yourself a longer break. These initial runs are a good indicator of where you’re at in your recovery, and if they don’t feel natural, it could mean that you still need time physically to recover or that you are still mentally fried.
“I tell runners that if they are sore after that easy run, it’s a little too soon, and we’ll adjust the duration of the easy run to aim for increased frequency for a shorter time,” says Doherty. You will know you’re ready and well-recovered when you’re looking forward to running again, and running doesn’t feel like a slog.
Recovery Techniques
To optimize and accelerate your recovery, you can use a number of techniques in addition to rest, prioritizing sleep, and good nutrition. During or after your race, you can wear compression socks or shorts to enhance blood flow, reduce inflammation, and decrease the impact of delayed-onset muscle soreness. Treat yourself to a massage a few days after your race to decrease muscle tension and increase the range of motion at joints.
Self-massage with a foam roller or a massage gun is a great way to increase blood flow to specific areas and release painful trigger points. Electric muscle stimulation is also a helpful tool to help decrease inflammation and increase blood flow without adding stress on tendons or joints. Doherty says that her physical therapy clinic recommends stretching or working on gentle, comfortable joint mobility to improve blood flow.
Bottom Line
Running a marathon is a huge accomplishment, and recovery is just as important as the months of training beforehand. Take adequate time to rest your body and your mind, and be sure to prioritize sleep, nutrition, and hydration.
Also, don’t rush back into running. And when you do start running, take it slow and easy. For more guidance and specific recommendations tailored to you, consult a physical therapist, running coach, and sports dietitian.