Runner 4life asked an excellent question last week; “How do I properly recover and get back into training after completing a marathon?”

Many of us are completing distance races this month, and for some of us these are our first experiences with half and full marathon recovery. That being the case, it is critically important to understand how to get back into training and stay healthy following a major effort like a marathon.

Keep in mind that failing to properly recover can have long-term consequences (as I can attest, having sustained a severe ITB injury after getting back to training too soon after the San Francisco Half Marathon a couple years back).

The most sage advice I have found comes from Exercise Physiologist Pete Pfitzinger writing for Running Times Magazine who advises:

“After running a marathon (or half-marathon), there are basically three options. You can: 1) vow never to run again; 2) take some time off and then gradually get back into training; or 3) jump into full training as quickly as possible. Option 1 is not recommended. Option 3 should be chosen with caution. Option 2 is almost always the wisest choice.”

In a nutshell, you best strategy is to take a brief break from training after your race. Risk of injury is extremely high immediately following a long-distance race because of damage done to your muscles and connective tissues. If your muscles are sore, are tight enough to affect your form, or you’re simply unmotivated to get out and run, allow yourself some healing time. The negligible benefits from doing short runs at this time are easily outweighed by the risk of injury. Further, numerous studies have shown that runners are extremely prone to illness right after a major effort – so staying off the road for a couple of days can also help prevent you from getting sick. Keep in mind that it takes about 3 days for your immune system to get back to optimal functioning after a big race.

First 72 hours:

In the first 3 days following your race your job is to replace lost fluids and replenish depleted glycogen stores in you muscles. Eat about 4 grams of carbs and .5 grams of protein for every pound of your body weight for three days following your race.

Starting on Day Four:

1. Start your recovery by engaging in low impact cross-training activities like swimming or cycling; stair climber or rowing at the gym, etc. In other words, the idea here is to begin working your muscles through low-impact cardio exercise. Walking is also a good way to stay moving for the first 7 days after your race (just try to resist the temptation to run). Cross-train 30 – 40 minutes daily.

2. After 7 days you can resume training BUT you must limit the intensity. Pfitzinger sagely advises using a heart rate monitor for the following 3-4 weeks – keeping your effort level at no greater than 75 MHR:

“For example, say your resting heart rate is 50 beats per minute and your maximal heart rate is 185 beats per minute. Using the maximal heart rate method, you would keep your heart rate below 139 beats per minute (185 X .75).”

You can learn more about training with a heart rate monitor here.

 
3. Consider getting a deep tissue “sports massage” at this point. Most seasoned marathoners use sports massage as a way to speed recovery and prevent injury. Research has shown mixed results in terms of massage’s effectiveness in these areas however; most marathoners and ultra marathoners I know make it a practice to get a massage after a hard effort. Word of caution: seek out an experienced massage therapist in the area of sports treatment. The best way to do this is by referral or through your physical therapists’ office.

4. Run – but don’t make it too challenging. If you can, run on soft surfaces (like grass or a clay track surface). Listen to your body carefully and be aware of excessive soreness, newly appearing pain and unusual muscle fatigue. Avoid hills for the coming 2 – 3 weeks, which put additional stress on the quads, glutes and calves.

5. Listen. This is perhaps the best advice of all. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Much of recovery depends upon our age, weight, quality of sleep diet, and general health and there is a large variation among runners in terms of how long it takes to truly recover. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t come back as quickly as your girlfriend. Be flexible with yourself and don’t give into your ego and take on too much too soon.

Hal Higdon offers an excellent post-marathon training program on his site that you can use to get back into training after a big race. (Sure wish I had paid attention to this, but hopefully it will save some of your from an overuse injury after completing your half or full.)

Take it easy you guys. The road will be waiting for you once again when you (and your body) are ready! Post-race recovery is bets way to keep running without interruption for years to come!

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Tags: marathon, half-marathon, recovery, racing, post race recovery, after a race

@Kritter68 I am so glad you found this helpful. Yeah, I think the "listen to your body" thing is the hardest part for a lot of us Type-A runners who feel the mental urge to push while the body says "rest." I guarantee that by slowing it down a bit you will actually see improved performance and less injury. Posted by: bmoore on Oct 25, 2010 at 05:10 PM

This article was so timely for me. I had just finished my first half-marathon, and I am really struggling with what to do next. I am planning to try for a full marathon, but that is a year out, so I'm not ready to start my heavy training for that. I was also struggling with motivation...but now I see that perhaps my body has just been trying to tell me to slow down for a bit. Thank you! Posted by: Kritter68 on Oct 25, 2010 at 02:46 PM

@grisou: You are an animal! Wow I can't believe the distance you are covering! Yeah, sports massage is AMAZING. If you are able to find someone who really knows what they are doing they find muscles you didn't even know exist! Its one of those experiences like the foam roller that makes you say "hurts so good!" Posted by: bmoore on Oct 22, 2010 at 08:38 AM

I'm for option number 3! I can't envision myself spending too long a time without running, I'm hooked! (and yet I'm not immune to injuries!)..as a matter of fact whereas I usually don't experience any soreness after running an half marathon and I've often run one on some consecutive Sundays, after a marathon my feet, especially my right one, always cry out for mercy so that taking a few days off, or at least trading the run for the stairmaster should be advisable, and yet if the sun's shining outdoors I always end up opting for pounding the pavement! at the moment I'm running 19 km (so, almost an half marathon) 6 days a week and 36 km on Sunday (but sometimes I get bored before I finish my 36 km and cut it short!...I used to be much more motivated years ago when I would run until I dropped...I'm getting older!) Posted by: Grisou on Oct 21, 2010 at 02:33 AM

No worries! You are so smart for considering this NOW - before you do your race so that you can plan and understand what you can expect. If I had only asked this very important question, I probably never would have had that ITB injury that cost me 8 months - literally - of not running. Best of luck in your race! Exciting! Let us know how it goes. I'll bet you anything that your CO will understand this post marathon plan and why its so important to go easy during the recovery period... Posted by: bmoore on Oct 18, 2010 at 07:37 PM

thank you thank you thank you soooo much for posting this....As a person ADDICTED to running I will TRY to go with option 2....I am also in the military so running is a big part of our pt program...however I will be going to a new unit later this week, and I will talk to them about my recovery. THANK YOU again. I will keep everyone posted on how I do after the race, wish me luck. Posted by: runner4life on Oct 18, 2010 at 03:43 PM