How To Recover From A Marathon

April 26, 2015 by Louise @ The Body Matters

Tips On How To Recover From A Marathon

Well done to everyone that has completed a marathon, recently Brighton, London or Paris. It takes strength of mind and resolve to sign up and finish one. The amount of training and focus that is required is incredible. Anyone that takes part soon realises that while you are training it can take over your life, in so many different ways.

The body undergoes tremendous physical duress: it is important that you do not rush back into training and that you give your body and mind time to rest. Here are some tips:

1. Immediately following the race, try to eat something like a banana, energy bar, sports drink, fruit or bagel, to refuel.
2. When you get home consider an ice bath and submerge your lower body for 15 minutes. Although you do not need the water too cold, 55 degrees is optimal, 65 degrees will do.
3. Take a nap and rest your legs. Maybe go for a gentle walk if you want to loosen your legs.
4. Days 1-3 after the race, consider having a light massage, it will aid recovery and help loosen your muscles.
5. Eat plenty of fruits, carbohydrates and protein. The later will help repair the muscle damage while the fruit will give you a boost of vitamin C to boost your immune system which will be quite low; so look after yourself. Now is the time that you may be prone to colds or illness while your body is recovering.
6. They say for every mile you run it takes a day to recover. Run 26 miles, 26 days recovery, However,, consider going for a gentle run after 3-4 days rest.
7. After 4-7 days, deep tissue massage and/or contrast bathing will further aid recovery.