I completed my first marathon yesterday. I am very sore but I did not injure myself so I was wondering if you had any recovery advice.
Thanks,
Joel
I usually take 2 full days off after an ironman… Then I get on the bike. Usually start running after 4-5 days.
I don’t feel completely normal for about two weeks.
I figure its about the same for ironmans and marathons.
Try getting out for a walk today to help get the lactic acid out of your leg muscles.
Congrats on your first marathon. Take a day off. Then get moving again. Spinning on the bike at low power and high cadence helps me. So does a couple very easy short runs. Ibuprofen or naproxen doesn’t hurt, either 
Try getting out for a walk today to help get the lactic acid out of your leg muscles.
you know this is just as of a giant myth as eating pasta to carb up the night before a race?
- First, get extra sleep; nothing says recovery to the body like sleep; nothing!
- Keep moving – BUT NOT training – for at least a week. Ride your bike, swim, or go do something that is not running and is not training. Maybe some basketball?
- Your long term recovery is based on nutrition. Tons of fruits, veggies and whatever your go-2 source for protein is – keep it coming in regular & in small portions.
- Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lye down, and never stay awake when you can sleep.
- Massage within 12 hours. This can be painful but should produce great results. My wife is a PT and she will rub my legs down at least 4 times in between my race and my first sleep. I used to use asper-cream in conjunction, but I have later turned to a more holistic approach.
*But remember to start moving “hours” after the race - that may be a walk through the market for groceries but I prefer the spin bike in front of the TV. I have heard that the elites will often go for a walk with a snack (apple) in the middle of the night after IM/Mary simply because they are scared of that nasty first-steps-feeling the morning after.
& I do not have research to back this up, but I will hit the Chaga Tea & 90% dark cocoa powder HARD for 7 days after a hard effort. I will generally make 2 quarts in the morning and drink it all day long. Chaga and Cocoa has the highest anti-oxidants you can find on earth and both work as natural anti-inflammatory. It may be all placebo effect, but it works for at the very least – my mind. I get my raw chaga/cocoa poweder on eBay from a certified & trusted dealer. Good luck!
Run easy for 30-40 mins the day after then take a full day or two off. Doing nothing the day after the marathon will make you feel worse.
I’ve found that I recover better if I run each day after a race, especially half or full marathons.
Might only be a mile or two at a very slow pace but I find I recover better with the runs than without.
I like to take 2 days off completely after a marathon. Maybe the second day do an easy ride on the bike or swim as they are less impact. By the 3rd day an easy and short run seems to really help get the legs moving again though so I’d recommend that for sure. For me, I also don’t do any significant speed work for a good week after a marathon even if my legs feel better.
Just my n=1, so take it for what it’s worth.
Congrats on the marathon!
I agree with all of the others who recommend to keep moving as much as you can, very low intensity. Walking, low-intensity bike riding, etc. Massage or foam rolling are both great.
After a HIM I can generally run the next day without difficulty. But after a HM or Marathon that’s not so much. The higher run intensity really beats me up.
Agree totally with tri or die except would add not to go too deep on the massage. For the first week anyway.
Probably not a great idea, but I went to a casino and there’s a lot of walking from the parking lot to the poker room. Then sitting down at the poker table I would get up every 30 minutes due to fear of cramping. I was going to eat nothing but healthy foods, fruits, veggies, whole wheat, etc. but on the second day after the marathon I had a few donuts, some pizza and then went back to regular eating. I ran a 5k a week later. It wasn’t at my best pace, but not too far off. Just take it easy, realize that the hamstrings will probably hurt the most and give them time to come around while you do some zone 1 and 2 stuff.
No matter what you do or don’t, the muscle soreness will get worse over the next 24 hours… and then miraculously disappear by 72 hours post-race. Researchers have tried and failed for over 30 years to find a cure for DOMS after a marathon race.
I completed my first marathon yesterday. I am very sore but I did not injure myself so I was wondering if you had any recovery advice.
Thanks,
Joel
No matter what you do or don’t, the muscle soreness will get worse over the next 24 hours… and then miraculously disappear by 72 hours post-race. Researchers have tried and failed for over 30 years to find a cure for DOMS after a marathon race.
That is pretty close to what I have seen.
If I am training for something coming up, I go out and train. Any soreness goes away after a few minutes.
If I am not training for something coming up, I go out and train. Any soreness goes away after a few minutes.
I think the only real cure to to run the marathon easier.
“5. Massage within 12 hours. This can be painful but should produce great results. My wife is a PT and she will rub my legs down at least 4 times in between my race and my first sleep. I used to use asper-cream in conjunction, but I have later turned to a more holistic approach.”
X2
Ice bath I’ve found pretty good as well.
I take a week off. Maybe more. I just wait until my body starts giving me signals that it wants to swim/bike/run again.
During that week though, I’ll go for 30-40 minute walks through my neighbourhood, once or twice a day. Spinning on a trainer or slow swimming (slow kicking with a board) could accomplish the same thing. Just get the blood moving, it helps with the stiffness and soreness.
After 2 days or so, I’ll stretch and do some light strength and mobility exercises and a lot of foam rolling. I generally up my protein intake and try to get some extra sleep. If you can, an hour nap during the day works wonders.
The most important thing (IMHO) is to listen to your body. Don’t get back into training/racing until you feel ready. Different people recover at different speeds.
If you’re looking to recover quickly so you can start training again, I’ve read one way to recover is to do your taper backwards - take your last 14 days and run those workouts building backwards. Seems like that might work minus some of the intensity (and assuming you took things pretty easy in your last week). I haven’t done it personally but plan to try it.
No matter what you do or don’t, the muscle soreness will get worse over the next 24 hours… and then miraculously disappear by 72 hours post-race. Researchers have tried and failed for over 30 years to find a cure for DOMS after a marathon race.
That is pretty close to what I have seen.
If I am training for something coming up, I go out and train. Any soreness goes away after a few minutes.
If I am not training for something coming up, I go out and train. Any soreness goes away after a few minutes.
I think the only real cure to to run the marathon easier.
**not 100% sure that beating a dead horse is good advice. short term? maybe. long term? your advise is not the true, the tried or the tested. he asked about recovery - not training. **
I highly recommend getting out and walking for 30 minutes a day for a few days. After that some light cycling seems to help me.
Congrats on your marathon!
I find it takes me 2 full weeks to feel “normal” again. The first couple of days I cant really “walk” - my method of locomotion is best described as “lurching” in the direction I want to go. Stairs are a big no-no.
For recovery I usually try to get into the pool the next day and just swim very easy laps. 1000 yards or so, really easy. Day after that, easy spinning on the bike. Either outside on flat terrain or on a trainer. Then its just whatever I have time for, but spending time walking around is important. I dont start running again for about 5 days, and then its just easy runs.