You Did a Marathon! Now, Focus on Recovery

Have you chosen to participate in the Virtual TCS New York City Marathon or another of the many virtual marathons available this fall? No matter how well you have trained, running 26.2 miles takes a toll on your body. Research shows that markers of muscle damage and inflammation are significantly elevated after a marathon—regardless of a runner’s age, pace, or training. Here are some steps to facilitate recovery and reduce post-race muscle soreness.

Immediately After the Race

Re-hydrate and eat. Your muscles are likely dehydrated, depleted of glycogen, and damaged (microtears). Start replenishing your fluid, carbohydrate, and protein losses as soon as possible. Give your muscles a head start on recovering!

Keep moving. You may feel like collapsing on the couch for hours but continuing to walk after the finish will keep blood from pooling in your legs and keep blood circulating to the muscles. Walking—even for a few minutes—frequently in the hours after the race will also help reduce post-race stiffness.

In the Days After the Race

Pay attention to your diet. Give your muscles the tools they need to repair. You are what you eat, so eat a nutrient-dense, varied diet of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Consider wearing compression garments—tights, calf sleeves, or socks. Although the research is slim, there is some evidence that runners who wear compression garments in the early days after a marathon experience lower levels of post-race soreness.

Keep moving, but choose low-impact alternatives. Blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation peak in the first three days after a marathon and take a while to return to normal. Exercise is great for getting blood circulating to the damaged muscles, but minimize impact forces to inflamed muscles. Cycling, swimming, rowing, and yoga are all good options.

Spend time on the foam roller. Grab the foam roller and roll your quads, glutes, lateral and inner thighs, and calves. Roll your feet on a lacrosse ball. Use a massage stick. Use whatever self-myofascial tool you have available even if it’s your own hands or a rolling pin. Research shows that even a few minutes of foam rolling will help increase circulation, reduce perception of muscle soreness, and increase mobility. And if you can get an actual massage, go for it!

Celebrate! You ran a marathon! Whatever your finish time was, covering 26.2 miles is no joke. Congratulate yourself—you’re awesome!

In the Weeks After the Race

Return to running gradually. Research shows it takes as much as three weeks after a marathon for muscle strength and power to return to pre-race levels. Increase your mileage gradually. There are some common rules of thumb regarding ramping up to pre-race training levels: take as many days to return to pre-race mileage as the number of miles you ran or as many weeks as the hours you ran. There’s no perfect formula, but give your body adequate time to recover so you can come back strong and avoid a post-marathon injury.

You probably planned your training program and had a race-day plan. It’s important to have a recovery plan too so you come back stronger than ever.

About the Author

Polly de Mille is the Director of Sports Performance at HSS, where she oversees all aspects of performance programming, from sport-specific analysis to metabolic testing to training clients across the spectrum of age and ability. Her research interests focus on bridging the gap between injury and return to peak performance and she has authored chapters and journal articles and presented nationally on this topic. Polly has also made numerous appearances in national media serving as an expert on the science behind fitness trends.