Running a marathon – or any distance that pushes your limits – is an accomplishment to be proud of. You’ve worked hard to get your body into the fitness level required to sustain you during the long miles, pushing you forward when your legs are begging you to stop. Despite all that hard work, your body is likely rebelling a bit – post-race spaghetti legs happen to even the most seasoned athletes!
This month’s blog is a continuation of our three-part series for distance runners. Last month, we discussed how to get to race day without an overuse injury safely. This month, our focus is on recovery – you know, that well-earned reward you get after pushing yourself so hard.
Why is Recovery So Important?
At its most basic level, running a long distance is a significant challenge that pushes your body near or past its current limits. This effort is taxing on your bones, muscles, and joints. The physical stress creates microscopic tears in your muscle fibers and depletes your energy stores.
Recovery is the time your body uses to repair and rebuild stronger.
If you skip or rush this phase, you risk starting your next training cycle in a weakened state, which is a common setup for developing an overuse injury. Giving your body the proper time and tools to repair is not just important—it’s essential for longevity in the sport. And you should know by now that marathon training (and recovery) is not a sprint. Everything takes time if you want to improve.
Tools to Hasten Your Recovery
While rest is the foundation, we’re proud to offer several proven therapies that can significantly speed up your body’s healing process.
What Does Rest Really Mean?
When you hear that you should rest after your race, what does that look like? For most of us, it doesn’t mean being a couch potato for a week – although a little of that can be beneficial, especially on race day. Here’s a breakdown of what rest should look like, assuming you haven’t sustained an injury.
- Day of the Race: Absolutely take it easy. Celebrate, refuel, and relax.
- The Next Few Days (Active Rest): Most people find that movement helps, not hinders, recovery. This is called Active Rest.
- Go for a nice, long, relaxed walk.
- Book an appointment for the Normatec boots to get your lymphatic system moving and draining the waste that has built up in the body.
- Gentle, pain-free stretching and range of motion exercises can be beneficial the day after. This is a great time to go to that restorative yoga class you’ve been interested in!
- If you hit the gym, keep the weights significantly lighter than your pre-race routine. The goal right now is movement and blood flow, not taxing strength gains.
The first week post-race should be a graded return to low-intensity activity, with a focus on listening to your body. Remember, marathon training is a long, arduous process. Your body needs this time to recover so you can be stronger at your next race.
The Next Step – Off-Season Training
Like seasons provide nature with a break to grow, the end of the outdoor running season is a time to focus on some foundational training.Treat your off-season as a time to become a stronger, more resilient athlete through cross-training.
Make the effort to focus on strength training during the break. Building a robust strength base during the off-season puts you in a much stronger position when your running season begins again in the spring.
Stay tuned! Our December blog will focus on Strength Training and Cross-Training for Runners to help you make the most of your off-season and prevent future injury.
Need a recovery boost now?
Contact McKenzie Sports Physical Therapy to schedule a session with our Normatec boots, or consult with one of our physical therapists about dry needling, shockwave therapy, or massage therapy to ensure your body recovers safely and efficiently.