Marathon Advice - Afterwards - The Recovery Phase
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Recovery after the Marathon
Recovery begins IMMEDIATELY after you cross the line
Important!! First Thing!!
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Think on your feet! You will be VERY tired. Heed the advice in this
section
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Keep moving once you cross the line. The lactic acid debt will hit you
pretty quick and all movement will help clear it.
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The recovery phase after the marathon starts immediately after the
race. Re-hydrate and refuel.
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After you finish (and you will!), make sure to eat something. Try to
get some carbohydrates into you
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within 15 minutes of finishing - it'll kick start your body's recovery.
Leave it later and your digestive system will start to shut down -
safeguard mode. Replace lost fluids and energy as soon as possible.
Drink plenty and try to eat foods with plenty of carbohydrates;
bananas, pasta, bread, etc
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Keep warm, remember to pack a fleece or jumper, t-shirt, leggings, hat,
socks and, maybe, gloves. If the day is wet, a change of shoes will be
needed. If all this doen't fit into the 'drop bag', give the
non-essentials to someone who will meet you afterwards. You'll feel
cold very quickly afterwards, so wrap up well, ideally in layers.
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Have someone meet you at a prearranged spot to give you dry clothes or
to take extra layers. The finish area is mayhem! Know exactly where you
are meeting friends and family! Have a backup location in case, for
whatever reason, the first location is, say, closed to either runners
or spectators.
Later
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It is unwise to pop your blisters until after you shower, to prevent
infection. Use a sterilized needle to pop two slits on opposite sides
of the blister and leave the roof on. Lubricate the area with
antibiotic ointment, and only cover them if you absolutely needed.
(Second Skin or Compeed work best.) Leaving the blisters open and
soaking in Epsom Salts also dries them out faster. If you have black
and blue toenails, drain them as soon as possible, and you may be able
to save your toenails and avoid a lot of unnecessary pain.
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Alternate hot and cold soaks, and get a massage. Use a foam roller
(lightly) and a "stick" or pastry roller.
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Congrats on finishing! Rule of thumb for recovery is 1 day for every
mile, that doesn't mean don't do anything but don't plan to race or run
hard any time soon. Take it easy!
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Keep moving around as much as possible in the days after the marathon.
Alternate hot and cold soaks, and get a massage. Anti-inflammatory such
as Aleve or Advil (as long as you are not allergic or have ulcers) will
help ease your pain in the first post-marathon week. Getting a massage
helps flush out all the waste products in your muscles.
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It may be wise not to resume running until all of the soreness is gone
from your legs. Use your judgment about when to resume running.
Basically, if anything is swollen or bruised, or if you experience
sharp pains when you resume running, stop!
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Eat a bit more and sleep a bit more. You need the building blocks for
muscle repair, and your body does most of its repair work when you're
sleeping
The Day After the Marathon
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Rather than spin the day after the race, swim or deep water run. You
loosen your muscles up a bit without putting any pressure on the joints.
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If, like me, you are prone to cold-sores, you will be very prone to
them after the marathon. If you swim in the few days afterward, you
should apply a lip protector or Vaseline. It helps to lightly smear
Vaseline into and around openings of your nostrils. Bet the rest of you
are glad you don't get cold-sores - lucky buggers!!
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The post-endurance-event athlete is prone to fatigue and chronic
dehydration, as well as injury and illness. "The body is weak, and the
mind is undisciplined because the immediate goal has been achieved. A
post-marathon runner is very vulnerable". Three body systems are now in
need of recovery: muscular, chemical and psychological.
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Keep moving around as much as possible in the days after the marathon.
Alternate hot and cold soaks, and get a massage. Anti-inflammatory such
as Aleve or Advil (as long as you are not allergic or have ulcers) will
help ease your pain in the first post-marathon week. Getting a massage
helps flush out all the waste products in your muscles. Use a foam
roller and a "stick" or pastry roller.
Resuming Training
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Your first long run should slot in about 4 weeks after the marathon.
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Start getting back into training with longer runs and speedwork about
3-4 weeks afterwards. Don't be surprised if you come down with a cold
or some other virus in the next week or so. It often happens after a
marathon. Pamper yourself until it clears.
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Savor the soreness afterward. Each creaky step will be a reminder of
all your hard work. Once you're ready to feel like a normal person
again, cycling/spinning is a great recovery activity. Also, a massage
will never feel so good or so well-deserved.
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If your symptoms don't improve in a week, seek medical advice. I
recommend taking it easy for a month after the marathon.
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There's no rush. You have a lot of repair work to do. Let the pain
settle. Have a walk and splash about in the swimming pool. One week
after the marathon is quite soon enough for your first run of any
length, and if you don't run for two weeks that's fine.
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Novice and veteran endurance event racers, from road runners to rowers
to multisporters, have one thing in common: all are subject to "the
blues" in the weeks following the big day. It's important to be
prepared for this possibility and to take measures, if necessary, to
get back on track.
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It may be, for reasons of weather or bad form or bad luck on the day,
the event did not go as well as you had hoped, and you are now spending
a lot of mental energy cursing circumstances or trying to figure out
what happened. Rest up, recover & lick your wounds. There will be
another day!