The Complete Guide To Recovery After A Marathon: Post-Marathon Checklist
Updated: Oct 25
Above is a picture of me about to finish my first marathon. Although the marathon itself went quite well, my recovery was sub-optimal. I made a few simple mistakes, which led to me having to walk down the stairs backwards for the following week due to aching muscles. Learn from me because recovery after a marathon should be taken very seriously.
To read the whole story of my first marathon including all the preparation then click this link here: Battle of The Borders Trail Marathon: Race Review
What people fail to realise is that while the marathon may be your goal it is also great training. You just banked a 26.2-mile continuous hard run. Recover well and reap the benefits!
Recovery after your marathon
There are many different things you can do to help recover after your marathon, because having the great feeling of completing a marathon, but not being able to walk properly for a week, is no fun.
Your complete post-marathon checklist
1) Keep moving
Speaking from experience, the first thing you are going to want to do when you finish your marathon is take a much-needed break. Only about 0.17% of the global population finishes a marathon each year. You just became one of the few. Surely now is the time for a break? WRONG.
Please make a smarter choice than I did, I had a big sit down. Then 10 minutes later I could barely walk, this awkward hobbling lasted a further 7 days. I was lucky not to get injured, however I was doing a lot of stretching and easy strengthening exercises to help avoid injury.
The smart choice is to carry on moving for at least 5 minutes afterward, this can be just slow walking. What this is going to do is clear some of the lactate acid out of your legs and get some fresh blood to your muscles, consequently reducing your recovery time. Happy days.
2) Re-fuel as soon as possible
Your body is going to be glycogen-depleted like it never has been before. You know that feeling of 'hitting the wall'? Well, that comes when your body runs out of glycogen and you have to start using fat as your main energy source. It is important to know what to eat after a marathon to aid recovery.
Aim to have a high carb food or drink within 30 minutes of finishing your race.
After you've had a carbohydrate drink or a high-carb food within 30 minutes of finishing your race, the next step is to have a very big meal within 2 hours to further help with replenishing glycogen stores. Aim for 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour for the first 4 hours after finishing.
Replenishing your glycogen stores with carbohydrates will be key in speeding up your recovery. It will take a minimum of 48 hours to fully replenish your glycogen stores, and the sooner you get started the faster your recovery will be.
Top Tip
Have someone waiting for you at the finish line with a carbohydrate drink, therefore you can start the recovery process fast with something that is easy to drink. Many people struggle to eat after a marathon, which means their recovery suffers.
However, trust me, you will find it easy to drink a lot after a marathon.
Carb-X is our top pick for a carbohydrate drink, not only is it great value , with 48 servings for less than £25, it's packed with carbohydrates and comes with a cool water bottle.
3) Active recovery is key
In the weeks following the marathon, your body is not going to be able to handle running like you were before. Plus you are probably going to want to treat yourself to some well-earned rest anyway.
However, doing some low-level exercise will help you more than complete rest. This could be a recovery run or something non-weight bearing.
Benefits of active recovery:
Reduced stiffness
Removal of waste products
Increase fresh blood flow to aching muscles
Decreased inflammation
The best type of active recovery is non-weight bearing. Meaning that you're doing exercises that don't require you to support your own weight during the exercise.
Examples of active recovery:
Cycling
Swimming
Aqua jogging
Elliptical machines
4) Treat yourself to a massage
This is one which is quite a nice one. If ever there was a time to treat yourself to a nice relaxing massage it's now! There are many benefits of sports massage for your recovery.
Benefits of massage for recovery:
Decreased pain in muscles
Increased range of movement
Getting knots out of muscles
Reduced tension
Muscle relaxation
Increase blood flow to your aching muscles
If you don't want to spend your money on a massage, then a massage gun, foam roller, or massage stick will do.
Best massage gun:
The Theragun
Also great:
The Renpho
On a budget:
The Valano
For a comparison of these 3 massage guns then check out this blog here: The 6 Best Massage Guns For Runners.
Foam roller:
Core Balance Foam Roller, 2 in 1
Massage stick:
Yupro Muscle Roller Stick
5) Focus on getting a good nights sleep
"If sleep was a drug, it would be banned."
Sleep is the most important part of an athlete's recovery. There is no drug, nutritional supplement, or training technique that has as much of an impact as sleep does. If you learned how sleep can help your running recovery, you wouldn't neglect it, ever.
You put in hard miles of training and you neglect your sleep, you're simply not taking advantage of all the adaptations you could be!
Now you have just put in the biggest 'training session' of your life- 26.2 miles hard. Be sure to get the training benefits you deserve by sleeping right.
Train hard, sleep harder.
Benefits of sleep for recovery:
Muscle repair and growth
Glycogen replenishment
Regulation of protein synthesis
Increased testosterone
Reduction of inflammation
Muscle relaxation
6) Wear your compression socks as much as possible
Compression socks have many benefits, aren't just a comfy thing to wear you know..... They have super recovery benefits! Time to go pull on your pair, which you don't wear often enough, and spend some time in them.
Top tip: Don't wear them with shorts- it isn't a good look.
Did you know that nearly 90% of all leg disorders start with the veins? Compression socks apply squeeze your muscles which applies pressure to your veins. This increases the circulation of blood around your aching muscles, meaning faster recovery.
Benefits of wearing compression socks:
Increased blood circulation to the legs
Decreased swelling
Preventing blood pooling in your legs
Prevents blood clots
Improves lymphatic draining (this helps to get rid of waste products built up in your aching muscles)
Helps reduce pain
Increases rate of recovery
You may also like: Best Calf Compression Sleeves For Your Running Needs
Best Compression Socks:
BearHug compression socks
Best Budget Compression socks:
Cambivo calf compression sleeves
7) Rehydrate
Did you know that you can sweat out up to 3 litres of water per hour? You can improve post-run recovery with rehydrating properly.
This figure can vary quite a bit from runner to runner and can vary depending on factors like heat and effort.
However, you're going to have lost a lot of water weight along your 26.2-mile trek and that water needs to be replaced.
Benefits of hydrating properly after your marathon:
Delivery of nutrients to the cells
Regulate body temperature
pH balance
Flush out toxins
Ideally, you should aim to drink 400-800ml of water per hour after your marathon.
8) Use supplements
Eating a healthy balanced diet is what every runner needs, but even so, this does not guarantee that you will not be deficient in something.
There are many supplements that help support a balanced diet and can increase performance, but many aren't necessary for runners. There are running supplements that every runner should be taking and that can help you to become a better runner.
Some supplements can help to buffer the build-up of lactate acid such as L-Carnitine or Beta-Alanine and some supplements help with recovery.
You can recover well without supplements provided you have a good diet. However, although the following supplements are not a necessity, they do help to improve your recovery. These are just some of the supplements that I recommend and that have worked well for me.
Supplements that help with recovery:
Iron
Iron can help with recovery by improving the oxygen support to the muscles, decreasing fatigue levels, and improving immune function. Iron also helps to support performance by allowing more oxygen to get to your working muscles meaning you can clear lactate acid faster. Iron is a nutrient which is very easy to be deficient in, for most people (especially active people and women), taking an Iron supplement is the best option.
ZMAs
Made up of Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B-6 ZMAs are a super tool for recovery. ZMAs improve muscle recovery, improve sleep quality, and increase energy levels. By having ZMA supplements you will improve your recovery and your adaptations. These supplements are something that I recommend to everyone, not just runners, to be taking regularly.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes help to replace all the nutrients you will have lost in sweat throughout your marathon. In fact, you should use electrolytes in your water throughout your whole marathon. Electrolytes will help to prevent cramps, increase hydration, and improve muscle function.
Use Code GLH10 for 10% off any purchase at: www.optimalhydration.com
9) Take care of your feet
It's very likely that your feet are going to be an absolute mess after finishing a marathon, I know mine were! Hopefully, you're reading this before your marathon and can remember to put some Vaseline on your feet before you run!
There are a few things you can do to help your feet after the marathon. These include;
Be sure to put your feet up and relax. Try to spend as little time on your feet as possible.
Relax and let your feet soak in some warm soapy water. Be sure to dry them properly after as any moisture will make blisters worse and can lead to athlete's foot.
Do some stretches for your feet and toes to prevent injuries.
Products that can help your feet recover after a marathon
Ratukall electric foot file
Help remove all the dry and dead skin off your feet with an electric foot file.
Footner Exfoliating Foot Mask Socks
Cure your dry and cracked feet with this exfoliating kit, and get smooth feet in 60 minutes.
Crocs Unisex's Baya Ii Slide Sandal
These comfy sliders will give your feet exactly what they need after a hard 26.2 miles. Treat your feet right.
10) Take a hot bath
Let's be honest, it's the least you deserve. Reward yourself with a nice relaxing warm bath and reflect on your great achievement!
You can relax in peace knowing you are also doing your body a huge favour in terms of recovery.
The benefits of warm baths:
Pain relief
Muscle relaxation
Lowered blood sugar
Improved mood and mental health
For additional benefits be sure to add Epsom salts to your baths
Epsom salts benefits:
Increased recovery and exercise performance
Pain relief
Stress relief
Improved sleep
Better circulation
Improved skin health
Better insulin production
Releases magnesium into the body
11) Take a cold bath
Should you soak in hot or cold water after a marathon? Unfortunately, it's not all hot baths and sunshine. In fact, cold baths may actually be more beneficial for your recovery.
Benefits of cold baths:
Eases sore muscles
Decreases inflammation
Muscle recovery
Improved circulation
Stress reduction
Increased immunity
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