how long does it take to recover after a marathon

How long should I rest before a marathon?

• Marathon preparation 3 to 4 months (12-16 weeks)
• Until 3 weeks before race day normal marathon preparation run, bodyweight exercises.
• 3 weeks to one week before race day, diet, hydration and sleep management, and reduced run (reduced to 1/3) but the same

How to properly recover after running a marathon?

Sleep Tight

• No heavy eating. Avoid consuming high sugar foods or alcohol watching TV before hitting the sack. Research shows that this can disrupt our sleep patterns.
• Schedule it. Go to sleep and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. ...
• Make a routine. Set up a sleep routine in which you get ready to hit the sack in the 60 minutes before you go to bed.

How long does it take to recover from a marathon?

There is no exact formula to follow for post-marathon recovery. How long it takes to recover from your race depends upon how well prepared you were going in. A general guideline is one day of rest for every mile raced, or about 26 days of rest.

How to recover from a marathon quickly?

To further jumpstart the recovery process, focus on the following for the rest of the day:

• Continue to hydrate and drink to thirst. Don’t allow yourself to go awhile without drinking fluids.
• After that much-deserved cheat meal, have your next meal include a lot of nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables, healthy cuts of meat, nuts and seeds, and whole-grain foods.
• Take a nap if possible. ...

What happens to your body after a marathon?

After the race, runners are left with microscopic tears in their leg muscles, which leak proteins such as myoglobin into the bloodstream. "The body's defence mechanism will see these tears as damaged tissue and will set up an inflammatory response," says Williams.

How long does it take for your legs to recover after a marathon?

Both of these studies clearly indicate that the body needs at least 7-10 days of rest post marathon to fully recover from the cellular damage caused during the race.

How long will I be sore after a marathon?

Soreness is unavoidable. It will last anywhere from three days to a week, depending on how experienced a marathoner you are and how many miles you put in during the training cycle (more miles with a proper taper means less soreness).

How long does fatigue last after a marathon?

You've invested a great deal of energy, both physical and mental, and a great deal of time in your marathon debut. Running such a long way will have taken a fair toll on your body, and it will need between three and six weeks to fully recover.

Can barely walk after marathon?

“After 26.2 miles, it is likely that you will feel some degree of muscle soreness,” say Sarah Green of Six Physio. “The key is to keep moving. Try to walk for 10-15 minutes once you cross the finish line to reduce muscle stiffness.”

What should you not do after a marathon?

Exactly what to do after you've run a marathon to recover fasterAvoid static stretching. ... Avoid lingering in damp, sweaty kit. ... Avoid anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen (nurofen). ... Avoid excessive alcohol. ... Avoid people with colds and infections. ... Avoid running just yet. ... Avoid ice baths.

Should I walk the day after a marathon?

You can begin active recovery the day after a big race. In fact, most people will feel better if they go for a walk and do some gentle foam rolling and stretching.

Do you gain weight after a marathon?

Some runners complain of weight gain immediately after a marathon. This is most likely due to water retention as your muscles repair and rebuild. Don't be tempted to start (or resume) any weight-loss regime during this time – your body requires a full complement of nutrients to recover from the stress of the race.

How painful is running a marathon?

Most runners experience moderate to very strong intensity pain during a marathon; the pain was independent of biological sex, and the pain is weakly associated with marathon race experience, pain during training, race effort, and the highest intensity of pain ever experienced.

What are the 3 stages of post race recovery?

Let's dive into the first stage.Stage 1: The Day of the Race. Marathon recovery starts as soon as you cross the finish line. ... Stage 2: The Day After the Marathon. After a (hopefully!) ... Stage 3: The Week After the Marathon.

Is it normal to sleep a lot after marathon?

Fatigue after exercise, especially long duration or high intensity, is not unusual. However your sleepiness seems beyond the normal level of fatigue that runners experience on a routine basis.

Is it normal to be tired the week after a marathon?

It's normal to be tired after a long run. You've expended a lot of energy and put physical demands on your body. You are likely to want to take it easy the rest of the day, go to bed early, or even fit in an afternoon nap. The next day is a time for light activity and recovery.

What helps sore legs after a marathon?

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) will go away on its own after a few days, but there are ways to help speed up the process.Stretch After You Run. ... Give Ice a Chance. ... Replenish Carbs and Protein. ... Keep Moving. ... Warm Up Before You Run. ... Practice Yoga. ... Try Massage. ... Don't Ignore Lingering Pain.

Why do my legs hurt after a marathon?

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is thought to be caused by overstretching of the muscle fibers following “unaccustomed” and/or eccentric exercise like a marathon or half marathon race. The pain and stiffness usually occurs 1-3 days after the event.

How do legs heal after running?

To sum up this routine in one easy to visualize chart:Hydrate as soon after your run as possible with Gatorade or electrolyte drink.Stretch major muscle groups and anything that is sore or tight. ... Eat a small meal that contains a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein.Take an ice bath.Eat a decent sized, healthy meal.More items...

How do you recover from a marathon walk?

Recovery tipsKeep moving. Your post-marathon recovery needs to start immediately. ... Enjoy some relaxing spa treatments. If you are feeling a bit stiff following the run, then a post-marathon pampering is what's in order. ... Refuel and hydrate. ... Sleep. ... Take to the pool. ... Wear compression gear. ... Rest and get those feet looked at.

How long does it take to recover from a marathon?

The recovery phase for full marathon runners can take anywhere from four to six weeks. You should complete your recovery before resuming any intense training or racing.

What to do after a marathon?

Bring a Buddy. You may experience fainting or gray-outs after the marathon. You should not drive alone or be alone for the first 12 hours. You need a buddy after the marathon to monitor you for medical problems. Even if you are a medical professional yourself, you should have another person around to help.

How to heal a blister after a marathon?

Cover any hot spots and minor blisters with blister bandages to allow them to heal. Go to bed: You may sleep like the dead, or you may have difficulty sleeping due to pain and stiffness, but sleep is the time the body best repairs itself. Nap and get ample sleep after the marathon.

What happens if you get tired during a marathon?

Stiffness and Soreness. You can expect to experience pain in muscles you didn't know you had. As you got tired during the marathon, your posture and gait may have adjusted, relying on muscles you don't normally use much when running or walking. The pain may be delayed.

What happens to your heart rate after a half marathon?

During the race, your heart rate will be elevated and lactic acid builds up in your muscles. After a full or half-marathon race, your first goal should be to get your heart rate to drop gradually, flush lactic acid from your muscles, and avoid dehydration.

How to avoid muscle damage after a marathon?

After the race, your muscles are already overworked and damaged, you are better off walking versus stretching. 3  Also, skip the foam rolling for at least a day after the race as acute muscle damage is possible immediately following a marathon.

What to do if you feel pain after a half marathon?

If you feel any pain in the week following your half-marathon and it persists into week two, stop training and see a medical professional such as a physical therapist or sports physician.

How long after a marathon can you recover?

How To Recover After Running a Marathon. We’re going to outline a nutrition, rehab, cross training, and running plan for the 3 weeks after a marathon. This rehab plan is guaranteed to help you recover faster and return to training as quickly as possible.

How long does it take to recover from a marathon?

Therefore, it is essential that all marathon runners have a 2-3 week marathon recovery protocol that focuses on rest and rejuvenation of these physiological systems.

What happens to the immune system after a marathon?

Post marathon, the immune system is severely compromised, which increases the risk of contracting colds and the flu. Furthermore, a suppressed immune system is one of the major causes of overtraining. A recent study confirms that the immune system is compromised up to three days post marathon and is a major factor in overtraining syndrome.

What happens if you don't recover from a marathon?

Unfortunately, if you don’t properly recover from your marathon, you’ll increase your injury risk, increase the total marathon recovery time, and limit your long-term potential – making it harder to break your PR and stay healthy.

What happens if you don't let yourself recover?

If you don’t let yourself recover now, you’ll simply have to back off your workouts when it matters and put yourself on the verge of overtraining.

How long does CK last after a marathon?

One study concluded that CK damage persisted more than 7 days post marathon while another study confirmed the presence of myoglobin in the bloodstream post marathon for 3-4 days post race.

What is pushed to the max during a marathon?

Muscles, hormones, tendons, cells, and almost every physiological system is pushed to the max during a marathon race.

How to recover from a marathon?

The final thing you should try and do as soon as you can after the race to help your marathon recovery is to take a shower or a bath – and a long one . While a bath is relaxing, a shower is better for a hit of contrast therapy. Once under the water, alternate between very hot and very cold temperatures for 30-60 seconds each round , focusing mainly on your legs and back. This kind of showering helps get oxygen-rich-blood, proteins, potassium – basically all the fluids and fuels you’ve just put in your body post-race pumping around the muscles where it’s needed to work faster. So enjoy that long shower as part of your recovery: you’ve definitely earned it.

What is the most important thing to do after a marathon?

What’s most important is to listen to your body on that first run after a marathon and make sure everything is feeling like it should to get you back on track.

What to carry on marathon?

Aside from all those elements you need to take on board to make it through the marathon, there are a few things you should also carry on your person that will help you in the long run (see what we did there). Plasters and bandages are needed to be on hand as blisters and chafing are hugely common on the day. Medics and staff are scattered around the course, but they’re never quite where you need them when the pain of a blister developing on the track kicks in. By being able to stop and deal with these problems yourself means you lessen the risk of an injury getting worse, which would lead to a longer marathon recovery time. Your future self will thank you for bandaging that toenail and keeping it on there VS pushing on and it dropping… off.

How much body mass does a marathon lose?

It's estimated most runners competing in a marathon will physically shrink by as much as 1.25cm average due to compression of the spine from impact, and will likely lose significant body mass through dehydration – up to around 10% depending on your pace and the conditions.

What to do if you have sore shoulders during a marathon?

Of course, if you have other injuries or soreness in training that flares up (sore shoulders, knee issues and so on) focus on stretching and taping these , or seek out professional advice before the race. Better to do it immediately and know how to deal with any issues than on the day, surrounded by the chaos of a major marathon event!

How to rebuild fluid levels after training?

It goes without saying but everything you leave out on the training track, you need to put back in. It’s not about putting it all back in at once though – slow and steady not only wins the race, but is the way to rebuild your fluid levels at a rate your body can handle. Generally, around 500ml per hour after training is the recommended amount – think a can and a half of soft drink, but opt for water, not the sweet stuff.

How to get rid of colds during marathon?

1. Changing into warm clothing. As you clock up more and more long runs, your body begins to lower its immunity through the stress you’re putting it under. To combat this (and fight off getting sick which many first-time marathon runners find they are leading up the event) is changing out of wet and damp clothes after longer runs. Cooling down too quickly can shock your body and pave the way in for colds and illness.

What is the difference between active recovery and low intensity exercise?

Active recovery means easy, low intensity exercise—no speed work and no racing. Low intensity exercise means keeping your heart rate at the lower end of your aerobic zone, in the range of 60 to 75% of your maximum heart rate.

Why is recovery so hard?

Recovery is another phase of training and it deserves a plan as well. A recovery plan can be difficult to formulate because it is not as exact as training. There are no formulas to follow but there are some general recommendations you can apply and then figure out what works best for you.

Why is it important to say "I ran hard"?

"I ran hard" is a significant statement because the harder the effort, the longer the recovery time.

How long does it take to recover from a half marathon?

Count on a minimum of 13 days for recovery from a half-marathon, then add on a few more days for a hard effort and age, bringing the total to 17 to 21 days of recovery. I like breaking recovery into two phases: passive and active. The passive phase for a half-marathon is the first one to three days.

How to know when to back off?

Most important of all is simply recognizing the signs of fatigue so you know when to back off. Things like experiencing a higher than normal heart rate at rest or while exercising, a faster than normal breathing rate, heavy legs, or poor performance are all noteworthy signs of fatigue.

How many miles can you run on a reverse taper?

You can follow a reverse taper plan to gradually rebuild your mileage. Runs of 3 to 5 miles are plenty for starting back. By allowing your body adequate recovery time, your return to training and racing should go smoothly.

Who is Susan Paul?

Susan Paul has coached more than 2,000 runners and is an exercise physiologist and program director for the Orlando Track Shack Foundation. For more information, visit www.trackshack.com.

How many days should I take off after running?

The rule of thumb often thrown around is that you should take off 1 day from running for every 1 mile of the race. For newer runners I think this is largely accurate. The microtears that happen in your muscles might not seem as apparent a few days post race when you’re walking without a shuffle, but the body is still in full on recovery mode.

How to recover from a race?

Sleep is our best recovery tool, but often we have trouble for even a few nights post race because the body has so much adrenaline and cortisol shooting through it. I usually recommend a low dose melatonin, the magnesium drink CALM and that hot bath before bed. Find a routine to help you optimize your sleep for those nights and you will be running again sooner!

How do I know When I Can Run Again?

Seasoned runners who have done a lot of half marathons or have done a number of full marathons , will often feel like they can head out for a run within the next few days. Some are absolutely fine with this because it wasn’t a day they pushed for a new personal record, but many realize in the weeks to follow they pushed it too soon.

Why is rest important for overtraining?

Rest days help prevent overtraining. The body has been pushed to it’s limits, which means cortisol is higher as the body responds to this intense stress. Giving this time to stabilize is important.

Why do we need rest days?

Rest days allow your muscles to refuel. You need those glycogen stores to refill, so that you’ll have energy. Rest days allow your muscles to repair. Repair means the body is going to grow stronger from the effort of your race. Rest days help prevent overtraining.

What are some exercises to help you run?

Give some other muscles a workout! Swim, bike, yoga, Pilates, all of these things can and will benefit your running. Additionally, the time away from focused running allows you to get back to remembering why you love to run for you and not for a clock.

What happens if you don't recover enough?

Without giving your body enough time to recover, the possibility of injury increases exponentially.Plus you’re short changing future races by limiting the bodies growth from the effort. Instead of those tears getting a chance to heal, they’re being further broken down and putting you in a hole.

What to do after running?

Your first post-run order of business should be to refuel and rehydrate. Sports drinks, protein smoothies, or chocolate milk are all quick, convenient choices to replenish your body’s depleted glycogen levels, electrolytes, sodium, and fluids, says Manhattan-based R.D. Scott Keatley, who’s also a USATF Level I Certified track and field coach and a runner.

What is the best way to loosen up after a long run?

Some runners swear by a shakeout run—a few easy miles at a casual pace—the day following a long run to loosen muscles and help release toxin buildup. Some experts also recommend a complementary form of cross training. "Biking, swimming, and yoga can increase blood flow, helping decrease feelings of soreness, prevent muscles from tightening, and speed up the recovery process," Holland says.

What to eat after a run?

Chicken breast is a staple for many endurance athletes, but Keatley also recommends seafood, which packs a protein punch as well as replenishing stores of B12 and magnesium, two key nutrients for runners. If you do opt for a post-run pint, experts recommend limiting it to just one. As good as that first beer tastes, alcohol requires even more work for your body to metabolize. "You’re probably already dehydrated, and your body sees alcohol as a toxin, so instead of focusing on rebuilding stores of glycogen and vitamins, it’s focusing on removing that toxin," Keatley points out. In other words, he advises: "no all-you-can-drink brunch" after a long run.

How to stretch your feet when you are weary?

Be sure to treat yourself to a super-simple stretch that will feel heavenly for your weary feet: Sit with your legs straight out in front of you, gently pull your toes toward your face, and then push them back in the other direction.

Is it good to sleep after a long run?

Getting good sleep. Indeed, falling into bed the night after a long run is downright heavenly, but while you’re zonked your body is still hard at work healing itself, repairing muscle damage and continuing to move toxins out of your body.