That is it! All done and well done! For many of you, crossing the finish line symbolises your greatest achievement yet. For those that are doing this for the second, third, maybe even fourth time, the feeling is still unrivalled.
But after those 26.2 miles, fatigued muscles pose a major cause to injury. So make sure you have a good walk around for 20 minutes or so afterwards. Use the time to reflect and gather your thoughts on how well you have done and share your achievement with others.
Ouch! You will hurt
You have just put your body through a grueling training plan, completed what you set out to do and now you need to recover. The recovery plan is equally as important as the training plan.
You will begin to feel the effects of the marathon around 48 hours after. Hence the condition known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) kicks in. Muscles will feel tender, ache and generally stiff. Simply going up and downstairs will be a struggle, but you will give amusement to those who see your attempt. Thank goodness these effects subside after around 5 to 7 days.
Gentle movement over this time will aid blood flow to muscles, as they require nutrients to help the healing process of submicrodamage and help remove waste products that have built up. A simple ride on the bike or a swim will be great alternatives to running the week after. Listen to your body and do not go overboard with post training.
What to eat and hydration
Protein will help repair muscle damage. Protein shakes are a very popular choice as they are quick to consume so will be absorbed almost immediately. Electrolytes and carbohydrates are also found in many sports drinks. Body salts will be at a low through sweating and glycogen stores have been working over time to get you over the line.
Drinking water is imperative as glycogen stores are unable to replenish unless you are adequately hydrated. The first 30 to 60 minutes post race is when your refuel is most efficiently absorbed. Gulp it down and it will go straight through you, so the message here is ‘little and often.’
To give you an idea of how hydrated you are, check your urine. Too dark and you are still dehydrated, continue to drink until it becomes pale in colour
Alcohol? You have earned a celebratory drink. However, a word of warning, it is absorbed straight into the bloodstream directly from the stomach within just five minutes. Whilst you are still hydrating yourself steadily over the afternoon, alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the body.
The horizontal position 1: Post marathon massage
Removing excessive waste and reducing DOMS intensity is the purpose of a post marathon massage. Wait for 1-3 days after your race as receiving one immediately can create more soreness.
The horizontal position 2: Sleep
Sleep helps repair the body and is a natural activity. It helps us to function, and it is at this time that repair is at its most intense. It is also a time when your legs will be elevated, encouraging fresh blood to be moved, again speeding up repair. So the message here is to get plenty of it!
Keeping warm: Input from NASA
In the crowd of thousands crossing the finishing line, it will be a little time before you get to your warm up clothes. As you finish you will experience a rapid cool down, to prevent further injury and to keep shivers at bay use your Space Blanket.
And finally, how soon should you run again?
For those that have run distances like these before, then training may resume sooner. I suggest a reverse taper. So as you reduced your training 2-3 weeks prior to race day, you can increase your training over the following weeks post race day. Wait until soreness has passed, then going out for some short, slow runs. Also seen as active recovery, building up and doing a little rather than complete rest has been shown to remove lactate quickly. Cross training will help utilise other muscle groups other than those demanded in running.
Recovering correctly will reduce injury, and help you make progress more quickly. Whether this is the start of a new-found love for marathon racing or your last race, what matters is your body has completed the most difficult part, so look after it.
Lisa Fenwick, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
