What to do immediately, a day and a week after

There is no better feeling than crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles. All your months of hard work and training sessions have borne fruit, and now all you have to do is appreciate your accomplishment.

But while your mind can be ready to party, your body can feel ready for bed. The execution of a marathon is not a small feat, so believe when they say the recovery begins when you cross the finish line. Of nutrition and hydration to Rest and massage, There are many important strategies for optimal marathon recovery.

Then a registered dietitian offers tips and tricks to feel the best in the days and weeks after the marathon. Keep reading to know more.

Why focus on recovery?

Many runners spend weeks and months preparing for a marathon, but the moments, days and weeks just afterwards are usually neglected. What you do, even the first seconds after crossing the finish line is crucial for recovery.

Develop a Post-Carreira Recovery Plan It can help you recover faster, feel good during recovery and minimize or avoid future injuries. Although it is tempting to keep the impulse after the high marathon, take it calmly at least one to two weeks after the marathon can help maximize the goals of Fitness in the long run. Not only are you recovering from your marathon, but you are also repairing and restoring the months of training you have done until your big day.

“The longest distance operation, especially the intensity and duration of a marathon, puts a high demand in your body from the perspective of food, but also in the tissue perspective,” he explains Madison Doherty, PT, DPTA physical therapy doctor and operating coach certified in Perfect Stride Therapy in New York City. “There are amounts of micro damage to the muscles, which occur after a marathon, and your body needs to undergo your inflammatory process to repair so you can move back in the best case.”

Marathon formation is physically tax, but it can also be mentally fatigued. Your body and brain need time to relax and return to the baseline. Physically, the body triggers an inflammatory response in the hours after completing a marathon. Inflammatory markers such as creatine kinase, c-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase and troponin are high.

Because executing a marathon affects so many body systems, it is difficult to rely on muscle pain only as an indicator of complete recovery. As a result, recovery requires a combination of rest, nutrition, hydration and activity.

What to do immediately after a marathon

While you may want to lie down on the floor in relief after crossing the finish line, it is important to keep walking immediately after finishing your marathon, DiHherty says. “Similar to how your training load has increased to prepare your career, you must reduce your body’s activity.”

In fact, stop and lie down could let you feel nausea and bad. Slowly walk the heart rate low and FLUSH LACATE OUT OF YOUR MUSCULARSwhich can help reduce inflammation.

In addition, many runners do not have a great appetite after a marathon. Start by taking some fluids, water or a sports drink to start rehydration and replenish the lost electrolytes during the race. Like a small snack containing carbohydrates and proteins within 30 to 60 minutes after the end to keep blood sugar levels. It will also help the repair of muscle tissue and the replacement of muscle glycogen. Pretzels with peanut butter, banana with almond butter or half of peanut butter and gel sandwich are some good options for post-carrier immediate nutrition.

What to do a few days after

The few days after a marathon, you must focus on some rest and tlc more for your body and mind. Make some restorative movement and stretch if that feels good. The yoga pose, “upside down on a wall” or viparite karani, helps to reverse circulation in the legs to feel lighter and further and provide a soft section for the lower body muscles. It also helps to involve the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces cortisol levels and helps reduce post-carrier inflammation.

Consider passing five to 10 minutes Soaked in an ice bath or to cold diving bathtub. Cold water causes small blood vessels to be restricted, which decreases blood flow. This helps to decrease inflammation and reduce pain, which can be beneficial after a marathon, lead to faster recovery and help prevent doms (retarded start muscle pain). It is recommended to use ice or cold treatment until the pain and stiffness decreases.

Nor do you underestimate the power of sleep. Priorizes good quality sleep after a marathon and does not restrict carbohydrates, as your body still needs them to replenish glycogen stores.

Nutritionally, your body continues to recover and replenish calories and electrolytes has lost more than 26.2 miles. To stimulate muscle recovery, be sure to eat balanced meals that include carbohydrates and fat and at least 30 grams of protein per food.

What to do a week after

It’s a week after your career. You are still mounting the post-Maratón, the pain and muscle aches have disappeared and you are ready to return. Not so fast. Although you can feel physically better and capable of running easy, many of your body systems continue to recover. Give your time to your muscles, tendons and ligaments to fully cure.

Running again too soon after a marathon can set up for more wounds. In addition, you need a mentally and physically rest. Although many runners care about losing fitness, rest and recovery periods allow your body to strengthen and make adaptations to all the stress you put during the months of training.

So what can you do a week after a marathon? Along with the break, focus on light effort and short cross -training exercises. Try walkingcycling, swimming or yoga. These activities warm the muscles and help with circulation. You can also participate in activities you didn’t have time to train.

Go for a walk with a friend, pull hoops with your child or try a fun dance class where you want to sign up for. Listen to your body and see the tight muscles and pain joints. This will inform you about the preparation to run again.

In addition, it continues to focus on regular and balanced meals and good hydration. If you are still feeling that “post-harasan runner”, add more protein and fat to your meals or have substantial snacks between meals. Useful snacks include peanut butter and banana sandwiches, protein bars or cheese and fruit.

When should I run again?

Each corridor responds differently to the stress of a marathon and requires different amounts of rest time. Most runners should plan to take an average of seven to 10 days off, but some runners may need longer before running again.

While jumping right at 10 miles may be tempting, the key is to relieve it. Doherty always recommends starting a standing program along with soft movement and mobility as a good place to start. Then try re -entering a simple effort has no more than 30 to 45 minutes. If you control the heart rate, stay below 60% to 70% of the maximum heart rate.

Pay attention to how you feel and not be afraid to give you some grace. If your first, second or even third race feels terrible, it is good to stop, slow down and give you a longer break. These initial races are a good indicator of where you are in your recovery, and if they don’t feel natural, you could mean that you still need time physically to recover or are still mentally fried.

“I tell the corridors that they are sore after that easy running, it is a bit soon and we will adjust the duration of the easy route to point to a greater frequency for a shorter time,” says Doherty. You will know that you are prepared and well recognized when you are looking forward to running again and running don’t feel like a slog.

Recovery techniques

To optimize and accelerate your recovery, you can use a number of techniques in addition to resting, prioritizing sleep and good nutrition. During or after your career, you can take Compression socks or shorts to improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and decrease the impact of late -starting muscle pain. Take a massage a few days after your career to reduce muscle tension and increase the range of movement in joints.

Self-Massage with a foam roll or a massage gun It is a great way to increase blood flow to specific areas and free up painful shooting points. Electric muscle stimulation is also a useful tool to help reduce inflammation and increase blood flow without adding stress to tendons or joints. Doherty says that your physical therapy clinic recommends stretching or working on a soft and comfortable joint mobility to improve blood flow.

Bottom line

Running a marathon is a huge realization and recovery is as important as the months of training before. Take a suitable time to rest your body and your mind and make sure you prioritize sleep, nutrition and hydration.

Also, do not rush to run. And when you start running, take it slow and easy. For more orientation and specific recommendations adapted to you, see a physiotherapist, operating coach and sports dietitian.