Finishing a marathon is a major achievement, but running recovery plays a big role in how well your body bounces back. Our Physiotherapist, Joe Cross, has shared some practical tips to support your post-race recovery—covering everything from sleep and nutrition to hydration and active recovery.
- Sleep
Sleep is your number one recovery tool. This is when your body repairs muscle fibres, replenishes energy stores, and regulates hormones involved in recovery. Poor sleep can impair performance, increase fatigue and raise your risk of injuries so make sure you aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. - Nutrition and fuelling
Nutrition plays a crucial role in recovery as it directly impacts muscle repair, glycogen replenishment and overall health. Adequate nutrition will allow you to recover faster and adapt more effectively to training. Within 30 minutes of a run aim to have a snack or meal containing carbohydrates and protein (I like to use protein flavoured milks for this). - Hydration
Hydration is very important for effective recovery from running. Replenishing the fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat is essential in several ways. It speeds of muscle repair, allows the body to absorb nutrients more effectively and flushes out toxins accumulated during exercise. Women should aim to drink approximately 2.7L and men 3.7L per day while also replenishing electrolytes. - Active recovery
Active recovery plays an important role for runners when used correctly. This involves light, low intensity activities like walking, cycling, gentle swimming, stretching and mobility. Incorporating some active recovery helps to reduce muscle soreness, increase blood flow and remove waste products from muscles which all aids in repair and rebuilding process. - Using additional recovery techniques
Supplementary recovery techniques like massage, foam rolling, hot/cold baths and compression garments can also aid in recovery. Choose from these options the ones that feel good for you specifically as they can help reduce muscle tightness, improve circulation, and promote relaxation.
