Do the Plan

Road Map to Full Recovery after 13.1 or 26.2

I have run almost 20 marathons, and lost count of how many half marathons I have completed. I have also helped numerous athletes get back to running following a hard endurance effort. These guidelines are a synthesis of the routine I have researched, follow, as well as what I suggest for others.

It takes into account that after a hard endurance activity our bodies (Muscles, organs, ligaments, bones …) are damaged. For instance, it is not uncommon to find trace amounts of blood in the urine of endurance athletes after they complete their big goal race. Some of us may have even injured ourselves in pursuit of finishing our race. We do this because we want to find our limit, and now you have to recover after that limit is discovered!

Whether or not your race was a world-beater, or beat you up, you are in precarious place. Your body will need time to rebuild, and even grow stronger. If you take this time to recover -- You will grow stronger following a half/full marathon – IF you recover. However, if you jump back in to running and working out quickly, you will break down further, get slower, risk injury, and likely get sick.

1)     Wait to register for the next race until you’re no longer sore. This will be at least one to two weeks. It is completely natural to want to do another half or marathon immediately after finishing. You can do this, but realize it will be harder and more painful than your current race, especially if you gave a full effort at the current goal race.  If you have the training for it, some of us will choose to do a slower marathon or ultra run –knowing that this will not be a fast run. We do it because it is something to do, or we even just want to get another State under our belt. Even if you do this, I would recommend waiting at least one month before attempting another race the same distance or longer than the one you just did. Also, realize that if you do this, you will to do this recovery protocol all over. Void signing-up for it till your goal half-full marathon is over. You’ll want to get through your current race healthy before having another race on the calendar.

2)     Wait till this month is over to create another big goal. This is different than the throw away "fun" race I described above. This is the big goal you will pursue the next 12-18 months. You will have ideas of what you want to do, but don’t emotionally commit to the next goal until you have fully recovered.

3)     Don’t under estimate the need to mentally, emotionally, and spiritually recharge. For many of us, running and physical activity are one of our primary ways to do this. This is especially true if you rely on training to offset stress, anxiety, or depression. However, in the intensity of a race build-up, running may have lost its ability to be restorative to you. During this month, explore other hobbies and friendships that bring joy to your life. When you resume more serious training again, you will be a more well rounded person by spending this month leaning into the activities and people that are not running related.

4)     It’s natural to want to indulge a bit with your diet plan now that you aren’t so focused on training. My first meal post-marathon is typically chili, pizza, or a burger of some variety. Feel free to do this too, but also keep in mind that moving towards low inflammatory foods will bring about recovery quicker and keep weight gain at bay. As the weeks go on, look for foods and a quality supplement that will contain Omega-3 Fatty acids (Cold Water Fish, Flax and Chia Seeds, Ginger, Turmeric, Spinach, Pineapple, Dark Cherries, Walnuts, and Eggs).  High inflammation foods will be red meat, sugars, alcohol, and anything fried.

HelpfulShaklee Supplements: Alfalfa (Lowers Inflammation), Omega-3, Defend and Resist(Immune Support), Performance PM (Sleep aid and Delayed Muscle Soreness), Osteo Matrix (Minerals for Bone and Soft Tissue Repair) Life Shake (Quality Protein, Prebiotic, and Probiotic)

5)     When you begin to run again, here is a protocol that will bring you back, allowing for recovery while preserving fitness. This is conservative, but the goal is to get you recharged and ready to reengage with training in one month:

Race Day: Get a massage following the race, eat as much healthy protein sources as possible, try to walk and move later that evening. Celebrate with a special gathering or meal with family and friends.

1-3 Days following Race Day: Take 2-3 days off of running completely. Walking and Swimming are all helpful activities. At minimum, try to go for at least one 20-minute walk in the first 2 days after your marathon or half.  No strength work yet.  Possibly – VERY gentle yoga if this has been part of your normal recovery routine.

Days 4-7: 1-2 Easy runs at conversational pace or slower. Walk 1 minute every 5 to 10 minutes. It is likely that when you begin running again an easy 3 mile run will feel more like a 7 or 8 mile run.  As long as your runs feel harder than they are, you are to NOT increase time, mileage, or speed. When an easy 20:00 run feels like and easy 20:00 run, you can run for 30:00 next time. When an easy 30:00 runs feels easy, you can progress again. It may take 2-3 weeks before you can progress and add time or distance to your runs.

Week 2: 3-4 Easy Runs at 30:00-40:00, continue to use walk breaks as needed or desired. During your walks and runs, be sure to reflect on all the hard work you did and to celebrate your accomplishment! If it was part of your normal routine, reintroduce just 1 easy body weight strength workout.  If you don’t feel like running, that’s completely normal. Don’t run then. But be careful to at least get out there a little bit. Motion is lotion! Running and walking will bring about recovery quicker.

Week 3: You may start to feel more like your normal running self this week, but it is not indicator or recovery. You are still rebuilding at the cellular level. Do just 3-4 easy runs, at 30:00-40:00 minutes. You may still want to walk a little. If you are feeling relatively normal, go ahead and do a longer run on the weekend of 45:00-60:00. You can now reintroduce one regular strength workout as well, but nothing of high intensity. Doing a HIIT workout now will likely slow down your recovery.

Week 4: Repeat week 3. Don’t add additional work. This will stress your system. The goal of this month is physical and mental recovery, not stress (soreness). Adding mileage this week will add stress. Try to enjoy running without a goal hanging over your head. You may now begin to have a better sense of what is a realistic goal you can strive for next. Get in touch with me and we can talk it through!

Casey Beckley

www.forgeathletics.net