Marathon running recovery programme
Recovering from a long marathon run can take time and your body may experience Delayed ...
Recovering from a long marathon run can take time and your body may experience Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS) after a lengthy run. Regardless, there are ways of overcoming the aching and tired muscle pain that follows your running. Here's our guide to recovering after a very long run so you'll be back up and running in no time.
The body will need to reverse the following changes in order to fully recover from a long run:
What is DOMS in running?
Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness or DOMS is sore, stiff and painful muscles following running exercise that the body is unaccustomed to. It is more common following eccentric muscle activity, where the muscles contract while lengthening at the same time. For example, running down hill or landing from hopping or bounding, but running over 26 miles is likely to cause it as well...
Soreness will come on 24-48 hours after running exercise. Nobody knows exactly why it happens but the following are thought to be factors:
How can I recover from DOMS after running?
Other important factors for post-race recovery include...
Eating plenty of high carbohydrate foods.
The sooner you eat after running exercise the faster you will replenish your stores. At least 50g of carbohydrate every two hours for six hours after the race - more wouldn't hurt! Glycogen stores may take two or three days to fully replenish after a marathon.
Drinking plenty of water.
You will most likely be dehydrated after a long run. Avoid alcohol - a little may help you unwind and relax muscles but it is probably better to avoid it altogether, especially if you are in a dehydrated state as it will only dehydrate you more.
If you are suffering any overuse injuries then allow them to heal before returning to hard training. If they persist, see a sports injury therapist or physiotherapist.