10 Ways to Recover From a Marathon: Tips from GreatRuns

You’ve done it! Congratulations on completing a marathon. You’re in the 1% of the world’s population that completes a marathon each year, according to RunRepeat.

Perhaps it was your first, a special one that you traveled for, or a marathon where you PRed. No matter which scenario, congratulations are in order! 

There are many guides and resources for training for a marathon. Perhaps you consulted some of these. But many in the Great Runs community tell us that there are many fewer resources on what comes after. So here are some strategies from Great Runs on how to recover from a Marathon. 

Every Situation is Different

No matter whether you’re a first-time marathoner or a more experienced athlete – your body just ran 26.2 miles. This is not a natural thing. Coming up with recommendations on how to recover from a marathon, we recognize that it can be situational. Everyone is different, and will feel different after running this taxing race. 

We’ve tried to come up with several general suggestions, after consulting with trainers, coaches, experienced marathoners, and many members of the Great Runs community who have run a marathon. We recognize that everyone’s marathon experience is different, and everyone feels different after having run a race of this distance. Some of these recommendations might not apply if you have a particular type of injury. 

These are the Ten Strategies for Post-Marathon Recovery 

A post-marathon recovery program will have some distinct phases: the immediate 24-hours after a race; over the next week or so; and medium to longer-term elements that have both mental and physical health components.

Right After The Race

1. Body Recovery in the Immediate Aftermath of the Marathon

Try to keep moving (walking/shuffling if you can), as sitting immediately will cause a lot of stiffness and possible cramping.

2. Pay Attention to Body Temperature

This has a lot to do with the type of weather experienced during the marathon. If it’s cold or wet, take those foil blankets and try to get warm and/or dry quickly, to avoid cramping or hypothermia. If it’s hot, cooling down and fluid intake are paramount.

3. Hydration and Nutrition Attention

Keep drinking water and electrolytes. Don’t drink too much of any type of drink that you’re not accustomed to – your body might not react as well to something it’s not used to.

Be careful about what you eat as well. Avoid heavy or fried foods. Remember the digestive system is vulnerable after the trauma of a long race.The folks at Yale Medicine say to “concentrate on a well-balanced diet, which includes eating a ‘rainbow’ of foods with different colors, including fruits, vegetables, and carbs.”

1-2 Weeks After the Marathon

4. Pay Attention to How Your Body Feels

Give yourself 24-48 hours to see how the body feels. Some stiffness and soreness is normal. After 2-3 days, you will be able to tell whether there are any longer-lasting injuries that need attention.

5. Consider Cross-Training

Some runners are eager to get right back into running after a marathon, while others want to lay off for a while. This is as much a mental issue as a physical one.

If you are eager to start running soon after a marathon, it’s important to pay attention to the body and ease into it, in order to avoid injury. Enhance your stretching routine. Consider activities such as cycling or swimming to help recover from a marathon and not put too much stress on the joints.

6. Ease Back Into Running

How often and what distance you run in the immediate 1-2 weeks after a marathon is highly situational. A lot depends on how you’re feeling mentally and physically.

It’s important to develop a plan to gradually ease back into running in terms of distance and pace, to avoid burn out or stress injury.

Longer-Term Considerations

7. Pay Attention to Mental Health

A lot of physical and mental energy goes into training for a marathon. The ‘runner’s high’ will be especially so with the accomplishment of having completed a marathon. Plus the likely celebratory events with friends and family.

There can be a mental let-down in the few weeks after the seminal event. Pay attention to your mental health. Give yourself something to look forward to, such as a weekend away, or other leisure pursuit. 

8. Consider Entering Another Road Race Soon

A lot of runners and coaches we talk to think it’s a good idea to enter another running event within a few weeks of the marathon. Don’t let all that training go to waste! Take advantage of the conditioning to do a 5k or 10k fun event.

Of course, this is all assuming that you’re feeling OK and there are no longer-lasting injuries from the marathon. Unless you’re an experienced marathoner, any event within a month of a marathon should be shorter – no longer than a half!

9. Start Thinking About The Nest Phase Of Your Training

Now that you know you can do a marathon, it’s time to focus on what can be improved upon. It could be speed. Or injury prevention. 

Some marathoners who’ve really caught the bug start thinking about other types of running events, such as ultras or trail races.

10. Develop A Plan

In the same way you probably had some sort of training plan for the recently-completed marathon, think about developing a plan for what’s next. Perhaps it’s another marathon or running event of some sort. Or a plan to work on conditioning to improve running performance.