Quick Race Recovery From The @runningproject

Another great shot of me at my last race

So I am probably the last person to talk about recovery(Cough! Cough! "4 Marathons in 4 Months"), but thought it would be a good discussion point for this weeks post as its something that have been thinking about after my longest run almost two weeks ago at the Taupo Ultra Marathon.

A lot of people recommend you need to give yourself 4 to 6 weeks to fully recover from a marathon or long distance race before you get back into your full intensity training again, but what if you needed a quick turn around to recover?

In my part of the world, the biggest running day of the year is coming up this weekend with the Auckland Marathon taking place on Sunday. No, I'm not going to be running the marathon, but I still wanted to be part of the day. So instead of simply cheering on the many friends I know racing on the day, I decided to take on the shortest race available, the 5km race. I'm really looking forward to racing over a short distance as it's been a few years since I've raced one of the middle distance runs. I have been thinking ahead in my training, making sure I have been including some shorter speed work to make sure I was ready for the higher intensity. I don't think I'll be getting close to my PB, but would love to get close to a twenty minute finishing time.

This brings me to recovery as two weeks is a pretty quick turn around to be ready for another race after a Ultra Marathon, even though I'll be racing a much shorter distance, the last thing I needed was to cause myself an injury at the very start of the Southern Hemisphere Summer. So to recovery quickly enough to be racing within two weeks, the following are a list of my recovery techniques to get help me get as close as possible to 100% ready.

I won't go into recover nutrition as there is already a great post in the channel by @plantstoplanks on this topic

Before the Marathon

I think recover starts in your lead up to the marathon, where you not only need to be resting well, but also eating and hydrating well. It may also be time to rethink your expectations of the race. This might mean, not pushing your body to get a PB or top finish. If your aim is to recover well and race again in two weeks, it may mean racing a lot more conservatively.

Straight After The Race

Make sure you keep moving as this will keep your muscles warm and hopefully reduce soreness and try to limit the time you are sitting for long periods of time. It may be worth having a spa or hot shower to keep your muscles warm, and if you get a message, probably only opt for a light massage as a full sports massage could cause a little pain. Your legs should be too sore for a foam roller, so leave this for a day or two, but make sure you are wearing compression pants if you have them. Make sure your eating well and trying to re hydrate and replace everything you might have lost during the run, but try to limit alcohol and caffeine as they can dehydrate you further.

If you do have any major injuries or soreness, don't delay in getting these things seen to by a Doctor. It's normal to feel sore, but if you have sprained or strained a muscle, it could be worth getting this looked at now.

The Next Day To Four Days

This is a really good time to start walking. Anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes can be beneficial and you'll notice your legs will feel better once you start moving a little. Keep the compression gear on and it could be a good time to get a sports massage or see a Chiropractor as your muscles should be feeling a little better by now. Make sure you are prioritizing sleep and only go for a light job if you are feeling good. If you do, keep it light and make sure you aren't running for more than 30 minutes.

Day 5 To Day 8

If you are feeling good, maybe start with some light running. Keep it easy and only run about 4km or 5km and add 3 to 6, 10 second strides at the end of the run if you are feeling good. Your muscles may end up a little sorer than when you started by keep it in perspective as you are trying to recover quickly. If running scares you a little, it could also be good to do some bike training or swimming as cross training and if you are feeling sore after any of these sessions, start adding in a foam roller to help.

If your looking for some advise on using your foam roller, please check out the following post

Day 9 To Day 14

Hopefully by moving a little more in the previous days, you should be feeling good and your muscles should be back to almost feeling normal again. You need to remember though your energy levels, cardiovascular system, immune system will most likely still be compromised. You may also find running at your usual pace or hopeful race pace will have your heart rate a lot higher than normal. So make sure you are taking things easy still and keep your runs under 40 minutes. You may want to add in some race pace tempos for 2km or 10 minutes during your runs, but don't feel down if your not able to keep the intensity high.

I hope this was beneficial and I think we all need to keep things in perspective to make sure we are enjoying our running and racing and making sure we are doing everything we can to do to continue running for as long as possible.

Now over two years ago, a pic of me running Ironman New Zealand

About the Author
Hey I'm Vince, an Aussie living in New Zealand, trying my best to make the most of the time I have. I work as a Software Engineer but love to run and all aspects of it, including geeking out on the latest science to help get the most out of my body.

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