The best post-race recovery strategy
Dr. Rob Worth at the 2023 Fox Cities Marathon
Written by: Dr. Natalie Ullrich.
Happy race week to everyone participating in the Fox Cities full, half or 10k/5k races!
Congratulations, you have done the hardest part by just making it to race week.
You did your long runs in 90-degree weather, spent countless hours of your week training, and probably learned many lessons along the way.
On race day, remember all your hard work to be there, and have a great time!
Here are some pieces of advice to make your post-race recovery more enjoyable.
1.Don’t skip the post-race cool-down!
Even though you may be tempted to sit (or lie) down right after the finish to relieve your exhausted legs, an active cool-down is integral to the recovery process.
Walk for at least 10-15 minutes before resting. This will give your heart rate time to gradually lower and your blood flow time to normalize, which may help improve overall cardiovascular and respiratory recovery.
Unfortunately, research has found no link between an active cool-down and delayed-onset muscle soreness, but an active cool-down is still essential to improve acute post-race comfort. Walk a leisurely lap around Riverside Park before heading to the post-race snack tent!
2.Fuel your run
Make sure you have a nutrition and hydration plan going into the race, and stick to it! Whether you like eating whole foods or prefer gels and chews, your body must replenish its energy stores and electrolytes. Fueling correctly during the race will help make your run more enjoyable help you feel better after the race, and speed up your recovery over the next several days.
(Pro tip: On hot days, don’t skip the pickles or bananas on the course; they can help you prevent cramping during and after your run.)
3.Prioritize post-race nutrition
Aim to eat something carbohydrate-heavy within 30 minutes of the race and prioritize carbohydrates and protein for the rest of the day. This is important to restore depleted muscle glycogen and repair damaged muscle tissue. It is common to lose your appetite for several hours after a hard effort, but try to eat small amounts often to refuel your body.
(This is where we’re supposed to tell you that healthy food choices are the best, but we all know that all you want is a bag of chips…and in moderation, that’s okay, too.)
4.Keep moving a little bit and often for the rest of the day.
Whether you plan on heading to a brewery to celebrate or lying on the couch to binge-watch a new show, stand up and walk often throughout the day. I recommend that my patients get up at least every hour to walk and gently stretch. It is normal to feel progressively stiffer and more sore throughout the day, and you may notice a significant increase in soreness and stiffness when you get up the next morning. Do a similar amount of short and frequent movement throughout the day after your race.
5.Take a gradual return to running and exercise.
This is very person-dependent on when it is appropriate to return to running. Still, as a general rule of thumb, you should no longer have any significant muscle soreness and should be able to jog without any pain.
Most people can do a recovery run within 3-7 days after the race, but some may need several weeks. If you cannot run, stay active by walking and doing low-impact cardiovascular exercises such as biking, swimming, or elliptical exercise.
Suppose running-related pain does not improve within a few weeks after the race. In that case, you may benefit from a physical therapy evaluation to address this and get you back to running ASAP!
Good luck, everyone. Have fun, and remember that we’re here to support you in any way we can after the race!
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About the Author: Dr. Natalie Ullrich is a physical therapist at our Neenah clinic. She loves working with runners and helping them prepare for, perform during, and recover from their races.