Over 15,000 turned out for the 2015 Dublin City marathon yesterday and everyone's motivation for taking on the mammoth 26 miles are diverse. Some did to get that sense of personal accomplishment, others had charitable organisations in mind while plenty just did it out of curiosity.
It's an incredible feeling to complete a marathon but the race doesn't end there. Irrespective of the journey that brought people to the Dublin marathon yesterday, every participant is surely suffering from fatigue today.
And if you let the pain fester, the muscles can't regenerate, your health will suffer and you could develop an injury. Every orifice of your body undergoes ferocious punishment during a marathon. The muscular, skeletal and immune systems are inundated with pain to levels that you might not be aware of.
To avoid all that and maintain your optimum fitness levels, here are a list of tips which you should consider if you're in post marathon mode.
Importance Of Rest
On the off chance that you woke up this morning beaming with enthusiasm to run another marathon, don't strap on those runners just yet. Studies show that your muscles require a two week recovery time after completing a marathon. The training alone induces inflammation on the core muscle groups. Your immune system is also weakened by a marathon and failure to do a thorough recovery could leave you exposed to contracting illnesses such as the cold and flu virus.
Jump In An Ice Bath
This can be either be done the day of the race or the day after. You may have seen a proliferation of new ice bath business ventures popping up online and it's an industry worth investing in. Ice baths after strenuous activity is becoming an essential part of recovery for athletes and here's why.
It seems somewhat ludicrous to throw your body into freezing water but there is a legitimate science behind it all. Lactic acid accumulates in the body throughout the duration of a heavy run and the freezing water contracts the blood vessels in your legs to help reduce the swelling. And when you step out of the bath after a 10-15 minute spell, the renewed blood flow will deliver fresh oxygen to the body to repair any muscle damage.
Get The Right Nutrition Into Your Body
As already pointed out, the body is subjected to considerable punishment during a marathon which leaves you drained of pretty much all the essential vitamins and nutrients. So the day after the event, you should focus on refuelling the body with all the right food choices.
Eat plenty of fruits, carbohydrates and protein. The primary function of carbohydrate and protein drenched foods is to replenish the muscles while the fruits are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants which combat the free radicals. They also reboot the immune system.
Solid sources for carbohydrates are found in bread, rice and pasta. Protein is available in red meats, nuts and milk while citrus fruits like oranges, melon and kiwis are all packed with vitamin C.
Replace The Pounds Lost Preparing
In the lead up to the marathon, it is likely that your body fat will be particularly low so in the days and weeks that follow the race, don't forget to get in enough sustenance to bring you back to your normal weight. It's important to add on an extra layer of skin to shield you from any infections or illnesses.
The seams of your clothes might be under a bit of pressure but you'll unload it all again when you start training for the next race. And don't worry about lost fitness levels during your time off. You're already operating a high level of fitness if you can finish a marathon so it won't take long to get back in shape again.
Massage And Stretch
As with every other major bit of exercise, you need to a light jog and stretch all the major muscle groups shortly after completing the race. A massage will further enhance the removal of lactic acid, reduce muscle waste and eliminate the chance of incurring injury.
But if the masseuse is unaware that you have just completed a marathon, make sure to request a light massage. A deeper rub may result in causing further damage to your already tender muscles.
Gradual Return To Training - An Easy Day For Every Mile
So after a few days of complete rest, you can consider making a progressive return to your training regime. If you're the kind of person with an inclination for running monstrous races like a marathon, it is unlikely that you will be willing to stay off your feet for too long. The only way out of this conundrum is to compromise.
A general rule to follow is to go on a light run for every mile covered in a race. So if you have just finished a 10k race, you need to restrict your running output to six days of moderate running thereafter. And if you apply that formula to a marathon, you need to do 14 days of running at a comfortable and stress free pace.
Racing Competitively Again
There is a marathon runner in England who ran 200 marathons between April and October last year, but while this is certainly an extraordinary exhibition of stamina, it completely contradicts all the recovery advice being touted by the experts.
You have to give your body a real chance to rehabilitate before planning a return to the starting line of another long distance race. By the second week of your post-marathon programme you should be fit to reintegrate some more intense cross-training activity but don't overestimate yourself and be aware that you might be more fatigued than you think.
