Training
Marathon Recovery Essentials
By Ray Orchison
South African runners eat marathons for breakfast , but to get the most out of your performance , it ’ s important to give yourself some down-time after conquering the 42km distance .
In this country , there ’ s a perception that you ’ re not a ‘ real runner ’ until you ’ ve conquered the 90km Comrades Marathon . As a result , we ’ ve somewhat lost respect for the marathon , whereas across the globe , most runners will only race two marathons a year – and most of the elites will race just one . If you ’ re racing marathons , then two per year at most should be on your calendar , if you hope to perform near your best , but this is not the case when it comes to many South Africans , who run many more than two marathons per year .
We often disregard the toll a marathon places on the body . Think back to the last marathon you raced and how your body felt during and after the event . Keep in mind that your body changes significantly during a race . Blood is redistributed from the internal organs to the muscle tissue , your rate and depth of breathing increases , and the heart is enlarged as a greater demand for blood is required . We also develop muscle damage over that distance , which lasts up to two weeks after the race . Many runners start to feel better when the pain disappears a few days later and think they ’ re ready to get back to full training , but rushing back is only going to delay the full recovery process .
Physiological Holiday
It ’ s important to ensure that you give yourself ( and allows yourself ) adequate rest following a marathon – you ’ ve put your body through so much , now give it a chance to heal and you ’ ll be back on the road in no time ! Start by stimulating blood-flow into the damaged muscles to aid recovery : After a few days of complete rest , start with massage , light swimming and short walks , which will help get the blood flowing .
The recovery required is dependent on how hard the marathon has been raced . Even if the marathon simply forms part of your training for the bigger stuff , allow a few days of recovery and easy training to ensure better recovery . A typical recovery week after a marathon should look something like this :
Race day
Day 1 – rest Day 2 – rest Day 3 – rest Day 4 – light sports massage Day 5 – short , easy run Day 6 – rest Day 7 – easy run and foam roller massage
The Reverse Taper
Tapering for a marathon involves drastically cutting weekly mileage while increasing intensity the closer you get to race day . So , if your peak training week is 100km , then Week 3 prior to the race will be 70km , Week 2 will be 35km and Week 1 almost nothing . A reverse taper is pretty much the same thing , but without the higher intensity runs : Your first week after the marathon would consist of full rest days with one or two very short runs and some massage . Week 2 would include three or four easy runs and massage , Week 3 could have five easy runs ( a little longer ), and by Week 4 you could resume normal training .
The most important is to listen to your body : If it is telling you to rest , listen to it ! The consequence of ignoring those warning signs often comes in the form of injury or illness . Also , when marathon season approaches – usually the first four or five months of the year , but now also including October thanks to the growing popularity of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon – be wise in the marathons you choose to do ( and race ). Think about what you ’ re going to be putting your body through , and make sure recovery and rest are part of your programme !
Ray Orchison is a South Africanborn running coach and therapist . He has completed the Comrades Marathon multiple times and also boasts personal bests of 33:55 for 10km and 2:48:00 for the marathon . He has completed USATF and NAASFP coaching courses , and provides personalised training programmes to his clients . Now based in Perth , Australia , you can find him at https :// runetics . com . au .
Images : Getty Images & Pexels
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