Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 66, January 2015 | Page 36

Ma Training

Marathon
Recovery Essentials

What is a South African runner’s staple diet? Eating marathons for breakfast – especially those who prep for Two Oceans
and Comrades each year. But to get the most out of your performance, it’s important to give yourself some down-time after
conquering the 42km distance. – BY RAY ORCHISON

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,
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.

Ma crossfit

It’s important to ensure that you give 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,
massage, light swimming and short walks 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
Day
Day
Day
Day
Day
Day

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

rest
rest
rest
light sports massage
short, easy run
rest
easy run and foam roller massage

The Reverse Taper
Tapering for a marathon involves drastically cutting
weekly mileage while increasing intensity the closer
we get to race day. So if our 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! The consequence of ignoring
those warning signs often comes in the form of injury
or illness. As marathon season approaches, be wise
in the marathons you choose to do. 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
Johannesburg-based
USATF and NAASFP
certified coach.
Find him at
www.runetics.com or
[e-mail].

Back to the Grind

After second helpings of
Christmas pudding and New
Year’s Eve champagne, January
is a time to get back into the
swing of things fitness-wise,
and CrossFit Flaming Heart’s
Pierre Ferreira gives us the
perfect workout to get the
heart pumping!
36

Physiological Holiday

THE WARM-UP
5 SETS OF 5 BACK SQUATS
“Starting up, everyone will have access to equipment so
you can get straight into the back squat. Remember to
keep your chest up and knees out. Five sets is a decent
workout! You don’t want to be going too heavy getting
back into it. Always remember movement and posture
is more important than speed or weight. You want to
control it as much as possible and not get injured.”

ISSUE 66 JANUARY 2015 / www.modernathlete.co.za

Images: Courtesy Cape Town Marathon

I

n this country, there’s a perception that
you’re not a ‘real’ runner until you’ve
conquered Comrades. 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.