Recovery after a marathon
If you participated in the London Marathon last weekend, congratulations on your fantastic achievement. You may be basking in the well-deserved glow of your achievement, and so you should. The endorphin high alone must be an amazing experience but once that fades, there may be some aches and pains to remedy. Your body has taken a pounding and will need some due care and attention. If you can be proactive, you will recover more quickly and reduce the risk of injuries developing.
PRICE is right
The thought of an ice bath heading into the cooler swing of autumn wouldn’t thrill many but it’s a fantastic way to reduce inflammation and restore normal movement quickly. Grab some bags of ice, chuck them in the bath, and fill with cold water (aim for a temperature below 12° C), I’d suggest a towel to bite down on, because you will probably want to scream… If that doesn’t sound like your thing, we’d still recommend ice/cold therapy to help reduce inflammation around joints and remove stiffness from muscles. Re-usable hot/cold packs make a perfect long-term maintenance item.
In first aid parlance, PRICE stands for Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress & Elevate. As long as you aren’t injured, you can ignore P and use RICE in the recipe to follow activity, all of which will reduce inflammation to joints and muscles and help you recover as quickly as possible.
Seek help
The body is spectacularly good at healing itself but muscles, joints and tendons always need a helping hand. Massage is a fantastic option to ease away the stiffness and you will feel great. Self-help solutions like rollers and massage balls are also super-effective. If you aren’t one for cold therapy, then heat therapy can be very affective in relaxing muscles. Take plenty of hot showers and baths to ease out the tension. Stretching is another essential activity to try to restore normal movement, so try stretching, pilates or yoga classes. If you are struggling with persistent pain, you may need to consult a physiotherapist.
Self help
There are many ways, we can better care for ourselves, and following an endurance event like the marathon, your body (and mind) will benefit substantially from the extras you can undertake.
Aside from feeling like you are auditioning for a grant from the Ministry of silly walks (a la Monty Python) backwards walking can help to relax muscles that have been working hard to propel you forward by using the opposite movement. Obviously be careful doing this (we would suggest a decent open space) and think about long backward strides as you walk.
Gentle swimming can also be very beneficial to relax and lengthen tired and tight muscles, whilst enabling low impact and gentle movement to sore joints. The added benefit of the cool of the water can also help reduce inflammation and swelling.
Self-help products such as foam ollers, myofascial massage balls, ice packs are essential items in your home toolkit. Compression socks may also help to get the recovery systems in full swing,
We offer specific classes in person or online to help roll, stretch and massage those aches and pains away. Why not try one today.
Final word
A marathon, like many sporting or endurance events, can really take a toll on your body. Try to come down slowly and take time to assist your body back to its fully functional state. ‘Get back on the horse’ as soon as you can with gentle cardio, strength, stretching and self-help but if you are struggling to get back to normal quickly, seek a helping hand.
The author is a co-founder of FitFor, is a former UK Decathlon champion, will never run a marathon, once ran a 20 miler searching for a fish market in Tobago one Christmas, but that’s another story… Long cycle rides on the other hand are definitely his bag.