The Marathon Before the Marathon: A Guide for Long Run Recovery
Our work with marathon coach Phil Roberton of Fitness Aspirations has taught us that there is more to marathon running than putting the miles in. During your training you will do a number of long runs, but how do you effectively recover physically and mentally so you are ready for the next long run. Our physiotherapist Rogel looks at the steps you can take to look train safely for your long runs. If you are a marathon runner, the Technique Health & Fitness team would be delighted to help. Get in touch 0333 358 3534 book here or email info@techniquehealth.org.
Completing a marathon is a great achievement that requires a lot of sacrifice, dedication and discipline. However, what some fail to remember is that it’s not just the running that one has to commit to, but also the lifestyle around it that is required to ensure that the body is able to stay injury free and perform at its best. There should be as much time spent planning a recovery plan as there is planning a running plan and race strategy. The emphasis of recovery should be to provide the body with the environment and nutrients to repair damaged tissues and replenish energy supplies. After all, the way our body adapts is by first causing microtrauma and then rebuilding. Having said that, if our body is not able to rebuild at a quicker rate than macrotrauma occurs, injuries and reduction in performance can begin to occur.
Below are 5 key things to prioritize during marathon training to ensure optimal recovery and reduce the risk of injury.
Sleep
Simply put, sleep is king. Most recovery occurs during our sleep as this is when physiological adaptations and muscle growth/repair tend to spike. Therefore, it makes sense that a decent amount of good quality sleep will help improve recovery. If you are someone that struggles with sleeping, try keeping a good sleeping environment (cool, dark and quiet room), turning all screens off (laptop,tv, phone) an hour before bed, and find something relaxing to do before bed (reading, listening to music/podcast, taking a hot shower). Journaling can also help get thoughts in order which then minimizes the likelihood of having those same thoughts in the middle of the night. Fitness gadgets such as WHOOP are a great way to become aware about how much you are lacking in the sleeping department. However, if you are not wanting to invest in one, as a general guide, you should aim to sleep 7-8 hours per day to maximise recovery.
Nutrition for long run recovery
Maintaining a balanced diet rich in carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats facilitates tissue repair and replenishes energy levels.Glycogen aka “carbs” are the main source of fuel during long distance running. Therefore, eating plenty of high quality carbs pre and post runs will help keep glycogen stores high to ensure that you are able to sustain energy levels up while running and are helping muscle repair post running. Lean protein sources like chicken, turkey and tofu, healthy fats like avocados and nuts, and complex carbohydrates from whole grains and vegetables are some examples that would be a great addition to your diet during this time. In addition, including anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, pineapple, turmeric and staying hydrated throughout the day will optimise the body’s ability to recover and repair. Hydration is particularly important as this helps to restore all the fluid that has been lost throughout the run. Consuming water, sports drinks with electrolytes, energy gels and even salty snacks during and post run helps restore fluid balance and replenish lost sodium, potassium, and magnesium. These are all crucial for muscle function and help promote recovery.
Rest days
A lack of rest doesn’t allow one’s body to recover adequately thus increasing the risk of injury. Not only that, but most progress (when talking about physical activity) occurs while we rest rather than when we are doing that particular activity. Therefore, having rest days/active rest days scheduled intermittently throughout a training block is also key to improve performance. The amount of time off varies depending on individual factors but as a general rule of thumb, the newer you are to running, the more days off you need. Even if you are an elite runner and manage to run daily; having easy runs and deload weeks systematically scheduled throughout your training block is needed to maximize recovery and performance. If you struggle to take time off completely, a tip is to schedule in “active rest days” which give your joints a break while maintaining cardiovascular fitness and still giving you that “high” that comes from exercising. Some good suggestions include: swimming, cycling, and/or crosstraining.
Cool down
The purpose of a cool down is to get the body back to resting levels so that it can kickstart the recovery process. The main ways in which it does this is by helping to bring the heart rate down to resting levels which in turn, can kickstart the recovery process. Research suggests that stretching doesn’t directly help or worsen recovery. However, its role in a cool down tends to be that together with proper breathing, it helps relax the body and bring the heart rate down. Therefore, will not essential, stretching is often included in cool down routines. There is not 1 “best way” to cool down but a simple yet effective suggestion is to finish with a 5-10 minute walk followed by a short 5-10 minute stretch.
Sports massage and other adjunct modalities
Adjunct modalities such as sports massage, dry needling and cupping have been shown to help recovery. While the way in which they go about it is slightly different, the end goal is the same- to pump in fresh new blood filled with nutrients and minerals to enhance recovery and to flush out waste products as a result of exercise. There is also some evidence to suggest that these modalities help to release some of the tension in the fascia that is accumulated throughout the run. Fascia is a thin sheet-like tissue that surrounds muscles. When it gets tense, it can affect one’s range of motion, force production and can make DOMS (the soreness you get after working out) worse.
Consequently, by using techniques that help to release some of that tension, you are positively affecting the body’s ability to recover and minimise the risk of injury. If you’ve never had any of these treatment modalities, we recommend starting out with a sports massage in areas of discomfort and then based on your activity levels, injury history, and individual factors, a therapist will be able to recommend how often these should be and whether anything else may be beneficial.
Our aim at Technique Health & Fitness is to keep London fit, active & healthy through our team of highly experience physiotherapists, osteopaths & strength & conditioning specialists. We are evidence based and data driven in our approach to treatment.
Our team includes physios and S&C coaches with sport-playing backgrounds all of whom would be delighted to support your ability to train injury-free and be there to fix you if you become injured.
We have clinics in the City and Vauxhall and our physios and osteos would love to help.
Call our team on 0333 3583534, use the button below or email us on info@techniquehealth.org.