One of the most common mistake runners make in the days and weeks after their marathon is simply running too soon after the race. Racing on Sunday and then going for a run later that week isn’t the best way to recover from the race or to set up the next training cycle. This is what most runners don’t understand: if you want to be able to train injury free in the next training cycle, you need to properly recover from your marathon.
This does not mean that you are sedentary. You’ll be in the pool, you’ll cross train, you’ll do core strength, hip strength and hip mobility, as well as doing rope stretching daily. Your desire to be active will be meet, just not in the form of your daily run.
The recovery phase that I use with my clients is a full 28 days. By the end of the 28 days you’ll be ready for a 10-mile run. At the end of the first week you’ll go for a run, with more running each week between the first week and fourth week.
You have to trust that 28 days of proper recovery is going to set you up for a great training cycle for your next race. The flip side is, many runners get back to training a week after the marathon. They are able to run for a few weeks, yet when they increase their mileage or intensity, they get a “niggle,” for the simple reason that they didn’t recover properly. This runner will often ignore the niggle and keep training… and end up with a full blow injury in the ensuing days. There is no need for this to be your story. Take 28 days to recover rather than a week or two.
Be smart, be patient and trust that a 28-day recovery is simply part of smart marathon training.
You can also listen to a podcast on Marathon Recovery on the Run Faster Podcast (episode #10)!
(To learn about Lunge Matrix/Leg Swings (LMLS), Strength and Mobility (SAM), and Active Isolated Flexibility (AIF) visit: http://bit.ly/2gAr31V)
You can purchase the Simple Marathon Book on Amazon by clicking here.
