Marathoners

c50blvdbabe

How long did you rest before resuming active exercising again? IE weight lifting and running/cardio.

Carrieendar

I take 2 solid weeks off after a marathon with just yoga and walking. Then I do a "reverse taper" to bring mileage back up and add strength back in.

goanothermile

I've only completed one full, but I've done quite a few half marathons.

A couple of light weeks are definitely in order for me.

This is really a "listen to your body" kind of thing for me. I pushed really hard on my last half and achieved a PR. I was VERY sore for several days. I took a slow jog/walk the next day just to try and get some blood flow going into those sore muscles.

I work back up to a reasonable level after a couple of weeks.

After that, I try to spend a few weeks in "maintenance" mode. For me that means getting in some mileage, but without the intensity of race training. I also try to change up my routes to keep things interesting. By the time I'm finished with a race, I'm worn out on my usual routes.

glevinso

Usually 4 days completely off - or sometimes I get in the pool for a really easy lap session, or depending on how the legs feel I might do some really easy spinning on my bike trainer. But nothing serious for 2 weeks.

DavidMartinez2

I like to get a short (3 mile-ish) run or a 30 minute elliptical session the next day. I think moving the legs helps clear the junk and keep your legs loose. The second day after I will rest and then by the third day start back in with my normal routine. I won't do any workouts (speed work/tempo runs) for another week.

glevinso

3 miles the day after? Wow. I usually can't even get out of bed without difficulty, and once I manage that I can barely walk without lurching, let alone attempt stairs.

aarar

I take a day or two off after for a marathon. After my 100k ultra I took about a week off.