A million post-race questions! (Half marathon)

ccmccoy09

I did my first half marathon yesterday. Yay! 2:17! My goal was 2:40. :bigsmile: I ran harder, faster and farther than I ever have, and my body is making me pay for it today.

As soon as I could get out of the cluster-f*** of the post-race expo, I got into an icewater bath for about 20 minutes with my husband topping off the ice. It was uncomfortable, but it helped a lot with the joint pain in my knees and hips and with the blisters on my feet (basically I'm a wreck). Last night, I took a hot bath and iced my hips and left knee for about 30 min before bed.

I am having a lot of stiffness today and my back and left knee hurt a little. Should I continue icing? Epsom salt bath? A mild cardio workout? What are your tips for day-after race recovery?

mlachance9

I ached a day or two after my first half. I'd just rest and then maybe 2 to 3 days post race try an easy 2-3 mile run just to get things moving again. I'm not sure you need to ice again especially since you did a 20 min. ice bath (they sure do help!) You can try some gentle stretches if there are certain parts that are more achy then others - that might help and I find that if I move around I get less stiff. So maybe a short walk this evening and a couple tomorrow - even a 5 minute walk a couple times tomorrow will help you feel not so stiff.

And forgot to say - Congrats on completing your first half marathon! Yeah you!!!

ccmccoy09

Thanks! I followed your advice for the most part and 4 days post-race I'm almost back to normal (a little lingering hip and knee pain on the left side -- going to get them checked out next week). I cleaned house on Monday just to get moving around and have been stretching all week, did an intense shoulder and ab workout earlier today, and am foam rolling tonight. Gonna try for 3 miles tomorrow. I'm ready to sign up for my next race!

FoxyMcDeadlift

Depending on how hard i went, i tend to have a day or two off, maybe a long walk with the dogs then go into recovery mode running. Basically, think of it as a reverse taper up to full training pace again. Congratulations!