Marathon recovery!
FL_Hiker
Posts: 919 Member
Hi y’all,
I made it!!!! I finished my first marathon and it was AWESOME! But now I’m in so much pain! How do you all normally recover? I did some research and they suggested a reverse taper of your marathon plan. Do you do that the first week after the race? And does that include long runs on the weekend? Or do you take several weeks rest? Or cross train? I would like to maintain my level of fitness.
Before the race I was hit hard with the flu and a horrible case of runners knee, the race went just fine though. But now I’m having trouble walking again from stiff knees.
Thanks for your help!
Ps: this photo from the race does it look like I’m heel striking? Maybe that’s why I have knee trouble?
I made it!!!! I finished my first marathon and it was AWESOME! But now I’m in so much pain! How do you all normally recover? I did some research and they suggested a reverse taper of your marathon plan. Do you do that the first week after the race? And does that include long runs on the weekend? Or do you take several weeks rest? Or cross train? I would like to maintain my level of fitness.
Before the race I was hit hard with the flu and a horrible case of runners knee, the race went just fine though. But now I’m having trouble walking again from stiff knees.
Thanks for your help!
Ps: this photo from the race does it look like I’m heel striking? Maybe that’s why I have knee trouble?
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Replies
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Congratulations! What an accomplishment! I wish I had advice to provide you, but I run my own first marathon in March.
I definitely get stiffness in my knees as well after long runs. Foam rolling daily.
Congrats again! You did it!!1 -
RunnerGrl1982 wrote: »Congratulations! What an accomplishment! I wish I had advice to provide you, but I run my own first marathon in March.
I definitely get stiffness in my knees as well after long runs. Foam rolling daily.
Congrats again! You did it!!
Thank you 😊, goodluck!!!! It truly is a memory you will always keep with you, so
hard but soo worth it. I got a foam roller today from my brother 😁!1 -
Congratulations! The first one is always special.
The first week after the race should be mostly rest. I walk daily, but I have a dog who demands it. Late in the week, if you're feeling antsy, you can do some very short easy runs. The next week I'll do some sort of reverse taper, gradually increasing my weekly mileage. Many plans will include a plan for reverse taper (i.e. Higdon, Pfitzinger). For me, at 62, it always takes a while before my legs feel normal. I can do the miles, but for at least 6 weeks, running is really hard. I've wondered whether I'd do better with more rest after the race but I let circumstances and how I feel to determine that. I know some runners who take several weeks off, but I need running to combat depression, so I can't do that. Plus, it always takes me a very long time to build back up again. I'd rather not lose the fitness. Anyhow, the basic rule of thumb is no hard running for 3-4 weeks. Keep all your runs easy. I know people who have done well at races post marathon, using the fitness they gained in training, but I also know people who got seriously injured by doing too much too soon.2 -
Congratulations! I was in pain the night of my marathon but better the following day and it improved considerably after that. Although I did walk up the stairs like an angry toddler for a few days.
The night of my marathon I thought I might be crippled forever lol. And we stayed at a dog friendly hotel where my horse-sized dog just cuddled right up (read: tried to sleep on me/push me off the bed) ALL night like the demon she is. It was a rough night lol.
My recovery plan was lots of eating and some walking - then jogging when I was able. I would have done a more structured reverse taper had I not been scheduled to do a 26k race two weeks later. So I did a lot more resting than running - I was just going for blood flow and basic movement. Not really any “training”.
My marathon was on a Sunday and I think I jogged a couple of miles on Wednesday or Thursday and it was slow but OK. I definitely erred on the side of rest and recovery though as the marathon was the first of a series of closely scheduled races.
And despite doing a lot of resting, some walking and minimal running. 6 weeks after the marathon-i ran a 5k on a Saturday then PR’d my half marathon time by 6 minutes the next day. My half PR was a little soft going in-but not that off. You won’t lose all your fitness taking time to recover.
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Given your knee issues, I would definitely go for more rest than less.
Your fitness will come back pretty quick once you start running again3 -
Walk - keep the blood flowing to aid healing.
As long as it isn't hurting the knee to just walk.
After a week may throw in some slow jogging short intervals in that walk - just to test the waters you might say.
There's pro advice for those that do it all the time and have their next race time line worked out - and then there's mere mortals advice.3 -
Congratulations, I ran my first marathon last year and can only share my personal experience.
I find I'm best with recovery if I'm as active as possible, so I did the school run the next day (just under 1mile walk) and then had a stretch session with my PT, I didn't actually run for almost 2 weeks, but did start back at exercise classes the Monday evening, modifying the level of impact and lowering the weights used. I stretched and rolled several times a day, used deep heat and kept to my usual level of activity (even if I did need to stop and rest occasionally in a class) and was 99% recovered in a week (the blood blister under my toe nail was holding me back more than anything else).
But I'm personally used to a very high level of activity and my body recovers quickly1 -
Duck_Puddle wrote: »
And despite doing a lot of resting, some walking and minimal running. 6 weeks after the marathon-i ran a 5k on a Saturday then PR’d my half marathon time by 6 minutes the next day. My half PR was a little soft going in-but not that off. You won’t lose all your fitness taking time to recover.
I did similar with an "undulating" 10k about a month after Brighton (hadn't run more than a couple of miles inbetween), fully expected to struggle and need to walk but ran the whole thing and smashed 3min off my pr, it was almost as if my brain was telling my legs "you ran a marathon, this is nothing" couldn't even tell when I was going uphill from my splits
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Most plans say to not plan anything for a week, which I've never done (always itching for a run by day 4 or 5).
After that, do some short "shake out" runs just to get the blood flowing a bit. Might try some slightly faster runs by week 3 to see how you feel.
In my own experience, you're going to feel almost invincible for a month.
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After my first marathon, my body was none too happy.
I assumed I would bounce back within a day or two... You don't. But you won't be holed up for too long. After around a week of being gentle, I was back to 75 percent, and 3 weeks later, back to 100 percent.
These times have decreased with subsequent long runs.1 -
Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?0 -
Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?
I was wondering if that was the case with me as well, I wear a neutral shoe.
Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone! I’m really sore this morning in both knees, much worse than yesterday! I guess the adrenaline and excitement from the race finally wore off lol!0 -
Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?
I was wondering if that was the case with me as well, I wear a neutral shoe.
Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone! I’m really sore this morning in both knees, much worse than yesterday! I guess the adrenaline and excitement from the race finally wore off lol!
can you get a sports massage? just something gentle to get the blood flowing? i have found that has really helped me after my last couple of Half's. (not that it'll help knees, but it'd loosen you up in general)1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?
I was wondering if that was the case with me as well, I wear a neutral shoe.
Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone! I’m really sore this morning in both knees, much worse than yesterday! I guess the adrenaline and excitement from the race finally wore off lol!
can you get a sports massage? just something gentle to get the blood flowing? i have found that has really helped me after my last couple of Half's. (not that it'll help knees, but it'd loosen you up in general)
That’s a good idea, I’ve never had one before. I’ll have to look into that thanks 😊0 -
the first week after i walk a lot and swim
also if you have a place near by that does sessions with normatech boots (depending on where you live) - those are awesome! after my last marathon i had elephant feet and they made them look almost normal1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?
I was wondering if that was the case with me as well, I wear a neutral shoe.
Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone! I’m really sore this morning in both knees, much worse than yesterday! I guess the adrenaline and excitement from the race finally wore off lol!
can you get a sports massage? just something gentle to get the blood flowing? i have found that has really helped me after my last couple of Half's. (not that it'll help knees, but it'd loosen you up in general)
Echoing the massage. I get one after every half, and it is amazeballs. I do a 90-minute deep tissue massage, and even though it sometimes hurts like heck as she's burrowing in, I feel so much better after.
My rule of thumb after halfs is to do only light activity for that first week -- so *maybe* a swim or a barre class, but nothing too intense, and nothing if I don't feel good, with a massage sometime that first week. I'll go back to regular non-running workouts after that first week, and then start running again after the second week.1 -
What’s a reasonable price for a sports massage?0
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collectingblues wrote: »
that's about what mine charges as well1 -
CONGRATULATIONS!
What an accomplishment! I am glad to hear that your flu didn't hold you back too much. I got hit hard with the flu this weekend and I have a marathon in early February so I am a bit nervous about my weekend off.
My usual recovery is to take the Monday following off and then ease back into running with a 2-3 mile run on Tuesday. Depending on how I feel, I'll either continue running Wednesday or take another day off. By Saturday, I'll run 5-6 miles. I'm not a big one for time off. I think the only "wrong" thing to do is run more than you really want to. I know people that take a full week post-marathon and it seems to work well for them.1 -
Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?
I was wondering if that was the case with me as well, I wear a neutral shoe.
Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone! I’m really sore this morning in both knees, much worse than yesterday! I guess the adrenaline and excitement from the race finally wore off lol!
Just a thought, have you ever tried KT tape? Some people swear by it, some people say its useless. Might be placebo but they work wonders for me in preventing and alleviating knee pain.1 -
Also, as for your original post - I am a forefoot striker... until I get exhausted. Then I heel strike. And my body doesn't like it.
Do you wear a cadence shoe track?
I was wondering if that was the case with me as well, I wear a neutral shoe.
Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone! I’m really sore this morning in both knees, much worse than yesterday! I guess the adrenaline and excitement from the race finally wore off lol!
Just a thought, have you ever tried KT tape? Some people swear by it, some people say its useless. Might be placebo but they work wonders for me in preventing and alleviating knee pain.
I’ve heard of it, I actually found a brace that works well though. I damaged my knee right before the race and wouldn’t have made it through without that thing. Everything I read about KT tape they said you have to know how to apply it right, so I was hesitant to go down that route. I have chondromalicia (runners knee) so usually just have to lay off of it until it heals and I’m supposed to do strengthening exercises. I’m probably not going to push it since I don’t have a race coming up now 😊.0 -
how are the legs today?1
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TavistockToad wrote: »how are the legs today?
Sore as heck lol, but now it feels like the normal kind of sore. The bad knee seems to be trouble still but everything else improved a lot.
It’s kind of eye opening for me, maybe it’s because of my set backs or maybe not but the marathon distance was definitely a lot more taxing on my body. The half marathon was a tough race, but I was walking around
fine the next day. I’m not sure if I would do this distance again.
I’m seriously in awe of people that do back to back races!1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »how are the legs today?
Sore as heck lol, but now it feels like the normal kind of sore. The bad knee seems to be trouble still but everything else improved a lot.
It’s kind of eye opening for me, maybe it’s because of my set backs or maybe not but the marathon distance was definitely a lot more taxing on my body. The half marathon was a tough race, but I was walking around
fine the next day. I’m not sure if I would do this distance again.
I’m seriously in awe of people that do back to back races!
I don’t think it’s your setbacks. I have run several half’s and a few longer and was Ok after all of them. Maybe a little tired - a little sore. But the marathon? Omg. That was a whole different beast. Everything about it was monumentally different from a half.
Let us know when you pick your next one.
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If you're wearing a neutral shoe, OP, you may want to consider plunking down some cashola and trying a forefoot striking shoe. I used to use Newtons (and swore by them for years)... until I started running with ON running shoes.
I live in NYC so I have a Jackrabbit's right by me, but if you've never had your run analyzed, you definitely should. I'm all about the forefoot strike for as long as humanly possible.1 -
Duck_Puddle wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »how are the legs today?
Sore as heck lol, but now it feels like the normal kind of sore. The bad knee seems to be trouble still but everything else improved a lot.
It’s kind of eye opening for me, maybe it’s because of my set backs or maybe not but the marathon distance was definitely a lot more taxing on my body. The half marathon was a tough race, but I was walking around
fine the next day. I’m not sure if I would do this distance again.
I’m seriously in awe of people that do back to back races!
I don’t think it’s your setbacks. I have run several half’s and a few longer and was Ok after all of them. Maybe a little tired - a little sore. But the marathon? Omg. That was a whole different beast. Everything about it was monumentally different from a half.
Let us know when you pick your next one.
Seriously I’d tell someone who never ran it before that it’s like a combination of getting hit by a bus and beat up lol, I guess I’m a runner now?
You’re right, I just put a fresh new training plan on my fridge this morning oops, that happened fast. 🙄😂1 -
If you're wearing a neutral shoe, OP, you may want to consider plunking down some cashola and trying a forefoot striking shoe. I used to use Newtons (and swore by them for years)... until I started running with ON running shoes.
I live in NYC so I have a Jackrabbit's right by me, but if you've never had your run analyzed, you definitely should. I'm all about the forefoot strike for as long as humanly possible.
That’s a good point, I’m not so sure the neutral shoe was a wise choice for me. I had my gait analyzed at a running store but they watched for about two seconds, I’m sure as I get tired I’m heel striking but it doesn’t seem to happen until mile 18-20. So if you’re a heel striker you need a forefoot striking shoe?
For about 5 years I wore Vibrams bare foot running shoes, I was all into the “minimalist” barefoot running, I think it really did a number on my knees and caused all this damage. Especially if I was heel striking with no shoes, my knees have just never been the same since. I wouldn’t be against trying something with more support now.0 -
I haven't ever done a marathon...I mostly cycle...but my wife has done one. She was out of commission for basically a couple weeks. One week she did pretty much nothing and the next week she just did some walking. Her issues were mostly her feet...they were very sore and on top of that she had some major blistering. She has stated that she's glad she did it, but she will never do that distance again and will stick with 1/2s and 10Ks...mostly 10Ks these days.
A week or two of recovery isn't really going to have much impact on your fitness.2
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