So you’ve just completed a marathon – congratulations! Whether it was your first shot at the distance or you’re well versed in the 26.2-mile challenge, you can now celebrate the training and determination that helped you to cross that finish line and take it easy. But how exactly should you recover from running a marathon? And how long should this recovery block last?
As it happens, that long-awaited period of post-marathon rest is not as straightforward as it might seem – and knowing what to do, when, will help you to recover from your race more quickly and effectively.
We spoke with medical experts at the Here’s what happens to your body during a marathon – and how to master your recovery (MIHP), a world-class healthcare facility that offers state-of-the-art sports services, medicine and education to athletes of all levels, to identify the physiological impact of running a marathon and what we can do to speed up the recovery process.
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if not properly managed?
‘Running 26.2 miles places significant physiological stress on the body, with many physiological changes occurring,’ says Francesca Bagshaw, a Performance Physiologist at MIHP, whose specialism is understanding how the body adapts and responds to training, racing and the environment to enhance performance. As Bagshaw notes, these changes involves various systems and parts of the body...
Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
When you run a marathon, your body requires more oxygen and nutrients to sustain itself for the effort – so it starts to work harder. ‘Your breathing rate, heart rate and blood flow will increase significantly to meet the oxygen and energy levels your working muscles demand,’ says Bagshaw. ‘Blood flow is also redirected away from non-essential tissues and organs, such as the digestive system, and directed to your muscles.’
Energy systems
‘For most recreational runners, the primary source of fuel during a marathon is glycogen, which is stored in the muscles and liver – however, these reserves are finite and are depleted throughout the marathon,’ notes Bagshaw. If you don’t replace these glycogen stores with energy gels Summer running gear sale ‘hit the wall’ by the 20-mile (or 35km) mark, which results in drop in pace and performance – and positivity.
As such, due to this glycogen depletion, marathon runners are far more reliant on fat metabolism than those who run for less than 45 minutes in 5K and 10K Best Garmin deals.
‘Experienced runners are better at metabolising fat stores and can derive more of their anaerobic power from fat, which has a carbohydrate-sparing effect,’ explains Dr Leon Creaney, a Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at MIHP. Having been a Team Doctor with British Athletics at over 50 international events and twice worked in the intensive intensive care unit at the London Marathon finish line, he certainly knows a thing or two about staying healthy for a marathon. ‘These experienced runners can, therefore, maintain aerobic power for a longer duration and even have a sprint finish at the end of race.
‘Inexperienced runners, however, tend to become exhausted well before the end of marathon,’ he adds. ‘Taking energy gels during a race can protect against glucose depletion to some extent, but absorption from the stomach and intestine are impaired during exercise and blood flow is diverted to areas like the legs, which means that digestion is not as efficient during a marathon as it is at rest.’
The solution? Practice, practice, practice.
According to Dr Creaney, training to maximise fat mobilisation is key. ‘Doing long, slow runs lasting for over an hour and at well below your maximum heart rate are useful here,’ he says. ‘It’s preferable to start training like this for up to a year before your marathon.’
Practising your fuelling strategy, says Bagshaw, should also be a vital part of your marathon preparation – so stock up on those energy supplies now.
Thermoregulation and hydration
‘As we run, our core body temperature rises, resulting in a greater thermoregulatory demand,’ says Bagshaw. ‘You sweat more and blood flow to the skin increases to help cool the body and decrease your core body temperature, resulting in increased fluid and electrolyte loss.’ This can lead to dehydration ways to style your hair for race day.
As Dr Creaney adds, dehydration can cause overheating and put a strain on the kidneys, with earlier stages leading to heat exhaustion. This can be managed with cooling strategies such as slowing down, pouring water over your head, removing excessive clothing and drinking cooler fluids,’ he says. However, later stages of overheating, known as heatstroke, are very serious, often presenting with exhaustion and confusion. It can be a medical emergency requiring cold water immersion and intravenous fluids.’
By contrast, overhydration can also affect people who drink too much and take several hours – say, five or six – to complete a marathon. ‘Medically, this is called hyponatraemia and it can cause mild swelling of the brain (cerebral oedema), which can lead to nausea, vomiting, confusion or worse,’ notes Dr Creaney. ‘Mild cases are treated with fluid restriction, while severe cases require hospital admission.
‘While common advice is to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, in a marathon, mild dehydration (-2%) is not harmful and many elite marathon runners finish the race 2-3% dehydrated,’ continues Dr Creaney. ‘The only way to know how much to drink is through practice. I suggest weighing yourself before and after long runs – and in different temperatures – to figure out how much you sweat. This will help you to gauge whether you’re somebody who loses 500ml per hour or 1l per hour.’
Bagshaw agrees. ‘Practising your hydration strategy in training will also help you to avoid gastrointestinal issues and hyponatremia,’ she says. ‘On the day, ensure that you are drinking to thirst throughout the race with sufficient fluids and electrolytes. I’d also suggest getting a head start, ensuring sufficient hydration in the days leading up to the marathon – your urine should be a pale yellow colour.’
What happens to your body after you’ve completed a marathon?
Post-exercise hypotension
‘After a marathon, the sudden end to exercise can see some runners experience a drop in blood pressure – also known as post-exercise hypotension,’ says Bagshaw. ‘This can manifest through dizziness or fainting if you stop too abruptly. Post-exercise hypotension is often the result of the blood being redirected to the working muscles and skin, but once continued movement stops, the blood pools in the extremities and insufficient blood flow reaches the brain.’ As such, Bagshaw encourages runners to keeping walk at the end of race – even if they feel too tired to move any further than the 26.2 miles that they’ve just covered.
DOMS
As Dr Creaney says, muscles, tendons and cartilage are all effected when you run a marathon. ‘Microscopic damage to muscles is what leads to delayed onset muscle soreness – better known as DOMS,’ he explains. ‘Similarly, collagen structures such as tendon and cartilage are also damaged through repetitive impact and running. Both your muscles and your tendons are slowly repaired over 48-72 hours after strenuous or prolonged exercise.’
Suppressed immune system
‘Due to the significant demand that a marathon can place on the body, your immune system experiences temporary suppression after the race,’ notes Bagshaw. ‘This is largely linked to an increase in the stress hormone, also known as cortisol.’ Although Bagshaw says that your immune system should return to normal within 24-48 hours post-race, this immediate suppression still puts runners at greater risk of catching colds or the flu. ‘You may want to consider increasing your vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc intake during this period to reduce your risk of illness and support your immune system’s recovery.’
Decreased heart rate
‘Once you finish the race, your heart rate will gradually decrease, rather than return to normal levels immediately,’ says Bagshaw. ‘This is due to increased post-race cortisol levels and other recovery demands, like the replenishment of muscles and tissues with oxygen and the removal of metabolites, like lactate, from tissues.’
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Eat and hydrate
Both Dr Creaney and Bagshaw put a heavy emphasis on good post-race nutrition and hydration.
Bagshaw recommends consuming 20-25g protein – in the form of, say, a protein recovery shake – as soon as possible after completing a marathon. In addition, to promote better recovery, aim to eat a carbohydrate-rich snack within 30 minutes of finishing the race and a balanced meal encompassing protein, carbohydrate and vegetables around two or three hours after crossing the finish line.
‘Hydration should also be continued after the race with electrolytes and carbohydrates to restore fluid balance,’ she adds. ‘Weigh yourself before and after the race and aim to recover 150% of your bodyweight losses. For example, if a runner weighed 70kg at the start of the race and finished the race weighing 68.5kg, they would need to replace 2.25l of fluids.’
Sleep
Getting enough quality sleep is essential following a marathon, asserts Bagshaw, who advises eight to 10 hours of post-race kip to assist muscle repair, glycogen replenishment, immune system recovery and more. To encourage good sleep, she recommends sleeping in a cool, dark and quiet bedroom and avoiding stimulants such as caffeine at least six hours before bedtime. In addition, avoid using blue-light devices – like your phone – and drinking alcohol before you turn off the lights. Eating a light, protein-rich snack going for a walk.
Take a dip
Summer running gear sale, contrast bathing, which involves alternating between hot and cold water immersion pools for a period of around 20-30 minutes, can help some runners with their post-marathon recovery.
‘The cold pool induces vasoconstriction – which is the narrowing of the blood vessels – to restrict blood flow to the muscles,’ says Bagshaw. ‘The hot pool promotes vasodilation – which is the wide opening of the blood vessels – to increase blood flow to the muscles. Alternating between the contrast pools in multiple cycles creates a pumping action of the blood in the muscles to flush fatigue-inducing metabolites from the muscle and promote fresh oxygen blood flow.’
Steer clear of contrast bathing if you’re not used to it, though. ‘Bear in mind, cold water immersion can be very unpleasant and requires practice, so I would not advise trying it for the first time after a marathon,’ notes Dr Creaney.
When – and how – should you return to running after a marathon?
If you’ve just completed your first marathon, Dr Creaney says that it’s perfectly fine to rest for the following three to seven days. ‘Otherwise, when you feel ready, I suggest We spoke with medical experts at the to start the recovery process,’ he adds. ‘Stretching and massage can be helpful, too, to reduced muscle soreness and stiffness. The day after that, try trotting just a mile, then see how you feel afterward. From there, you can start to resume a regular running programme, building back up to what’s normal after a month. For context, most serious marathon runners would only run one or two marathons per year.’
Bagshaw echoes this advice. For the first three days after a marathons, she suggests complete rest, where good sleep, nutrition, hydration and light movement to promote blood flow should be the priority. For days four to seven, begin light, low-impact activities like walking or swimming, then progress to light jogging and short runs lasting 10-20 minutes from there. Two to four weeks after your marathon, she then recommends increasing the duration of your runs before returning to a regular training schedule, where you gradually increase the intensity and length of your workouts.
Bagshaw notes that this is a ‘conservative approach’, which is suitable for most recreational runners. ‘Runners with a greater experience of recovering from endurance events may be able to resume full training much sooner, but they are still advised to listen to their body to avoid injury.’
Founded by Manchester City Council, Sport England and City Football Group and operated by Nuffield Health, MIHP offers both elite and amateur athletes access to Nuffield Health’s network of leading consultants in fitness and sports performance. MIHP provides advanced services like 3D motion capture biomechanics assessments, physiological fitness testing and diagnostic imaging, including MRI and ultrasound scans. You can find out more about MIHP here.
