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Post-Marathon Recovery: Tips for Bouncing Back After a Marathon

• Importance of Recovery
• Factors Affecting Recovery
  • Age
  • Fitness Levels
  • Muscle Damage
  • Blood Flow
  • Sleep Quality
• Post-Marathon Recovery Strategies
  • Keep Moving
  • Keep Clear of Painkillers
  • Replenish Your Nutrients
  • Get Rehydrated
  • Have an Ice Bath
  • Get a Massage, But Don't Wait Around for One
  • Get Some Sleep
  • Look After Your Feet
  • Take Some Time Off
  • Get Back into Running Slowly
• Conclusion: How to Recover From a Marathon

Have you recently ran a marathon, or have one planned, and are worried about the recovery process? We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to help you!

Completing a marathon is an extraordinary achievement that demands dedication and meticulous preparation. However, what happens after crossing that finish line is equally vital for your overall well-being and future performance.

In this article, we'll explore the significance of recovery, considering both its physiological and psychological aspects. We'll also delve into various factors that can influence your recovery timeline, from training intensity to nutrition and sleep quality, and provide 10 recovery strategies, so you know exactly what to do after a marathon.

Importance of Recovery

Active recovery after a marathon is crucial for both physical and mental well-being.  It also helps to restore mental focus and motivation. Whether you’re a passionate long distance runner, or you’re just starting out, neglecting post-marathon recovery can lead to prolonged soreness, increased risk of injury, and burnout.

Putting as much effort into your recovery as you did into your marathon training is essential, both in terms of physical recovery, and mental wellbeing. Running a marathon puts a significant amount of strain on the body, causing muscle fatigue and micro-tears, dehydration, and depletion of energy stores. Proper recovery allows the body time to repair and rebuild muscles, replenish energy stores, and prevent injuries. If you start running again

How To Prepare for a Marathon: 10 Effective Training Activities

1. Swimming
2. Hiking
3. Climbing
4. Yoga and Pilates
5. Meditation
6. Strength training
7. Cycling
8. Rowing
9. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
10. Cross-training
    • Benefits of Cross-Training
11. The Importance of Training for a Marathon
12. Final thoughts

It is no secret that running a marathon is hard work. It takes months of dedication and strict training to be able to confidently take on the 26.2 mile challenge, whether running or walking!

When planning your marathon training schedule, logging miles shouldn't be your only priority. Take into consideration different activities you can include to get your body and mind ready, such as swimming, yoga, meditation, strength training, cycling, and cross-training.

In this latest blog, as part of our ongoing marathon series, we’ll be sharing all our best tips for how to prepare for a marathon. Let's look at some of the best alternative activities you can do to prepare your body for long distance running.

1. Swimming

Working out in the pool is a great way to enhance your training regimen for marathon.  It’s a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that improves endurance, strengthens muscles, and enhances lung capacity. It provides a full-body workout while reducing stress on the joints, making it an ideal cross-training activity for marathon runners.

Swimming enables you to improve the stamina and oxygen regulation you need for long distance sports outside of the water, without exerting as much force on your body.

For resistance training and strength training for both small and big muscle groups, try pool running sessions or aqua jogging. To strengthen your heart and optimise your lung capacity, swim lengths and alternate between strokes, such as breaststroke and freestyle.

Swimming also makes a great activity to include in your post-marathon recovery, as it promotes blood circulation and helps to reduce muscle soreness.

2. Hiking

Hiking builds endurance, strengthens leg muscles and knees,

Running a marathon is a fantastic test of mental and physical endurance. When you complete a run of this calibre, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment unlike no other. So it's important to take marathon injury prevention seriously.

Not only will it improve your fitness, but it’s also an incredible lifetime achievement that everybody should attempt at least once. You can complete a marathon to push your fitness capabilities or even to raise awareness for a cause you care deeply about.

However, you should be aware of safety tips for running a marathon and marathon injury prevention. It’s not exactly a walk in the park. You’ll need to spend months training for this event to ensure you are fit enough to cross the finish line without any injuries. 

In this blog, we’ll be sharing our first marathon training tips and post marathon recovery advice, to ensure you have the best experience possible and avoid getting injured in the process.

How common are marathon related injuries? 

First things first, how common are marathon related injuries? Unfortunately, it’s very habitual for participants to experience injury, especially if they attempt running a marathon without training. 

One of the most painful and common injuries sustained by marathon runners is known as plantar fasciitis.

The plantar fascia is a flat bland of tissue located on the sole of your foot. Continual long-distance running can cause excessive stress to the ligament and impede its ability to absorb shock.

A full recovery can take several weeks, if not months, and symptoms include a painful stabbing sensation. 

Not only are marathon runners prone to injury post-race, but they’re susceptible to lesions in the months leading up to the event. Running or walking a marathon without training can lead to an injury before the race, rendering you unfit to compete at all.

Other injuries and problems runners can become prone to include shin splints and achilles tendonitis.

More often than not, injuries can be attributed

Marathon preparation is not a simple task. Even the most athletic and experienced runners need to take their time to prepare their bodies, both mentally and physically, before a long run or big race. Although you want to ensure you push yourself to complete your goal, it’s crucial that you cross the finish line unscathed. 

Can you run a marathon without training?

Of course, you can, but is it recommended? Most definitely not. Running a marathon without weeks of training can cause muscle stress, fractures, and long-term joint damage, but it can even send you to the hospital.

Not only could you hurt yourself physically, but you can also risk impairing your ability to run in the long term. 

With this being said, for your marathon preparation, you’ll need to devise a comprehensive marathon training plan before you set foot on the race track. If you’ve done your research about marathons, you probably know what the primary elements of marathon training are.

However, it’s also important to go over all the things you should avoid before your big day. In this blog, we’ll cover all of our best marathon day tips and what you should avoid doing before the race.

1. Don’t over eat 

As we know, nutrition is incredibly important. The right meals will provide you with the fuel you need to finish the race.

On the morning of your marathon, you should opt for a light breakfast that will provide you with plenty of energy. We recommend a simple bowl of porridge with a banana. However, in the weeks leading up to the race, it’s also important to focus on your diet. Don’t forget to eat plenty of carbohydrates and avoid fried foods.

Some foods are harsher on your digestive system than others. The last thing you want before running a marathon is a stomach ache or elevated heart rate. More specifically and as part of your marathon preparation, limit your caffeine intake, stay away from spicy foods, and avoid high fibre foods such as red meat, broccoli, and even apples.

You know your body best,

First they learnt to roll, then sit up and now they’re preparing to take those all important first steps. Whilst you wait with a camera in hand to capture the precious moment forever, your mind may flood with questions about their first steps and baby shoes. 

Your child’s foot health comes first and finding the right fit, support and materials to match every step of their development builds a solid foundation for their future.

Whether you are looking for baby first shoes for crawling, cruising or when they are toddlering about independently, we want to arm parents with everything you need to know to make the right decision for your baby’s first shoes.

When should I buy my baby’s first shoes?

It really is your own personal choice as a parent when to buy your baby’s first shoes. There are many types of shoes for infants and toddlers that can be used at different stages of their foot growth, from pram shoes and booties to crawling, cruising and walking shoes. 

To aid in healthy foot development, it is recommended that babies go barefoot for as long as possible and shoes are only a necessity when they are walking unaided outside. 

Over active infants likely won’t care for this advice however, and will want to flex their independence and practice being on their feet as soon as possible.

In this case, lightweight pre-walker shoes that have a flexible sole will aid your baby's growth and protect their tiny toes from hard floors and uneven surfaces before they fully find their feet. 

Once confident on their feet, your baby’s first walking shoes will require a hard sole for support.

What type of shoes should I get?

The type of shoes you should get for your baby will depend on their age and environment.

Newborns

Whilst barefoot is recommended, it isn’t always the safest option and pram shoes or booties may be used to protect tiny feet from the elements. 

Crawlers

The bones in your baby’s feet are soft at this stage, covered with a protective layer of puppy fat to cushion

Every parent knows that children’s feet grow rapidly in their early years and understanding every different problem, including flat feet in children, that can arise during this time can be confusing.

Each stage of their foot development, up to their late teens, will play its part in determining your child’s future health. It is therefore vitally important to know the most common foot complaints in children and how to identify, prevent and correct them. 

Paediatric flat feet is one of the most common conditions parents worry about, mostly without due cause. That’s why we have put together the complete guide to flat feet in children to help reassure, advise, and inform you that your child has a solid foundation for their future foot health.

What are flat feet in children?

Paediatric flat feet, also known as fallen arches, are simply children's feet that do not have an arch. You can identify this by noticing when your child’s foot is flat to the floor; the middle of the foot touches the ground instead of having the usual arch lift seen in most adults. 

Flat feet in children is a common foot complaint that usually doesn’t cause symptoms and will correct itself over the course of their infant years.

If your child starts to show symptoms such as pain and discomfort you should speak with a pharmacist or doctor in the first instance to rule out other causes and to seek out immediate treatment and relief. 

What causes flat feet?

It’s a little-known fact that babies are often born with naturally flat feet and will remain this way far into their early childhood. When we’re born, our bones are still in the midst of growing and solidifying and in the early years, particularly in feet, they remain flexible to an extent. 

Flat feet can continue until around age six, when the arch in the feet develops and the bones become less like cartilage and more like the standard bones around our body. However, around 5% of children do not develop this arch and can continue to have flat feet

The summer holidays are here and we’re ready to jump in! To inspire your summer holiday activities list, we’ve pulled together a devilish summer puzzle to really get your brain crunching. Can you beat it!?

Summer Puzzle: Can You Spot The Trainers?

Having good footwear is crucial for most summer adventures, so can you find the two trainers in amongst the summer activity paraphernalia?

Having solid footwear is the first step to ensuring you have safe and happy adventures this summer. Understanding the correct shoe size, shape and support for your and your children’s feet is the best way to ensure you all have the correct footwear for running around in and embracing the activities of summer. 

For busy parents keeping up with active children this summer, you’ll want to find comfortable, light and supportive footwear to ensure you are comfortable and protected throughout the day. Active flip flops and sandals are a fantastic option for parents looking for footwear to fit these requirements! Say goodbye to hot, unfomortable summer feet while also maintaining a high standard of foot support and comfort.

Top 15 Active Summer Holiday Activities

For many families planning exciting summer holiday activities to keep everyone entertained can be difficult. Here at FootActive, we’ve put together a list of the best active summer holiday plans so you can steer away from summer boredom and make the most of the time together!

• Family walk or hike 
• Bike ride adventure 
• Nature trailing 
• Geocaching 
• Beach trip 
• Rockpooling 
• River combing 
• Swimming 
• Water sports 
• Picnic 
• Go camping 
• Build a den 
• Create an obstacle course 
• Skipping 
• Roller skating

Summer Holiday Activities Brain Teaser Answers

Struggling to find those trainers!?

Okay, one more clue: have a look around the top left hand corner AND above the centre of the page!

Still can’t find the trainers?

Give up? We’ll give you the answer. The trainers are here…

Did you manage to find the all-important trainers? How quickly

Walking holidays in the UK can take you from coast to coast. With beautiful landscapes discoverable with countless miles of footpaths, you can discover a rich history and untouched tradition when you opt for a walking holiday. 

We've analysed the top 30 longest walks from a list of 100 popular walking holiday routes in the UK and sourced information for a series of metrics to create an overall score for each walk.

And what’s a walking holiday without a cosy place to put your feet up after a long day of treks? Using Tripadvisor, we found the number of Hotels, Motels, All Inclusives and BnB's within 50 miles of each walk. We used Instagram to find the number of hashtags for each walk, to find out which is best for getting some holiday snaps and referenced the difficulty and length of each walk from the Ordnance Survey. 

So, which locations around the UK will guarantee you a picturesque, moderately difficult walk with plenty of options for accommodation nearby? Find out in the ranking below.

The Top Locations for Walking Holidays in the UK

Coming in first place with a score of 85 out of 100 is South Downs Way which stretches for 17.5 miles across Winchester and Eastbourne, following old routes and driveways, offering an opportunity to get away from it all. Our analysis of this stunning walk shows the walk is moderate on our difficulty scale, making it not too challenging for beginners but also not too easy for regular walkers. You are spoilt for choice when it comes to hotels with a staggering 5,140 en route. Finally, the walk itself has 62,014 hashtags on Instagram making it a very picturesque walking holiday in the UK. 

The second best walk in the UK is Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, scoring 75 out of 100 in our ranking. A much shorter walk at just 2.1 miles, but still a moderate difficulty level so appealing to all walkers. Scoring highly on the picturesque metric with 127,154 hashtags on Instagram! 

Third place goes to the West Highland Way walk in the mountain

What is Mssada?

FootActive has for many years supported Msaada, a small charity dedicated to supporting the widows, and their dependants, of the 2004 Rwanda genocide during which almost one million people were slaughtered in 100 days.  The Msaada mantra is “helping people to help themselves” and so it does not give money but instead it gives selected widows the means to earn money and so to be able to support themselves and their dependants, to send their children to school and to become economically active members of their community.

Focussing on Eastern Rwanda Msaada gives chosen and trained widows a European in-calf Fresian heifer, the animals generally donated by Irish farmers.  The cows will yield over 20 litres of milk per day and so earn the widow £2 to £3 a day, taking her well above the UN poverty rate of 80p a day.  Female offspring are passed on to another widow and so the herd grows.  In addition Msaada supports Rwamagana A secondary school whenever possible.

Msaada employs three Rwandans locally to monitor the performance of the cows so that it can see where additional training is needed and to provide that training.  It also has to provide veterinary support when needed.  There is therefore a continuing need for money to keep this very successful project going.

How can you help?

The pandemic has meant that all UK fundraising activities have ceased.  To help to keep the show on the road we have produced a calendar for 2021 which has a painting by one of our supporters for every month.  FootActive hopes that you will join it in supporting Msaada and will buy a calendar by making a donation of at least £10 plus £2 P&P either through our Virgin Money Giving page https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1004291

Or by going to msaada.org and hitting the donate button – please give your name.  You can find much more information about Msaada there.

With grateful thanks from FootActive, Msaada