It’s been a week now since the Tokyo marathon & my recovery has been going well… but is not yet complete. Too many people rush back into training too quickly & don’t give their bodies the necessary recovery time. Inadequate recovery time puts you at risk of overtraining and increases the risk of injury.
While the muscles in my legs are feeling better (much better then Mon & Tues) they still haven’t fully recovered. Walking around sightseeing, at a leisurely pace, has been good to keep them moving and some light stretching has also been beneficial.
Recovery tips:
- Ensure you get enough sleep, or take extra rests if you’re fatigued
- Include a high quality protein source at each meal to support muscle & soft tissue repair
- Relax, you’ve earned the break
- Compression garments can help limit inflammation & improve circulation
- Use active recovery strategies such as swimming/water walking or cross training
It’s important to have down time between big events or races, and the time off is a great opportunity to reflect on your recent training and also to celebrate your achievements. 
I certainly had enough ramen noodles, delicious sushi & soba noodles to replenish the fuel stores. I also made sure I had a little bit of extra rest the first few days after the marathon. Many people feel the need to get back running straight away but i’m quite happy not to. If I really need to exercise a swim or a bike ride (non weight bearing exercise) are perfect, but I didn’t run at all until Friday. On Friday Bob & I did an easy 8km sightseeing run through Kyoto (which probably should have been 5km) but we (I) took a few wrong turns looking for a particular temple.
Anyway the key message is to take it easy & listen to your body. The first couple of weeks post marathon is time to relax, reflect, set new goals & plan the next stage of your training.
Returning to training after a marathon
While many people rush back into training, because
completing a marathon can be a big motivator I make sure I put the time I would usually be training into planning my training for the next event. To give yourself the best training program (which is always evolving) you first need to analyse your training and performance.
Ask yourself these question about your training:
- Did you have the endurance to maintain your running?
- Did you feel that you had the necessary speed to achieve your goal time?
- Did you have any muscle imbalances or injuries?
- What key workouts worked for you?
- Was anything missing you’d like to introduce for next time?
Similarly its also useful to reflect on the race itself. Many lessons can be learnt from good & bad races. Race performance isn’t always the absolute reflection of your training but you know in yourself, especially with longer races like a marathon, how you prepared & the influence it had.
Analyse your race asking questions like:
- Did your taper have you arriving at race day feeling good?
- Did you perform how you’d expected?
- What lessons can be learnt from the race?
- Is there anything you’d change for next time?
- What did you do well in the race?
For me I was happy with my training going into the Tokyo Marathon & ran a good race. 
It was my 3rd best marathon time & given that my start was a little slower then planned (due to the crowds) I was happy with the race. In fact the more I analysed the race, my splits etc, the more satisfied I was. I think better planning (& clothing) for the cold weather could help me next time, if i’m going to run another cold weather marathon. I’ve also analysed my training and want to include a little bit more speed work through autumn & winter as I look at a few shorter races before building for another marathon in just under 6months time.
The next steps…
I’ll return to light running this week & start to put together the frame work of my upcoming training. I’ll take 3 weeks of rest (or reduced running) before gradually increasing training again. Returning to training after a marathon
Coming up in 2014 i’ve got the SMH half marathon in May, the Sydney 10km in July and the Adelaide marathon in August, before another solid rest period in September.
For more tips or running advice email run@outfithealth.com.au
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