Good luck to those training for any running event.
Here are some tips to help your body recover after a marathon or shorter distance races:
Stay hydrated: any run will have caused your body to become dehydrated to a greater or lesser degree. Drink little and often in the days after the race.
Eat healthy and abundant: this is not the time to diet. Be sure to eat fruits, carbohydrates and protein to rebuild your immune system, replenish blood sugar levels and help rebuild damaged muscle tissue
Take warm baths (preferably with Epsom salts), stretch gently, and lie on the floor with your legs against the wall for a few minutes regularly for the first few days after the event.
Rest: Research shows that rather than easily returning to running after the event, it is better to give yourself a week off from running. Gentle stretching, swimming, walking, cross training, or yoga will help keep your muscles warm and your blood flowing. Overdoing it will do you more harm than good. Start running gently from week 2 and slowly increase the intensity.
Get a good treatment: Osteopathy, massage, and other manual therapies can help release trigger points and release myofascial stress and other tensions throughout the body. Stick to a gentle massage or effleurage in the first 3 days after the event or wait and opt for a deeper massage starting on day 4.
Try not to schedule another race until about 6 weeks after a marathon.
