After many athletes complete a marathon, their thoughts are not usually focused on their recovery. Nor are they focused on what they should be eating in the days and weeks after their marathon. In the excitement (and in many cases relief) of crossing the finish line, the thought of nutrition and exercise--although a key focus during training--often falls by the wayside once the goal has been accomplished. Yet the best way to take advantage of the effort that you spent training to achieve your goal is to ensure you rest properly and eat right, beginning immediately after your marathon.

I have coached several athletes who did not follow this advice and either started training for their next marathon too soon or let their diet slip. Many of them seem to never want to do another marathon again, and worse yet some have never returned to a regular exercise routine. To avoid this trap, I have some tips on how to make the most of the training from your previous marathon to ensure that you enjoy many more marathons and continue to live a healthy lifestyle.

Doing the proper training prior to your marathon is the first key to a speedy recovery. If you have not completed the work before your marathon, you will feel the effects on your body no matter how much rest you take or what you eat after your marathon.

Everyone wants to gain from their marathon experience, so join a proper training program and watch your nutrition before you run your marathon. Next, ensure you get adequate rest before starting a new program. During the first three days following your marathon, rest completely. Do not workout. Drink plenty of water. This will help reduce any inflammation you may have and help your body continue to keep its regular metabolism. Stretching will help with any stiffness and also help remove the build up of waste products. Icing can also help reduce swelling during those first three days following your marathon.

The food you eat should be light on your digestive system. The stress of a marathon slows down your metabolism causing you body to have more difficulty digesting heavy proteins. Keep to smaller portions but eat more frequently, during those three days. Doing so will help rebuild the glycogen in your muscles and help increase your energy level. Remember you are rebuilding muscle fibers and tissue that were torn down while running your marathon. And, proper nutrition is essential for proper repair of your aching muscles.

Keep in mind, you should not drastically change your overall nutrition following your marathon, compared to how it was prior to your marathon. The main difference should be in the portion sizes, since you are running fewer miles and expending less energy (i.e., calories). Many people who complete a marathon think they can eat whatever they want after running a marathon. And yes, you have definitely burned up many calories while hammering out the miles on the roads. However, what you choose to eat in the days following your marathon will have direct consequences on the strength that you gain and the speed of your recovery.

Concentrate on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and reducing fatty foods and heavy proteins. It will make the difference. Your body will thank you for it, and your running will improve. Add back the miles slowly to your workouts. Each week you can add an extra 15 minutes to your longest aerobic workout. The rule of thumb is to allow yourself a week of active recovery for every hour it took you to complete your marathon. During the active recovery period, you should be doing low intensity aerobic workouts. High intensity workouts should resume only after completing the active recovery weeks. For example, let’s say your marathon takes you 4 hours to complete. Take the first three days and rest. Do not workout. During the first week after the marathon, your longest run should be 30 minutes. During the second week, your longest run should be 45 minutes. During the third week your longest run should be one hour. During the fourth and final week of active recovery for this example, your longest run should be one hour and 15 minutes. After this time you may again add interval workouts and hills to your overall training program.

Starting back too soon with both high intensity workouts and long runs will not give your body a chance to fully recover from your marathon. I've seen many athletes make this mistake after attaining a personal best time in their marathon and begin training for their next marathon too soon. Although the excitement and their fitness keeps them performing at a high level for a couple of months, they usually find themselves struggling to complete their workouts both mentally and physically especially as the mileage increases again. At this point, the damage has already been done and in most cases they get injured or stop training. And, the recovery time they thought they were skipping at the beginning becomes a rest time that is forced on them.

Unfortunately, sometimes my advice is ignored and I have seen this lesson learned the hard way too many times. It has been four week since I ran the 2004 Dublin City Marathon. I am happy to say I have followed my own advice and am now running faster in my workout than I had been leading up to the Dublin marathon. I am looking forward to my next marathon coming up in the New Year. The proper rest and nutrition really makes the difference.

Happy running,

Coach Murphy

The MBS Fitness marathon training programs recommend a workout regimen AFTER your race to ensure you are properly recovering and building the basis for your next marathon.