Recovery After a Race
By: Clint Choquette DPT, Habits Physical Therapy, Nampa, ID
We often spend a lot of time focusing on our training leading up to a race, but little information is out there regarding what you should do after a race. There are plenty of training programs for race prep as well but again harder to find good info on a program following a race. Today we will talk a little bit about what you should do following a race in order to maximize your recovery, get ready for the next event, and get back to running safely. I will say there is not a one size fits all approach, and a lot of factors go into recovery time based on distance raced, how intense your effort was, and how well trained you were coming into the event.
One thing I see is people often rushing back into training too quickly. A race can be a good motivator to want to try to continue to improve and we naturally want to start that process as quickly as possible. The best thing a distance runner can do to improve is to be able to train consistently over a long period of time without injury setbacks so a brief break now could be beneficial in the long run.
Let’s first talk about the 5k-10k distances as the recovery will be much different than the half and full marathon. If you are a very experienced runner, who runs quite a bit of mileage 30-40+ miles per week and you are an experienced racer, you will likely need little recovery time. You may or may not need a day off and then seeing how you feel with an easy run or two before getting back into your routine. If you are new to running and racing and not running higher mileage, I recommend a couple of days off. If you have a lot of soreness I would let that dictate when you return. It doesn’t have to be all the way gone but it should be pretty mild before you start easy running again. If you perform speedwork as part of your training as a novice I would wait til the following week to get back into that.
For the marathon and half marathon distances the recovery will be longer (especially the marathon which is a whole different stress than even the half marathon). Again, for experienced runners I think at least 3-5 days off is a good thing then start easing back into it with some easy runs or cross training. Even the second week is probably not the time to train hard. I would run well below your normal weekly mileage and keep intensity pretty controlled. At about 3 weeks you can start to listen to your body and add back in mileage and intensity but its not uncommon to need 4-5 weeks to feel recovered so don’t be afraid to ease back into it. For novice runners I recommend at least 7 days off but a couple of weeks is probably best. After 3-5 days some light walking is good for recovery as well. The second week you can slowly add a bit to your walks/hikes and some cross training. Starting 3 weeks after your race I think is a good time to start to add in some light running again and slowly build up from there again listening to your body.
I referenced listening to your body a few times in this post as recovery is very individualized. I just think its really important to be honest with yourself how you are feeling before you start training seriously again to keep yourself healthy and running consistently. After a race is also a good time to think about other areas of recovery. Managing your sleep, stress, and nutrition will all help your body recover faster and reduce your risk of injuries as well. If you are having trouble getting back into it or have some nagging soreness and injuries after your race or want to prep yourself better for the next event I would be happy to help!
📞 Contact:
Habits Physical Therapy LLC
8 6th St N, Suite 102
Nampa, ID 83687
406-560-1048
habitspt.com