Pete Johnson: What to do after running a marathon

What happens next? You’ve run the race of your life, got the t-shirt and medal, and feel exhilarated.

Some people will be full of queuing up for the next one, many others will be on a bit of a downer. The expectation has gone and the job’s done. Where do we go from here, and more importantly how is it best to recover?

By Monday the legs will be stiffening up, stairs are a problem but I always found that by Wednesday you would be over the worst of it.

Recovery is a personal thing. As a rule of thumb it’s one day for every mile run. Some of you will be thinking “that’s nearly a month of no running”. 

Let’s look at it sensibly, if your system didn’t shut down somewhere between 20 and 23 miles, you’ve done well. You may even feel like going for a little jog in a week’s time, but be careful, within the muscles there will be micro tears and inevitably some minor damage. We don’t want this to turn into a major problem during the rest of the year.

My top tips for post marathon are:

1. Rest, you deserve it.
2. Light exercise, go for some walks, cycle rides etc.
3. Get a sports massage, explain to your therapist what you’ve been up to.
4. A little light stretching.
5. Do some of those things that you missed during the last 3 months.

That’s the physical side taken care of.

Mentally, after the high there’s likely to be a low. Understandably, you have reached your high point/goal, what now? 

Will you, like many, be satisfied with the result? Many of us won’t, will you think about preparing for another attempt at 26.2?

Or will you go further and perhaps think about a short ultra? 

In my days I did consider it. Having crossed the line in The Mall, I thought: “I could probably go a bit further”, I never did. 

Or will you recover well and try to get some speed back into the legs? 

The summer will be full of 5K and 10K races fairly close at hand. Some may even try their hand at track, 1500m and 5000m will certainly improve your speed.

Whatever you decide, with all those miles in the bank it would be a shame to waste it. 

Have a good post-marathon time.