How long to recover from marathon?

[stitchfan18]

I ran my first marathon 2 weeks ago. It only took me about 2 days to get rid of the muscle soreness, but I took a full week off of running to rest. I did some simple yoga and stretching exercises during that week, but that was it. I started running again this week, and did 7 easy miles on Monday, 3 speed work miles on Thursday, and 5 easy miles today. Today's run was brutal. It was probably the hardest run I've had in awhile, even though I was trying to take it slow and only went 5 miles. The only thing I could think to attribute my bad run today with was the fact that I'm only 2 weeks post marathon. How long does it typically take to bounce back to your original fitness level after a marathon? Should I be doing any speed workouts right now? I have a few more races before January that I'm running, so I'm hesitant to take any more time off of running. Any insight about recovery would be great!

 

[John VN]

A little info here. http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-8957-0,00.html

While there are guidelines, everybody eventually finds what is best for their own recovery.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I had initially read that you should take a day off for each mile you run, but found that to be extremely generous. I recovered after the Marathon this year (even with PF and Achilles Tendonitis) in about three weeks. I was 100% a couple days after the DL 1/2 Marathon last weekend. So, I think the most important thing is to listen to your body.

Congratulations on completing a Marathon!!

 

[stitchfan18]

A little info here. http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-8957-0,00.html

While there are guidelines, everybody eventually finds what is best for their own recovery.

Thanks for the link. After reading through, it seems like I may have increased my mileage a little too much this week. I'll try to take it a little easier next week and see how that changes my runs.

I had initially read that you should take a day off for each mile you run, but found that to be extremely generous. I recovered after the Marathon this year (even with PF and Achilles Tendonitis) in about three weeks. I was 100% a couple days after the DL 1/2 Marathon last weekend. So, I think the most important thing is to listen to your body.

Congratulations on completing a Marathon!!

I remember reading the same rule as well, but with fall races fast approaching I knew there was no way to sit out that long. I usually bounce back from 1/2's within a week, so I thought I'd be back to full speed by now.
Thanks!

 

[RunFasterMommy]

I truly believe it's a case-by-case and athlete-to-athlete deal. You can read the literature and research but really, the best thing you can do is listen to your body. I've run marathons where my legs and feet were WRECKED for days/weeks. But then this past year I ran a marathon, half marathon, marathon 3 weekends back to back, and felt just fine after the 3rd one.

So certainly take it easy of course...but if you feel great, don't be afraid to run just because an article or book says so you know?

 

[paxsarah]

The variation I'd heard on the day-off-for-each-mile rule was to avoid any particularly strenuous runs for a number of days equal to the miles of the race - not to avoid running altogether, just skipping the speedwork and maybe significantly longer runs (the definition of which of course would vary from person to person). That's still probably pretty conservative once you get into the third and fourth week after a marathon, but is probably not a bad rule of thumb in general.

 

[FireDancer]

After the January marathon (on the 9th) I took 9 days off and did my first run on the 19th. My legs felt fine but my lungs were burning. I had gotten used to running in the cold but that was what I lost over those 9 days more than any fitness in my legs. It was 13 degrees which normally wouldn't bother me.

 

[SAHDad]

It varies. (Helpful, huh?) It's different from person to person, and even race to race. A race on a flat course, under good weather conditions, will tear you up a lot less than a hilly course under brutal weather conditions.

If I am well-trained, and am not trying to PR, I can do almost everything except speedwork about a week after a marathon. (Which reminds me - I qualified for Marathon Maniacs earlier this year, and really should send in my app.) But, I have had shorter races, under bad weather conditions, that leave me unwilling or unable to run more than a 5k at a time for more than a month.

Listen to your body - if 5 miles is still too much, back off. Take it easy, and try again in a few days or a week.

 

[stitchfan18]

Thanks for all the feedback and insight. I'm just surprised it's taken longer than twice my recovery time for a half, but listening to what my body was saying yesterday I need to back off some.

 

[jennypenny]

What do you do if you're not running? I can't imagine doing nothing after a couple of days.

 

[stitchfan18]

What do you do if you're not running? I can't imagine doing nothing after a couple of days.

I did some other cross training workouts instead of running.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

What do you do if you're not running? I can't imagine doing nothing after a couple of days.

Definitely do cross training and circuit training. I don't think most people focus on either of those enough. Most people just seem to focus on the running and that is it but even elite runners don't just focus on the running. They do a ton of strength training.

 

[fashionista311]

Definitely do cross training and circuit training. I don't think most people focus on either of those enough. Most people just seem to focus on the running and that is it but even elite runners don't just focus on the running. They do a ton of strength training.

while yes that's true...but i do remember reading that haile gebrselassie can't even 10 pushups or something crazy like that.

agree with everyone that running 26.2, especially racing 26.2, can really take it out of you. i ran my first marathon last november - and while it didn't go anywhere near to plan - i didn't feel ready to truly race again until feb.

 

[FFigawi]

I think recovery time depends on several things - how hard you pushed yourself during the race, what you did immediately afterwards to start your recovery, and how many times you've done it before. The more marathons you run, the more you learn what your body can handle and how it needs to recover after each race. You also learn how to give yourself a good headstart on recovery by using an ice bath, lots of walking, and some light yoga and cross-training. Personally, I can run marathons once every 2-3 weeks, but after I race one, it takes much longer to be able to race again.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

while yes that's true...but i do remember reading that haile gebrselassie can't even 10 pushups or something crazy like that.

agree with everyone that running 26.2, especially racing 26.2, can really take it out of you. i ran my first marathon last november - and while it didn't go anywhere near to plan - i didn't feel ready to truly race again until feb.

I am talking about your legs and core...I don't think I can even do 10 push ups! I do some arms to be well rounded, but it is not my focus at all and it is pitiful how much I lift. I just know that ever since I started focusing on circuit training, my recovery period has shortened significantly.

 

[stitchfan18]

Apparently I just needed another week to rest. I took it easy this week and only ran once during the week. Today was my first double digit run since the marathon, and i felt great throughout the whole run. I was able to keep my pace around a minute faster than last weeks run, and I didn't ever feel like I needed to slow down. My last mile was actually one of my fastest, but that might have been due to the fact that it was starting to sprinkle and I was trying to get back to my car before it started to downpour. I made it with about 1 minute to spare before the heavens fully opened!

 

[AmyBeth68]

Funny thing about running is that it's not even a runner to runner thing as much as a race to race thing! I have run half marathons where I felt awful for a day or two after and yet after running Goofy I felt amazing the next day. Seems to me that a lot depends on the weather (humidity kills me), my diet and water intake and obviously if I've been ill recently or during the race. I just listen to my body and do other activities that recruit different muscle groups throughout training and during recovery. As a pilates instructor I can't stress enough how wonderful it is as a form of cross-training for runners!