The fall racing season is underway. For many runners, the fall race is the culmination of months of training. Running your marathon or half-marathon is an exhilarating experience, regardless of your finishing time. However, running this distance causes your body to undergo short term distress, especially after a marathon. You finish in an overheated, dehydrated state. Your muscles suffer damage and inflammation. Your stress hormones (e.g. cortisol) are sharply elevated.
Here are eleven tips on how you can reduce your post-race physical distress, shorten your recovery period and safely resume your running in the shortest possible time:
1. Keep moving immediately after finishing your race. Coming to a sudden stop can cause your blood pressure to drop rapidly, resulting in dizziness and even fainting. A slow jog or walking will enable a gradual transition to a resting state and start the repair process.
2. Rehydrate. Drink lots of water, fruit juice or electrolyte replacement drinks. Continue drinking throughout the day until your urine is clear, a sign that you are fully hydrated.
3. Commencing 15-30 minutes after the race, eat a carbohydrate-rich diet for the next two days. Your muscles are depleted of glycogen, which your body uses as fuel for physical activity. Carbohydrate consumption is required to replenish your glycogen stores. For details regarding the amounts of carbohydrate you should eat and suggested foods, click on Optimal Refueling
4. Include protein in your post-run diet to aid in muscle repair.
5. Ice every few hours, 15 to 20 minutes per application. Ice is nature's anti-inflammatory, without side effects. Icing reduces pain. Icing longer than 10 minutes causes the arteries to dilate, helps get rid of waste products and transports nutrients to facilitate muscular repair. Stay out of the hot tub, no matter how inviting or relaxing it appears.
6. Elevate your feet. This will reduce the swelling in your legs and feet that is caused by the accumulation of fluids leaking from damaged cells.
7. Rest that afternoon and get lots of sleep in the following week. Research shows that running longer than 90 minutes depresses the immune system. Adequate sleep will help bolster your body's defences and ward off infection.
8. Taking additional Vitamin C and Echinacea supplements can provide additional support to your immune system.
9. Don't take painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications. Although they may offer temporary pain relief, they actually slow down muscle tissue repair.
10. Avoid stretching for 48-72 hours. Your muscles and connective tissue have suffered damage. Stretching, especially vigourous stretching can lead to further injury.
11. Don't run for a week after a marathon. A study conducted by Drs. David Costill and Frederick Hagerman concluded that runners who rested completely five days following a marathon had regained more leg strength than runners who ran easily five days post-marathon.
Following these tips will help speed your recovery and return to running, enhancing your overall race experience.
Author Resource:-
Bennett Cohen "The Savvy Runner" is a veteran runner and women's running coach, specializing in the non-elite athlete. Bennett is the publisher of the innovative Women's Running Update, a FREE weekly online newsletter for smart women runners who want to maximize the benefits they derive from running. To learn how to achieve your objectives for your running, training and healthy lifestyle, visit http://www.womensrunningupdate.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://best-running-articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
