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Health & Fitness

How to Care For Yourself After a Marathon

A little TLC goes a long way.
By Kimber Westphall |
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Whether you’re a marathon maven or prepping for your very first race, D Magazine is here to help. With the Dallas Marathon just a few short weeks away, we enlisted the help of area experts to help you fly through those 26.2 miles with ease.

Perhaps the impetus for marathon training are the rewards reaped post-race. From the indulgent meals to the pampering of the body, it’s the least you can do for your sanity after a grueling training schedule. For our final installment , we’ve recruited several experts to guide us into post-race self-care.

Following the Race

The most important thing to do once you cross the finish line is to get warm.

After a marathon, your body is in a state of shock, so it’s not uncommon to feel the chill of the body still trying to eliminate the heat of running, says Dr. Chris Babb, treating doctor of KinetikChain. He says it’s important to change into comfortable, warmer clothes like sweats or a tracksuit.

Dr. Logan Sherman, 2015 Dallas Marathon winner and owner of Sherman Sport & Spine, says that immediately following his races, he will take a shower, alternating between warm and cold water (always ending with cold water).

“I will do a little bit of stretching and self-massage techniques, helping alleviate any post-race aches and pain,” Sherman says. “It’s best to take a few days off running after a big race, especially toward the end of a season. During that time, I like to incorporate massage, stretching, sleep, extra water, and lots of protein in my diet.”

Sherman also encourages people to avoid running too hard for at least 14 days following a race. At this point, your muscles are severely damaged, and running hard increases the risk of micro trauma to the tissue.

Celebrate in Moderation

Post-race celebratory meals are worth the wait. As the finish line draws near, visions of delicious food may dance in your head, fueling you to finish the race. Sherman says you should absolutely indulge in a delectable treat, but be mindful of your blood sugar.

“Go ahead and eat whatever you have been craving or whatever you desire,” Sherman says. “I would allow your blood sugar levels to even out before indulging in a lot of food. We sometimes eat too much or too soon after a race and become sick due to the increased demands on the GI (gastro-intestinal) tract.”

He also says that while running, your blood is shunted away from your GI and toward the working muscles. If you increase the workload of the stomach immediately, then you are more likely to have an upset stomach.

Babb says you can have a light snack after crossing the finish line to help tide you over, and you should aim to consume 200-300 calories with this snack.

Should We Splurge on a Massage?

While Sherman says it’s a good idea to see a massage therapist or chiropractor after the race, you should visit one who has experience working with athletes. Don’t risk seeing someone who is too aggressive, but a light flush or massage can be extremely beneficial to the body.

“I also recommend that runners wear compression garments to help push the blood back toward their core,” Sherman says. “These compression garments help pump stagnate blood away from areas of pooling and toward the heart, where it can be recycled into the cardiovascular system.”

Babb says most runners feel like taking a nap and lying down immediately following a race, but you must keep moving. This is a transition period for your body to adapt to the fact that you just asked it to run a great distance. Coast to a stop rather than a jerking halt. A few hours after the race, consider cryotherapy or an ice bath.

Epsom salt baths are another option that help warm the muscles. Sherman says an Epsom salt bath will be most beneficial one to two days following the race to help alleviate muscle soreness. Light stretching following an Epsom salt bath is also recommended.

A couple of days after the race, start sprinkling in cross training, like yoga, foam rolling and mobility work, Babb says.

Emotional Restoration is Important, Too.

Avid marathon runner Stacey Megally says it’s important to focus on emotional restoration after a race.

“If I had a bad race, I turned my disappointment into motivation for the next race,” Megally says. “To overcome, I replay all the best workouts I had during training, like how strong I felt, how unexpectedly fast I ran, and remind myself that’s really what I accomplished—no matter how the race went.”

And contrarily, Megally says she relishes in replaying all the best moments of the race in her head over and again. She finds this emotional enriching.

“Marathons, and the week leading up to it, take you through a million and one emotions,” she says. “So I like to end race day with the most positive kind.”

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