recovery post marathon

hot to trot

How do you know when you have recovered post marathon?
Is it basically down to resting heart rates and heart rates higher than normal on slower runs?
Advice is not to run fast or long until you have recovered....so how do you know when you have recovered if this isnt a daft question.
some books say one day per mile , but some people recover quicker than others. ( how do they know this) so,is this not very arbitrary?
Thanks

ecoli

hot to trot wrote: »

How do you know when you have recovered post marathon?
Is it basically down to resting heart rates and heart rates higher than normal on slower runs?
Advice is not to run fast or long until you have recovered....so how do you know when you have recovered if this isnt a daft question.
some books say one day per mile , but some people recover quicker than others. ( how do they know this) so,is this not very arbitrary?
Thanks

I think that this is referring to days till your first hard session back i say 5 days to a week to unwind physically and mentally from a marathon

--amadeus--

Don't run when you feel you should and don't run when you feel you can. Wait until a day or two after you feel like you want to and by then you'll be feeling you *need* to.

That's when you've recovered.

Macanri

Also, depending on how your muscles and joints are it may take longer for those to recover than it takes for your heart rates to return to normal figures. that was my experience anyway. It's a terror to be old!

hot to trot

I finished a marathon on the 14th. Ran it within my confort zone. Within two days my legs were back to normal but I didnt run until day 4 -one mile, then day 6 and day 7 I did an easy 5 miles.Legs fine but heart rate was a bit higher than normal by the end of the runs. Do I keep running 5 milers at this pace until my heart rate is steady throughout or can i up it and throw in an 8 or so?
I have accidently registered for Barcelona too and I am not sure what to do between now and then.

PatientBear

Hi, I think it has a lot to do with your pre-marathon training programme and you're overall level of fitness. A beginner would need a good month in my opinion before they can jog again, more if they just don't feel good.

However, you can still do lots of walking in the recovery phase, and this will limit the decrease in fitness, and keep a regime of sorts going.

catweazle

Can you start cracking into other disciplines??. I can avoid running for a few weeks after but I will need to get out on the bike and swimming a good bit

hot to trot

so does it boil down to - how tired, achey, fatigued you feel on a run? Is this the guide for whether you have recovered or not? I have heard stories about people who did too much too early and it has put the fear of God into me.
Do you think then, if you just do a few short jogs and you feel fine then you are ok to keep at it? , and then just build up[ slowly to speedwork and longer than 15 mile runs?

hunnymonster

It's like a lot of the stuff we discuss in the ART forum. There is a science to it, you could have bloods taken, you could have a full time masseuse to help things along but for most of us, feel is quite a good way to gauge recovery.

Krusty_Clown

You could try one of the marathon recovery programs, or one of the multi-marathon programs, which re-introduce you gradually, build up the mileage before dropping you back for the taper. I would follow P&D's multi-marathon program, but if you don't have the book, you could take a look at HalHigdons's programs here.

hot to trot

Thanks Krusty. I got the book after you recommended it and I have to say it is excellent.
I guess Honeymonsters suggestion of "feel " is as good as any. I think I will just keep doing short runs over the next seven days and hope that the last marathon kind of acts as a last long run for this one. Certainly wont be going for a PB anyway.
I will do a more structured one after this then.