London Marathon training: How to avoid post-marathon aches, pains and hurt

Last year Michael Howie ran and completed his first London Marathon. Here he gives his best tips for avoiding injury from the race
Take care: plenty of rest is vital after running in the big race (Picture: Ray Tang/REX)
Michael Howie23 April 2015

There’s no getting away from it, it’s going to hurt. Quite a lot, probably. Being hauled around 26.2miles of London’s streets is not something your body will take kindly, unless you’re Mo Farah. But it needn’t be total hell - a few sensible measures once you cross the finishing line will ease the pain. Here are five tips to avoiding post-marathon agony.

FEED YOUR BODY

You’ll have used up more than 3,000 calories, so quickly restoring your energy levels is vital. After finishing last year’s London marathon, I remember becoming fixated with an apple another cream-crackered runner was eating. I was that desperate to eat I could have run up to him and snatched it out of his hand. This generally isn’t a good idea, so make sure you’ve got ready access to good energy-filled foods…bananas, flap jacks, a cheese sandwich. My favourite is chocolate milk – it’s also full of protein which is vital for muscle-recovery.

KEEP MOVING

Immediately after the finishing the marathon, you’ll more than likely want to simply lie still for a long time. Resist the urge – your muscles will only seize up even more. Do some gentle stretching and walk around. You’ll feel extremely uncomfortable, but at least you’ll be physically able to get yourself home. After that, however, you will need plenty of rest – avoid doing anything too strenuous for next few days.

TAKE THE DAY OFF

My biggest post-marathon mistake last year was forgetting to book the Monday off work. Getting into the office at 6am was not fun, and staying seated for the next nine hours probably didn’t help my recovery. So I’d suggest arranging that day off early before your other marathon-running colleagues beat you to it.

MASSAGE

There’s a good reason top athletes have a massage therapist in their back-up team. Massage relieves soreness, promotes circulation, flushes toxins and lactic acid from the body and eases joint strains. I booked a 40 minute leg massage after that hellish Monday back at work and the effect was remarkable. I’d gone from hobbling physical wreck to a (nearly) normal functioning human again.

PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK

A positive mental attitude won’t make the soreness go away, but allowing yourself to feel good about what was a pretty remarkable achievement will at least give some meaning to your pain – and make it less likely you’ll vow never to go through it again. I’d heartily recommend celebrating your marathon by spending the afternoon after your run in the pub, with friends. You’ve probably been denying yourself the pleasure for a few weeks – or at least cutting back – and the beer doesn’t half taste good when it’s well earned.

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