Five Tips for Post-Race Recovery

Firstly, congratulations! If you’ve just completed your target event now is the time to celebrate your hard work and reward yourself. Here are 5 top tips for soothing those aching legs...

No doubt every inch of your body is pain and the sofa is calling your name with your phone within arm’s reach and a takeaway pizza on speed dial. I’m not going to say you need to opt for a salad chock full with quinoa and magical “superfoods” to aid recovery, this is your time for a reward, go nuts and order that XL Mighty Meaty with a side of chicken wings.

But, there are several things we can do to reduce the pain and help our bodies repair so we can either get back on with our day-to-day lives, or for the more ambitious – get back into training. Here are a few tips:

Hydrate

After that post-race beer, you need to continue to take on water. You would have sweated a lot, and are no doubt dehydrated. Our bodies are 60% water, and making sure we have enough of it makes sure our joints are properly lubricated, our cells and tissues function properly, and our heart and blood system can perform properly to remove the waste and target our damaged muscles caused by exercise. Don’t over-drink, so only drink when you’re thirsty, but water should be the go to fluid, alongside that celebratory pint of course.

Stretch

Everything is stiff and tight and you’re hobbling around the house. A gentle stretch will help loosen everything up and has been shown to improve muscle recovery. There are plenty of great online guides to some simple stretches for runners. Make sure to take it easy and gentle, the stretches should be held for about 30 seconds, and should not be too painful. If you’ve got one use the foam roller to massage those muscles, or better yet get your partner to give you a rub down or book in for a rewarding massage in the next few days.

Ice Bath

Your muscles will have taken a pounding. As a result they are filled with lactic acid and there will be micro-tears in your muscle fibres. A method employed by many elite athletes is to use an ice bath. Making those muscles really cold can help alter the blood flow and shift the lactic acid that is pooled in them. It will also help reduce any inflammation which is causing you a lot of pain and delayed onset muscle soreness (doms). If you don’t have a freezer full of ice on hand, a good alternative is to just blast the shower onto its coldest setting and hold it over each leg for a minute, then gently increase the temperature back to normal, and repeat.

Chafing

The image of strolling into work the next day for praise with your medal bling hanging around your neck is somewhat destroyed as you’re shuffling along like John Wayne. Chafing, particularly at the top of your thighs, is one of the most painful running war wounds. It’s caused by our clothes taking on the salt from our sweat which then rubs against our skin repeatedly over long periods of time. The best way I deal with this is to thoroughly clean, dry, and cover the area in talcum powder.

Injury

If you’re experiencing some serious pain anywhere and it’s not going away, then I definitely recommend seeking specialist advice. Ignoring the pain and carrying on could only get worse, and cause some serious long term damage. Book yourself into a good sports physio in your area, or your GP if it’s really serious. In the meantime, get your feet up and put a cold compress on the area for 15 minutes repeated three times to help reduce the inflammation and pain. If you can do without them, avoid anti-inflammatory drugs as completely covering up the pain can cause you to continue to use that injured area and in turn cause more damage and pro-longing repair.

For any additional information or quick questions please get in touch @TheTriologist.