The marathon will induce a lot of fatigue that can take time to recover from. So once you have finished the marathon what should you be doing to back to normal again.
The fatigue you will experience after a marathon is mainly central fatigue. Central fatigue refers to the brain and nervous system so you may feel changes in mood, brain fog or sleep disruption for example.
Further, when looking at biomarkers such as creatine kinase (which is released into the muscle when damage occurs during exercise) or blood lactate levels the rate of recovery can vary amongst individuals. Typically you can expect your biomarkers to return to baseline (before the marathon) after 6-8 days. During this period should you do any exercise?
Using exercise as a recovery methods is referred to as active recovery and is frequently used. However, after an event such as the marathon it may have the opposite effect and worsen your recovery. Methods such as cold water immersion, massage or passive recovery will help you recovery faster. So put your feet up and rest.
However, the recovery time may vary depending on your marathon time. Faster runners should avoid proper training for longer. Whereas slower runners may be able to start running sooner. Once you have recovered you may start thinking about your next goal or next season. Check out the article below to start planning.
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