Recover well after a marathon, what should you do?

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While some of you have finished the Paris marathon this Sunday, the aches may still be felt. Maybe blisters, pain, great fatigue, enormous hunger? It’s all normal!!

In this article I give you some tips for recovering well and want to get back to sport after such a big physical challenge. With some key food recipes.

Be proud of yourself!

First, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

And no matter the time and the way you finished tell yourself above all that: the 1st and the last of the marathon covered the same distance!!! You are now the world champion of your world, and no one can ever take that away from you!

Let body and mind rest

The first 3 days after running a marathon, the ideal is to take a big physical break. Like it was the right time to take 2 or 3 days off, to stay at home, walk a little, eat very well and SLEEP!!

After these weeks of training, this significant pre-race stress, and the race itself, you have accumulated a maximum of physical and mental fatigue, you have to let go.

My advice to reduce your body aches is to opt for walking, or cycling, but very very gentle, without climbing.

Why not a little swimming, but again really very gentle, 20-30 min max, at a very very cool pace. The idea is to circulate the blood in the legs, but without pressing on the joints and the areas of friction that your feet have suffered in the shoes.

Massage to recover

Always to eliminate asymmetrical aches and pains: massage yourself!!

Yourself, in self-massage why not. But the services of a recovery massage professional can be very beneficial to reduce pain in your calves, thighs and back.

Ideally ask for a Deep Tissue, to deeply unclog muscle tissue and promote exchanges.

Hydration not to be neglected

Drink plenty of water.

The afternoon after the race and the day after, you can drink 1 L to 2 L max of carbonated water with a high bicarbonate content.

This bicarbonate will help to de-acidify your body and promote good pH regulation quickly.

Beyond 2L, drink normal, flat water, so as not to overload your body with gas.

Give your body the right nutrition

Recovery is also a lot in food. As much as 2 – 3 days before carrying out your marathon, I advise you to limit the fibers (fresh fruits, fresh vegetables…) As much after the race it is the best moment to fill up with vitamins and minerals!!

So Go for fresh raw seasonal fruits, raw and gently steamed vegetables, soups… But always know that the less you cook your fruits and vegetables, the more antioxidants they retain.

And since long runs create free radicals in your body, this anti-oxidant overdose can really help you get better faster and fight off that huge fatigue that’s been holding you back.

If you’re a little tired of raw vegetables, you can also incorporate super vegetables into smoothies!

2 examples of Antioxidant Smoothie

First recipe:

1 banana,
250mL of milk (oats, soy, cow’s milk, etc.)
1 large handful of spinach, well washed
1 tablespoon almond puree
1 peeled kiwi
2 teaspoons of spirulina (optional)

In general I use the blender provided with the Brandt food processor to mix everything quickly in order to drink it within the hour.

Second recipe:

1 banana
200g strawberries
1 handful of washed parsley
250mL of milk (oats, soy, cow’s milk, etc.)
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoons of hemp protein (optional)

Smoothies are more interesting than pressed juices.

Because it has been shown that the very fine cutting of fibers, which takes place when mixing a smoothie, releases all the more vitamins which will be better absorbed by your body!

For the recipes I used the KM650BR pastry robot from Brandt which you can discover here: https://www.brandt.fr/robot-patissier-km650br

Did you know that parsley is one of the richest vegetables in vitamin C?

Do not hesitate to add it to all your dishes, and especially to your dishes with legumes, fish or meat. Because vitamin C increases iron absorption.

Because it has been shown that the very fine cutting of fibers, which takes place when mixing a smoothie, releases all the more vitamins which will be better absorbed by your body!

My final tips for recovering well from a marathon

Last thing, the little things to avoid to recover well from a marathon.

Do not abuse coffee or tea to “wake up”. It’s normal to be super tired. Especially since coffee cooks magnesium and tea decreases iron absorption. So 2 cups max per day.
Don’t try to resort right away. A break of 10 days seems quite ok to me. And when you resume: 5 to 7km twice a week. You will resume the longest distances after 2 to 3 weeks!
Don’t become sedentary !! Swimming, gentle cycling, yoga, walking, pilates. Gentle sports are your recovery allies to avoid creating new sedentary pain.
Take it easy on trashy food ! Yes you are super hungry, that’s normal too. A few fries and gargantuan meals, ok. But quickly find the way to a healthy diet to promote your recovery and eliminate fatigue.

Thanks to Brandt for asking me so that I share these recipes and content on instagram around the ideal pre and post marathon diet!

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