Post Marathon Recovery

In the chapter titled “Mile 27” in his best-selling book, Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, Hal Higdon explains what runners should do immediately after crossing the finish line:

That 27th mile is particularly important when it comes to speeding postmarathon recovery so that you can run and race again. Your actions after the first 5 seconds after crossing the line may be crucial to your recovery—as are the next 5 minutes, the next 5 hours, the next 5 days and the next 5 weeks. Postmarathon recovery is something many runners pay little attention to. But by organizing your postrace plans as well as you do your prerace plans, you can recover faster and more comfortably and minimize future injuries.

One of the following three plans (whether you are a novice, intermediate or advanced runner) will speed your recovery. They begin with three days of no running, followed by a little running, climaxed at the end of the week by a celebratory run with friends, who also might be one week past their triumphs. Then four weeks of gradually progressive running leading to a race that could be anywhere from 5K to a half marathon. Once completing one of these recovery programs, you will be ready to train hard again.

Although these Post Marathon Training programs originally were designed for marathoners, they also can be used by recovering half marathoners.

Be aware that all three of Hal’s Post Marathon Training programs are available in an interactive format offered by TrainingPeaks.

Programs