It’s been a week since I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the brief respite from running as part of my marathon recovery. After a marathon — and 18 long, intense weeks of training — it’s nice to plop myself on the couch and not worry about when I’ll go running—or do any exercise. The most I’ve done in the past week is take my dog for walks. Oh, and a lot of packing—my wife and I moved into our home this week!
While it was definitely nice to rest and not worry about a bedtime, wakeup time, or a running time, I was already itching to lace up my shoes after just two days. So, when Monday morning arrived, I was as eager as…a runner who hasn’t run in a week…to get off the couch and back on the pavement.
And as first runs after a marathon typically go, it felt like I had never run before. Ok, maybe not never run. But it felt like I hadn’t pounded the pavement in months. Racing 26.2 miles at a seven-minute pace will do that to the body.
Some experts claim optimal marathon recovery takes 26 days of rest, or, one rest day for every mile ran. I think we can all agree that’s absurd. We might as well stop running altogether after 26 days of rest! Will we even remember how to run after nearly a month of inactivity?
Sure, studies show the body can take up to 4 weeks or so to fully recover after a marathon. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take it easy on some post-marathon recovery runs to get back in the swing of things.
A return to running
It’s always a strange sensation returning to running after racing a marathon. It’s much too early to start training for another race. We’re essentially tapering again after the marathon until our muscles have time to heal from being damanged, which can linger for up to 14 days after a marathon.
The head of BYU’s Running Mechanics Lab, Dr. Iain Hunter, said he had a professor tell him: “Training for a marathon is one of the best things you can do for your body. Racing a marathon is one of the worst things.”
Sounds about right. After PR’ing my March 2023 marathon, it took me longer than a month to feel back to normal. I recall not feeling sufficiently recovered until around a month and a half.
I plan to start training for my spring 2024 marathon (to be announced) around mid-December, a month and a half after the Marine Corps Marathon. I’m determined to run my first sub-three-hour marathon and I hope my body will be ready to jump back in to the 18 week/55-70 miles Pfitzinger marathon training plan.
After an intense summer of heat—and an unseasonably warm fall marathon— I’m excited to train in cooler temperatures this winter. No need to wake up early to race out the door before the U.S. east coast humidity makes runs unbearable. On the flip side, it can be challenging to fit runs in with winter’s fewer daylight hours. There’s nothing I hate more than when the sun goes down before the evening hours. In other words, “It’s five o’clock somewhere…and it’s already dark! I need a drink!”
Last year, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled after it was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Go figure.
What lies ahead
Anyway, in Virginia it’s time to trade in sweat-drenched, sunburned runs for…sweat-drenched, windburned runs. I’ll put away my shorts and t-shirts and dig out tights, at least three layers of tops, a winter hat, and gloves. Oh, and warm socks, lib balm, hand warmers, and every other cold weather running accessory. Perhaps I should toughen up a bit? Nah. How long until we’re wishing for summer weather again?
Just as with the 26.2-mile distance, marathon recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. As much as I want to run headfirst back into daily running, I must be patient and ease my way back into a running routine. It’s a privilege to run a marathon and the best way to respect that privilege is to ensure you take care of your body so you can get out there and punish your body all over again. Ah, the joys of running a marathon!
