What is the best way to recover from a marathon and start training for other race?

Answer by Luis Tavares

First of all, you have to know how many marathons and which ones you want to take part in, and then make your plan.

The ideal is to run a marathon per semester, so you will have time for total recovery. In order to have a good recovery from a marathon, you need 42 days of active rest, which means easy jogging, gradually increasing the training volume. The 42 days of easy jogging means one active rest day for each km raced.

Usually my athletes do a good base training at the beginning of the year, which lasts 2 months, and then 2 or 3 months of specific training for the marathon with the emphasis on volume and racing pace. After the marathon, I give my runners a week of rest that consists of: one day jogging for 30 minutes and the following day without running. From the second week, daily jogging with gradual volume increasing. The specific training for the next marathon just starts after at the 3rd, 4th or 5th week, depending on its scheduled date. Remember that the most important thing isn't quantity, but quality. So, it is best to choose a marathon well and run a personal best than running many marathons with bad times.
Luis Tavares
Phone: 55-11-3159-8456
e-mail: e.c.tavares@uol.com.br - site: http://www.ectavares.com.br  

Answer by Carlos Gomes Ventura

The recovery from a marathon in order to take part in another race should consider these items:
a - Effort made;
b - Previous training;
c - Background on marathons and other races;
d - Psychological conditions;
e - Medical check-up
f - Family structure

The recovery process should be structured by the coach based on the items above.

Sometimes the marathon runner made excessive effort in the races and the symptoms (irritation, sleepiness, aggressiveness, lost of appetite, unhealthy looking) aren't noted. 

What I cited is preliminary to the correct way to resume the training. When the runner's recovery isn't well oriented, it leads to an accelerated aging process. You must be aware because 80% of the runners do empiric training and think they will never get problems.
Carlos Gomes Ventura
Phone: (11)3686-5384 and 4191-3490 - e-mail: cgventura@uol.com.br  

Answer by Joaquim Ferrari

My recommendation to my athletes is to not take part in more than 2 marathons per year, because they need to have a good recovery between them. This would give an interval of 5-6 months for recovery, base and specific training. There are some procedures that speed up the recovery process and reduce the risks of immunology depression and other dangerous effects of inadequate recovery. Among these procedures is the ingestion of high amounts of carbohydrates soon after the race and on the following days. You also shouldn't forget to drink a lot and ingest carbohydrates during the race. Nevertheless, there are a lot of factors to consider - like the athletic performance level, training background and others - that make the recovery process needs very individual. Anyway, 2 marathons per year is reasonable for most runners.
Joaquim Ferrari
Phone: (21)2241-2581 - e-mail: jferrari@alternex.com.br - 
Website: www.joaquimferrari.com.br

Related articles:
Carbohydrates, recovery

This article has informational purpose and  isn't a substitute for professional advice.

Back