Life After The Marathon

After experiencing the personal satisfaction of completing one's first marathon, many runners are interested in resuming their training immediately. While completing a marathon is quite exciting and motivating, extreme care must be taken in the weeks following the marathon regarding the rebuilding mileage of to pre-marathon levels.

The effects on the muscular-skeletal system are tremendous, as muscles have experienced micro-trauma, a fancy word for very small tears of the muscular tissue that normally occurs as a result of the physical demands of the marathon. This is a normal occurrence. These tears require adequate time to heal and regenerate. Jumping right into a heavy training schedule will slow down the recovery of muscles and soft-tissue. Even if the micro-trauma damage is minimal, the soft connective tissue and bones of the body are in a vulnerable state immediately following the marathon.

To reduce the possibility of incurring an injury, a prudent approach to the full resumption of training should be taken. Some training resources state that runners should take a week or so off with no running after a marathon. Instead, it is recommended to engage in cross-training activities to maintain cardio-vascular fitness while at the same time, allowing the body to rest, recover, and heal. The belief is that you must listen to what your body tells you. If you are experiencing muscular soreness, walking or easy cycling are ideal activities to loosen up the legs the week following the marathon.

Excerpt: marathon training.com

Quote of the day:
The marathon distance has become one of those ultimate challenges in life that society has recognised as an incredible feat

A very, very small percentage of the human race will ever say that they have achieved this plateau of being a Marathon Finisher

For the reward it’s a dream come true. A finisher’s medal is a visual display of your achievement, self-satisfaction that months and even years of hard training have paid off with the fruits of victory