Friday Five Link-up with

Eat, Pray, Run DC,   Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What?

For today’s theme,

5 Ways to recover from your Marathon

Running a marathon is tough.

Obviously.

We spend literally months preparing for something that we hope we can finish in just a few hours with the fewer being the better.   Then the race is over and we are left wondering what to do now.   Well before we can decide on that, we need to recover from said marathon.    This really is an area most of us need to work on some.    So here is what I did this time and I think it’s been working out pretty goo.

1.  Make sure to stretch afterwards.    Yes, we all want our metal and the festivities that go with it; but take some time to stretch too.   I, honestly, don’t stretch enough but do it throughout the festivities.  For example when I was waiting in line to purchase my Brooks finisher t-shirt, I stretched my calves.
2. Go for a nice leisure walk the next day.  Take the dog.   Take a friend.  Walk for coffee, but just keep moving.   I know that you think you just want to sit, but I believe it’s better to move.
3. Rest!   Yes, I know that I said to move, but you move some and then you rest some.  And I mean really rest.    You just put your body through a lot, so give it a break.   It needs time to recover, so take it easy.   Get extra sleep.  Curl up on the couch with that magazine you never had time to read during all your training.
4. Get a massage and a good one!   I got the best and I do mean the best Sports massage which also included gentle stretching.  I’ve honestly never had one that incorporated the stretching into it, but I liked it.   I really, really liked it even if she had to tell me to relax in the beginning.  I really credit this with taking away so much of what was knotted up.
5.   After a few days, go for a slow JOG.   I don’t mean run.   I mean jog!   No watch.   No pace.   Just move a little for a few miles.   Go with friends if possible and just enjoy the company.   If possible end said run with Dunkin Donuts coffee too!

What do you do to recover?