Marathon Recovery - What’s normal?
It’s been 48hrs since the sydney Marathon, and whether you went the whole Hog or just part of the way, you might be wondering whether you should still be sore?
“DOMS” or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is a normal part of recovery after a particularly strenous or long workout/run. You’ve probably felt it before and physiotherapists see this all the time - I have even had patients come in describing a “weird pain” for 1-2 days after the gym every week! That session didn’t last very long :)
DOMS is the breakdown of muscle tissue (1) that is required to build stronger and more efficient muscles. But what happens if you are still limping tomorrow? What are the warning signs that this is not just a typical muscle soreness?
Persistent pain that does not ‘warm up’ - rather than both legs or both calves being sore, if one muscle or joint in particular is still bothering tomorrow, it could be a sign of injury
Tendon pain - this is a big one after a period of ‘overload’. If you take 30 minutes to get going, limping on your achilles or sore heel, you need to be assessed.
Knee pain up and down stairs - patellofemoral pain is one of the most common injuries and is nicknamed “runner’s knee” for a reason. This one won’t go away on it’s own!
Low back pain - could be a sign of inappropriate loading during running, if this persists longer than 48 hours after your run, physio may be helpful.
Any swelling or bruising - is not normal and should be assessed by a physio.
If you have done your prep, and have recovered well, congratulations! Take one to two weeks to let your body fully recover from race day, then slowly build back up.
If you get to Wednesday this week still struggling along, reach out for some help.
Our best advice for runners:
Build slowly and consistently
Training ‘error’ i.e. too much too soon or too little kms before race day, is the biggest cause of running niggles
Train how you want to run
Train outside if you intend to run your race outside. Train hills if your course has hills.
Do not ignore the gym!!!
All runners would benefit from strength training, that’s what keeps you in the game.
(1) Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness : treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Med. 2003;33(2):145-64. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200333020-00005. PMID: 12617692.