Post-Marathon: Let Yourself Recover

It takes your body a few weeks to recover from a marathon, especially for beginners. Even though you feel great, resist the temptation to sign up for that other marathon in town three weeks later. You can get away with this once you have had some experience with marathons and your body is used to the stress, but it is always a risk because you are still recovering. Even if you didn’t run hard or fast, be sure to respect the marathon distance, because your body will respond with an overuse injury if you don’t allow time to rest. But rest doesn’t mean that you have to sit and do nothing (although that’s fine, too). Walking is a great post-marathon activity, as is easy running, biking, and yoga. I’m not saying don’t run, but give yourself at least few weeks off from weekly long runs if you want to train for another marathon.