The stress placed upon the body during the build up training and the physical stress on the day of the event is huge. It is essential that a period of recovery is planned in for the week post event, this allows for the physical depletion and the muscular damage to the body to start to repair and reduce the likelihood of an injury occurring.
Immediately you cross the finish line you will probably just want to stop moving and not move another step. Once you have caught your breath, by having a walk/jog around and a small stretch at the end of the run will have huge benefits for the short and medium-term.
You should allow about one day recovery for every mile that you have raced. This does not mean that you should stop running during this period, but reduce the intensity and duration of the runs. It might be a good time to do some cross training during this period (cycling, swimming, etc.).
Patience during this period means that getting back into your training programme will be both progressive and safe. Stretching on a daily basis and having a massage during this week will also be of a great benefit. Stretching is of course something that you can do at home, hold the stretches for a minimum of 30-40 seconds and stretch all of the muscles of the legs and pelvis. If you have any questions on this or any other topics about running or sport in general, please feel free to call the Drummond Clinic Team on 01628 639532.