# The Marathon Aftermath(´ëȸ¸¦ ¸¶Ä£ ÈÄ¿¡)
-by Shelly Glover
You may not have given much thought to marathon recovery. After all, you trained, ran, finished, and got your medal. With a wave of blessed relief, you realize the pressure is off. Now what?
¡á Coping - The First Few Hours and Days(´ëóÇϱâ - ¿ÏÁÖÈÄ¿Í ¸î ÀÏ)
What's more painful than running a marathon? How about the fatigue and soreness of the hours and days afterwards? Expect it, it's part of the deal. Marathon recovery goes backward. At first you'll feel worse instead of better. Whether you are bragging or licking your wounds, quicken recovery with our tips for rehydrating, refueling, and reducing soreness.
¢¹Drink and eat(¹°¸¶½Ã±â¿Í À½½Ä¸Ô±â)
Refuel with carbs and fluids soon. Drink until your urine runs light yellow or clear. This takes awhile. Of course how long depends on what you drink. A swig of beer can go straight through you and cause further dehydration. With beer your urine will be clear, but you'll still be dehydrated. At least you will think you feel better.
¢¹Ice(¾óÀ½ÂòÁú)
Contain swelling in painful areas by icing for 10 minutes or so. Repeat along with ibuprofen for the next few hours (and days) to combat inflammation.
¢¹Closure(³¡¸¶Ä¡±â)
Go ahead, hang around after the race to celebrate. Share stories of the glory and glory. When you've gathered the strength, or friends to assist you, head home for the shower. You'll feel better. The shower is optional for your friends. Some runners say a hot bath or whirlpool relaxes and loosens their muscles. Experts resist. They say heat increases inflammation and body temperature. They suggest instead cold showers or baths. No thanks. Not for me!
¢¹Stop and shop(½¬±â¿Í À庸±â)
Take a nap. The day's caffeinated gels and excitement may keep you awake, but just resting a bit is a good idea. Later, go for another walk (15 to 30 minutes) and stretch lightly, or swim to combat stiffness and help you relax. My personal solution to movement and relaxation: go shopping! Every good effort deserves a reward!
Take a bath or warm shower to loosen up. Treat injuries first with ice. Walk and stretch gently. A professional massage speeds recovery. Schedule one 24 to 48 hours after the race and another a few days later.
Get plenty of sleep. At night, go to bed early. Other times take naps. Shuteye boosts immunity and heals the overexerted body. The first few nights after a marathon, runners often have trouble sleeping. If that includes you, at least lie in bed and rest often. On the other hand, if you are having trouble staying awake, don't worry. Your body deserves the extra downtime.
¢¹Refueling and Rehydrating(¿ø±â¿Í ¼öºÐ À纸Ãæ)
It takes three to five days to refill glycogen stores. Runners often don't go for carbohydrates hard enough after the marathon. Forgetting to munch with an eye on nutrition prolongs fatigue and delays a comfortable return to training.
¡á Returning to Training - The Reverse Taper(ÈƷú¹±Í-ÈƷ÷®ÁÙÀ̱⠰ŲٷΠÇϱâ)
¢ºRebuilding(´Ù½Ã ½ÃÀÛÇϱâ)
One predictable truth about runners is - if something works, they'll change it. Case in point, if a runner runs a strong marathon, the urge is to jump back into training with a little more mileage, a little faster, a little harder, or a little more of something. This is how success breeds failure.
After your great marathon effort, don't be so anxious to start training your heart out and improve. Actually take a few easy runs to enjoy the scenery.
Hold back. Even if you feel strong, you're only as strong as your weakest (or sorest ...) spot. Take one recovery day for every mile of your race. Um, for the math challenged that's about 26 days or roughly a month. Recovery rate depends on the runner and the marathon. It's usually easier to recover from a good marathon than a disappointing one.
Biopsies done on marathoners show muscle cells take up to a month to recover from the microscopic damage inflicted during a race. Besides recovering from soreness and blisters, you need time to ignite the desire to train.
Recovery deserves as much planning as your premarathon schedule. Think of it as the premarathon taper in reverse--a few off days, then a few short runs, then a gradual increase in weekly mileage until you reach your normal, pre-marathon peak level.
¢ºTo Run or Not to Run(´Þ¸± °ÍÀΰ¡ ¸» °ÍÀΰ¡)?
Many veterans insist on running the next day, perhaps even the evening of the marathon. They believe it helps recovery. But a study by Dr. Costill at Ball State University in Indiana indicates you may be better off not even running a step for the first week. Researchers compared a group that didn't run for a week with a matched group that ran easily for 20 to 40 minutes a day. The nonrunners scored better in tests for muscle strength and endurance three days and a week after the marathon.
Why pound away on muscles that need time to repair? If you insist on working out, stick to 30 to 60 minutes of non-impact aerobic exercise. Swimming is particularly good with its natural massaging action. Frequent walks help, too.
¢ºFirst Few Return Runs(óÀ½¿¡ Á¶±ÝÇϴ ȸº¹ ´Þ¸®±â)
After a few days of nonrunning, try two to four miles per day or alternate days the rest of the week. Increase mileage the second week to no more than 25 to 50 percent of normal and to no more than 50 to 75 percent during the third and fourth post-marathon weeks (but less than this is okay). By the fourth or fifth week you may be ready to resume normal mileage. For example, this may be 40 miles a week compared to 50 miles when at peak marathon training.
¢ºPace and Speed Work(ºü¸£±â¿Í ÁúÁÖ ¿¬½À)
Forget about pace for awhile. Run easy according to how you feel. First aim to run without soreness. Then gradually get back to your normal training pace. Hard runs aren't advisable for a month or so.
Ease into speedwork. If your body is ready and willing, about 10 to 14 days after the marathon try a light speed session. Controlled fartlek or a tempo run will help you ease into quicker running. Repeat this (or put it off) the next week, or try a few long intervals at 10K pace or slower. By the fourth or fifth week, you may be able to run harder speed sessions.
Any time during your four-week "reverse taper" feel free to back off training. If you feel fatigued or sore, run less. Take plenty of extra rest days until you're back to normal. Don't run on an injury?damage is compounded in post-marathon legs. Remember, recovery is the priority for at least 4 weeks after a marathon. There's no need to rush: Research shows you won't lose much, if any, fitness.
¢ºDepression and Rebound(¿ì¿ï°ú ȸº¹)
Your emtional post-marathon experience depends some on your personality type, according to Maryellen Duane, Ph.D., clinical psychologist at Winning Lifestyles.
Newbies often have a different post experience than veteran marathoners, she explains. "For first-timers, finishing the marathon is a lifetime experience. They often revel in feelings of accomplishment and pride. Like having your first baby, there's nothing like your first marathon."
Rebound with your post marathon rush to tackle projects or lifestyle changes you've been trying to get up the nerve to do. You know, write that novel! Go get that new job! Start that internet site!
As per the Lombardi-ism, "It is time for us all to cheer for the doer, the achiever?the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it." Thanks, Vince. The doer is you. The achiever is you. You proved it finishing the marathon. Now go recognize a new challenge and do something about it !!
Unhappy competitive marathoners tend to focus on a single negative aspect of the race (for example finishing time) instead of the overall positive experience. They miss the pleasure. Come on all you narcissists; we are talking about you. That should at least make you happy!
Even if you ran a good race, you may feel down for a few weeks. Allan Steinfeld, NYRR top honcho, at the AfterMarathon Clinic compared the let-down to postpartum depression. (Here we go with that baby simile again...) "Your 'baby' has reached the finish line and your long-sought-after goal, around which your life revolved for months, has been achieved, leaving you feeling empty," he explains.
It's okay to cool serious running for awhile. Shoo away the blues by delving into stuff you had to give up while consumed by running. Duane suggests setting another challenge for yourself. "Enjoy your marathon accomplishment, then focus on a non-running goal. Try yoga, or cross country skiing. Run in a new place. Do something novel to avoid staleness." Not only does this nurture a positive focus, but helps avoid injury too.
¡Æ Generally the first week after a marathon you run very little or a few miles here or there.
¡Æ The second week try running about 10 to 20 percent of your base mileage going into the marathon. Some 15 to 20 miles for the week is usually more than enough.
¡Æ The third week after the marathon, it okay to come back up to base mileage.
¡Æ The third or fourth week try a little light speed training such as modified fartlek or a tempo run.
¡Æ After four to six weeks competitive runners, depending on conditioning, may return to racing. Novice and casual marathoners may want to take a little more time and return to racing within five to eight weeks.
After weeks and months of training a runner races the NYC Marathon, gets a time and moves on. That's that. It's over, done, kaput, fine and the end. The course is run. You've been there and done that. Onward ho, you cry, to the next race!
Slow down. Hold on. Back up. The finish line clock isn't the only valuable feedback from a marathon. A backward glance helps direct and focus where you are going with training and racing goals.
Most marathons aren't all good or all bad. While the event is vivid, mentally play back the episode. Take the time to set down what went right?and wrong?into specifics.
The objectives of analysis are to(ºÐ¼®ÀÇ ¸ñÀûÀº):
1) Reinforce what you did well(Àß Çß´ø Á¡Àº ´õ ÀßÇÏ°í).
2) Learn from your mistakes(½Ç¼ö·ÎºÎÅÍ ¹è¿ì±â ÀÔ´Ï´Ù).
Weather makes a difference in how you run. Write down the specifics for accuracy(³¯¾¾´Â ´Þ¸®±â ¹æ¹ýÀ» º¯È½Ãŵ´Ï´Ù. Á¤È®ÇÏ°Ô »ó¼¼ÇÑ »çÇ×µéÀ» ±â·ÏÇϽʽÿÀ):
¡Æ air temperature(±â¿Â)
¡Æ wind(¹Ù¶÷)
¡Æ rain(ºñ)
¡Æ humidity(½Àµµ)
¡Æ snow(´«)
¡Æ sun glare(´«ºÎ½É)
¡Æ heat(¿)
¡Æ cloud cover(±¸¸§ Á¤µµ)
¢ºCourse Conditions(ÁÖ·Î »óÅÂ)
These variables can speed or slow your time(ÀÌ·¯ÇÑ º¯¼öµéÀÌ ±â·ÏÀ» ºü¸£°Ô ȤÀº ´À¸®°Ô ÇÒ ¼ö ÀÖ½À´Ï´Ù):
¡Æ hills(¾ð´ö)
¡Æ drainage slant or camber(°íÀúµµ)
¡Æ mud and puddles(Áøâ°ú ¿õµ¢ÀÌ)
¡Æ pavement conditions including fallen leaves, loose gravel, stones, oil(³«¿±, ±ò¸° ÀÚ°¥, µ¹, ±â¸§À» Æ÷ÇÔÇÑ µµ·ÎÆ÷Àå »óÅÂ)
¡Æ car and spectator inteference(Â÷·®°ú ±¸°æ²Û¿¡ ÀÇÇÑ ¹æÇØ)
¡Æ aid station bottlenecks(±¸±Þ¼Ò Áöü)
¡Æ runner crowding conditions(´Þ¸²À̵éÀÇ È¥Àâ »óÅÂ)
¡Æ crowd support(½Ã¹ÎÀÇ ÀÀ¿ø)
¢ºMarathon Goal Time(¸¶¶óÅæ ±â·Ï)
First-timers may have wanted to just finish. Others may have wanted to run the second half faster than the first. Still others, may have wanted to beat another competitor or have enough energy to show off to the crowds on First Avenue.
Record here what you did and if it was successful. If it gave you less than optimal results come up with an alternative for next time. Cover three areas of intake - before, during and after the marathon. Here are a few suggestions to trigger your memory:
¡Æ What did you wear(¹«¾ùÀ» ÀÔ¾ú³ª)?
¡Æ Did the clothes rub or bind(º¹ÀåÀº ¸¶ÂûÀ̳ª Á¶ÀÓÀÌ ÀÖ¾ú³ª)?
¡Æ Were they the right warmth for race conditions(´ëȸÀÇ Á¶°Ç¿¡ ¸Â´Â º¹ÀåÀÌ¿´³ª)?
¡Æ Any ideas for improvement(°³¼±À» À§ÇÑ ¾î¶² »ý°¢Àº)?
¡Æ Which socks worked out(¾î¶² ¾ç¸»À» ½Å¾ú³ª)?
¢ºAches and Pains(¾ÆÇÄ°ú ÅëÁõ)
Note what hurt when and where. These twinges can be warning signs for next season's training(¾ðÁ¦ ¾îµð¼ ¾îµð°¡ ¾ÆÆÍ´ÂÁö¸¦ ±â·ÏÇϽʽÿÀ. ÀÌ·± ¾ÆÇĵéÀº ´ÙÀ½ ÈÆ·Ã ¶§¸¦ À§ÇÑ °æ°í½ÅÈ£°¡ µÉ ¼ö ÀÖ½À´Ï´Ù):
¡Æ transitory aches(ÀϽÃÀûÀÎ ¾ÆÇÄ)
¡Æ sharp pains(°Ý·ÄÇÑ ¾ÆÇÄ)
¡Æ blisters(¹°Áý)
¡Æ discomforts(ºÒÆí)
¡Æ cramps(±ÙÀ°°æ·Ã)
¡Æ where fatigue appeared first(ÇǷΰ¡ óÀ½À¸·Î ³ªÅ¸³ ÁöÁ¡)
¡Æ trips, slips, dips and zips that can results in pulls, plunges and pains(´ç±è,µ¹Áø°ú ÅëÁõÀ» À¯¹ßÇÏ´Â Çêµðµõ,¹Ì²ø¾îÁü,Àá±è,³»´Þ¸²)
¡Æ menstrual cycle status(¿ù°æ ÁÖ±â)
¢ºTraining Review(ÈÆ·Ã Àç°ËÅä)
¡Æ How many total miles did you run in training(ÈƷÿ¡¼ ÃÑ ¾ó¸¶³ª ´Þ·È³ª)?
¡Æ How long was the taper(ÈƷ÷®ÁÙÀ̱⠱ⰣÀº ¾ó¸¸°¡)?
¡Æ How many long runs of 18 to 23 miles did you complete(28.8~36.8km ±ä°Å¸® ´Þ¸®±â¸¦ ¸î¹øÀ̳ª Çß³ª)?
¡Æ While marathon training, how many races did you run and what was their quality(¸¶¶óÅæ ÈÆ·ÃÁß¿¡, ´ëȸ¿¡ ¸î¹øÀ̳ª Âü°¡¸¦ Çß°í ´ëȸÀÇ ¼º°ú(Áú)´Â ¾î¶²°¡)?
¡Æ best parts of race(´ëȸ¿¡¼ °¡Àå ÁÁ¾Ò´ø ºÎºÐ)
¡Æ lessons learned(¹è¿î Á¡)
¡Æ comments(³íÆò)
¡Æ goals for next marathon(´ÙÀ½ ´ëȸ ¸ñÇ¥)
¡á Post-Marathon Cold(´ëȸ ÈÄ °¨±â)
One in seven marathoners will get a cold during the first two weeks after the marathon. Yuck! That's a six times greater risk than controls who did not run a marathon. Maybe marathoning should come with a Surgeon General's warning, "Marathoning may be bad for your health." Yeah, well, before you start running away from running, look at it this way: six out of seven marathoners do not get colds after running a marathon. Now, which is the newsworthy headline?
The take-home message here is that exercise at mild to moderate levels increases immunity. The intense level of marathon racing lowers immunity temporarily to upper-respiratory tract infections, e.g. colds.Young rookie marathoners are more at risk than veteran competitors. I'll write more about this in a later installment complete with interview with Dr. David Nieman Ph.D., one of the world's leading authorities on exercise and immunity.
In the meantime to stay healthy(±×·°Àú·° °Ç°ÇÏ°Ô Áö³»±â À§Çؼ):
¡Æ Wash your hands frequently(ÀÚÁÖ ¼ÕÀ» ¾ÄÀ¸½Ê½Ã¿À)
¡Æ Get your rest (ÈÞ½ÄÀ» ÃëÇϼ¼¿ä)
¡Æ Avoid unnecessary stress(ºÒÇÊ¿äÇÑ ½ºÆ®·¹½º´Â ÇÇÇϽʽÿÀ)
¡Æ Eat properly(ÀûÀýÇÏ°Ô Àâ¼ö¼¼¿ä)
¡Æ Avoid that sneezing, coughing germ-incubating co-worker(º´¿ø±ÕÀÌ Æ÷ÇÔµÈ µ¿·áÀÇ ±âħ, Àçä±â¸¦ ÇÇÇϽʽÿÀ)
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SHELLY GLOVER has a master's degree in exercise physiology from Columbia University. She co-authored The Runner's Handbook and The Competitive Runner¡¯s Handbook [both available in the online bookstore] and is a veteran road runner and marathoner. She also coaches Mercury Masters and The Greater New York Racing Team. She can be reached with specific questions by e-mail.