Long runs are refreshing and remediating, but it’s typical to feel worn out after, with induced muscle cramps and aches that last longer than a fortnight. However, what if there was a way to recover within a short span and feel just fine in just a few days?
Usually, it’s best to pre-treat your post-run body to lessen injury and prep for the next long-run session. But how do you do that, and which ways are the safest?
This video brings you up to speed with the best post-run routine to help you recover better. So, let’s dig in without further ado.
Recovering Immediately after a Long Run
The body typically wants rest when fatigued. However, that should come moments later if you’re going to recover quickly.
Before laying down and taking that profound, refreshing shower and a subsequent nap, you should ease your body into the resting phase using these tips:
Take a 15-Minute Walk
A walk is more or less like a low-intensity run and acclimatizes your muscles into the resting phase. A big mistake would be throwing yourself on the ground and remaining innate for minutes. Therefore, remember to stretch the distance with a 15-minute walk before finally stopping movement.
Stretch Your Muscles
You can stretch your muscles afterward, particularly in your legs. It helps minimize the chances of having sore and stiff legs, which can delay your next long run.
You might therefore want to grab your foam roller and gently stretch your legs for about 10 minutes.
Stay hydrated
Water helps replenish the water you lost during your long run. Sporty drinks have loaded minerals to replace lost electrolytes and sugars. So, it’d help if you stayed hydrated on end to promote recovery.
Drinking plenty of water helps ease muscle and joint movement, minimizing pain.
Be sure to drink not less than eight glasses of water, but please don’t overdo it. Drinking too much water can reduce the electrolyte and sugar concentrations, negatively impacting your recovery.
You could also add a bit of chocolate milk to buff up your carbohydrates and protein. You need these nutrients more than you imagine after your long runs.
Rest
It’d help if you aimed to rest three hours after your long run. That could be taking a nap or laying docile on the couch to help your muscles recover.
An hour’s nap or sleeping for about three hours can be just fine. Or, you could stretch that span to as long as you feel adequately relaxed.
Pretty sure you’ll feel more relieved, and a significant part of your pain and fatigue will have disappeared.
Please remember that your post-run recovery shouldn’t stop at that. But, it’d be best to stretch it through the next few days.
Recovering 12 Hours and Beyond after Long Runs
Most people would dash back into being more vigorous again after a few hours post-surgery. However, doing so is pretty vague, significantly when your body hasn’t completely recovered.
Therefore, it’s good to stretch through the next few hours and days with more remediating post-run recovery sessions. Here’s what you should do.
Hydrate More
Remember to drink sufficient water to stay hydrated and well in shape. Water makes it much easier to maintain muscle flexibility and balance the electrolytes.
Especially so, mineralized water and other sporty drinks help with that, big time.
Even though you may possibly not feel like it, drinking water should be a no-brainer if you want to fast-track your recovery.
Stretch Further with Some Yoga
Your body should be in a position to stretch after 12 hours, and your muscles should handle more tension better. Therefore, it’s ideal that you incorporate some yoga, especially those that hit your legs more.
Stretching helps flush out the remaining lactic acid in the muscles to eliminate fatigue and soreness.
Make Short Walks Your Staple
The short walks that come hours after your long runs help impact your recovery. While you prefer resting your legs, you should stay active, especially if you’re eyeing another long run in the next few days.
A twenty-minute walk can be sufficient as long as it helps you relax rather than knacker you.
Walking helps you regain your grit and resolve to run again; hence it’s remediating and preparatory at the same time.
Eat Healthily
You need to eat healthily, and there are no bargains if you want to regain energy and be ready to run again.
That means eating a balanced diet with all the essential minerals and nutrients that keep you in shape.
As you plan your meals, include some protein, vitamins, and enough carbohydrates. However, it’d help if you didn’t forget to include minerals like sodium and calcium to keep your frame sturdier.
Get Plenty Of Sleep
Sleep is essential in post-run recovery. A night’s sleep is more impactful since it gives your body time to replace worn-out cells and enhance your recovery.
Usually, sleeping for at least eight hours the night after your long run is best. Even so, you need to follow it up with more sleep in the days that follow to make your healing process more impactful.
Here’s a Bonus on Easing Back Into Activity after Recovery
It’s recommended that you take a few days to rest before getting yourself back to the touchline. Once you feel ready, you can get back to being vigorous.
Keep in mind that you need to ease in with a seamless transition, especially if you aren’t sure that you’ve healed completely. Here’s what you should do.
Listen to Your Body
You know your body better, and you can tell how you feel based on how your body responds to the recovery. Be keen on the clues your body gives you, and please ditch your plans to return to total activity if your body doesn’t feel like it.
Start With Low-Impact Activity
You can resume activity once you feel your body is okay with that. However, go easy with brief jogging sessions before you turbo charge with prolonged, strenuous exercise.
Pretty sure that you’ll be ready to go for your long runs after a few days.
Summing Up
We hope this video will help you with your post-run recovery better. Continue staying active, healthy, and fabulous!