Whether you’ve just crossed the finish line of your first marathon, tackled an ultra-marathon, or spent hours navigating the hills on race day, you’ve asked a huge amount of your body.
The temptation afterwards is often to collapse on the nearest chair, enjoy the finish line snacks, and proudly wear your medal for the next week (we’re fully on board with the last one 🏅).
But what you do in the first few hours and days after your race can make a real difference to how quickly you recover, how sore you feel, and how prepared your body is for your next training block.
The good news?
Recovery doesn’t need to involve expensive gadgets or complicated routines. Most of the biggest wins come from getting the basics right.
Here are five of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support recovery after endurance events.
1. Prioritise Nutrition (Your Recovery Starts Within the First Hour)
Once you’ve finished a marathon or ultra, your muscles are running low on glycogen (their preferred fuel source), you’ve broken down muscle protein through hours of exercise, and you’ve probably lost a significant amount of fluid and electrolytes.
Recovery nutrition isn’t about “earning” food.
It’s about giving your body the building blocks it needs to repair itself.
Aim to include:
✅ Carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores
✅ Protein to support muscle repair
✅ Fluids and electrolytes to replace sweat losses
Current sports nutrition guidelines generally recommend:
- Around 1.0-1.2 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per hour for the first few hours after prolonged endurance exercise if rapid recovery is important.
- Around 20-40 g of high-quality protein, containing approximately 2-3 g of leucine, to maximise muscle protein synthesis.
You don’t need to overcomplicate it.
Good recovery meals might include:
- Chicken, rice and vegetables
- Greek yoghurt with fruit and granola
- Eggs on toast
- A protein smoothie with banana and oats
- Jacket potato with tuna
If your stomach feels unsettled immediately after finishing (very common after long races), start with easily digestible foods and build up gradually. Chocolate milk is a great start as it has the perfect ratio of carbs to fats!
2. Keep Moving (Even Though You Really Don’t Want To)
After running for several hours, the first instinct is usually to stop moving completely.
Ironically, that’s often when everything begins to stiffen up.
Research consistently shows that active recovery is generally more effective than complete rest for reducing feelings of stiffness and maintaining circulation.
This doesn’t mean heading out for another run.
Instead think:
- A gentle 10-20 minute walk after the race
- Easy movement later that evening
- Light walking over the following few days
- Gentle mobility work
Movement helps maintain blood flow and often makes those first few post-race days feel much more manageable.
The key word here is gentle.
Recovery is not the time for “no pain, no gain.”
3. Don’t Skip Sleep (It’s Your Best Recovery Tool)
If there was a recovery supplement that improved muscle repair, supported your immune system, restored hormones, enhanced learning and improved performance…
…everyone would buy it.
Fortunately, it’s free.
Sleep is where much of your body’s recovery takes place.
During deep sleep your body increases protein synthesis, releases growth hormone, repairs damaged tissues and restores your nervous system.
Unfortunately, many runners actually sleep worse after races.
This can happen because of:
- Elevated adrenaline
- Muscle soreness
- Dehydration
- Late finishes
- Travel
- Celebration meals
- Caffeine intake
If possible, make recovery sleep a priority for the next few nights.
Simple strategies include:
- Hydrate well during the evening
- Eat enough (being under-fuelled can affect sleep)
- Keep your bedroom cool and dark
- Avoid excessive alcohol
- Give yourself permission to sleep in if your schedule allows
One poor night’s sleep won’t ruin recovery.
Several good nights afterwards can make a huge difference.
4. Manage Muscle Soreness Without Chasing Every Recovery Trend
Social media is full of recovery “hacks.”
Ice baths.
Compression boots.
Massage guns.
Fancy recovery devices costing hundreds of pounds.
The reality?
Many of these have relatively modest benefits.
The biggest evidence-backed recovery strategies remain:
- Good nutrition
- Hydration
- Sleep
- Appropriate movement
That doesn’t mean other recovery tools are useless.
Some can help people feel better, even if they don’t dramatically speed up tissue recovery.
Examples include:
Foam rolling
Research suggests foam rolling may help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and temporarily improve range of motion.
It doesn’t need to be painful.
A few minutes on larger muscle groups is plenty.
Gentle stretching
Despite popular belief, stretching doesn’t appear to significantly reduce DOMS.
However, many runners simply feel less stiff afterwards.
That’s a perfectly valid reason to include it.
Compression garments
Evidence is mixed, but some studies suggest compression clothing may slightly reduce perceived soreness following endurance events.
If you already own them and like wearing them, there’s little downside.
Ice baths
Ice baths remain controversial.
While they may temporarily reduce soreness, regularly using cold-water immersion immediately after training may reduce some of the muscle adaptations you’re actually trying to achieve.
For one-off races, they may help you feel more comfortable, particularly if you have another event shortly afterwards.
For everyday training recovery, they’re probably less important than social media would have you believe.
5. Listen To Your Body Before Jumping Back Into Training
This is probably the hardest one.
Many runners feel surprisingly good two or three days after a marathon.
The soreness fades.
Energy starts coming back.
The temptation to “just do an easy run” creeps in.
Internally though, recovery is still happening.
Research shows that markers of muscle damage, inflammation and neuromuscular fatigue can remain elevated for several days—and sometimes weeks—after marathon running.
Your cardiovascular fitness often recovers faster than your muscles and connective tissues.
That’s why runners sometimes feel capable of running before their body has fully recovered.
Instead of following a strict timeline, pay attention to how you’re feeling.
Ask yourself:
- Is everyday walking comfortable?
- Are stairs pain-free?
- Has muscle soreness mostly settled?
- Am I sleeping normally again?
- Do I actually feel energised rather than just impatient?
If the answer is no, another rest day is unlikely to undo months of training.
Recovery is part of training.
Not a break from it.
Where Does Sports Massage Fit In?
Sports massage is one of the most commonly used recovery strategies among endurance athletes.
The research suggests it may provide small improvements in perceived muscle soreness and wellbeing, although it doesn’t appear to dramatically accelerate physiological muscle recovery.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile.
Many runners report benefits including:
- Feeling less stiff
- Improved comfort when moving
- Temporary improvements in flexibility
- An opportunity to identify particularly tight or overloaded areas
- Helping them transition comfortably back into training
Rather than seeing sports massage as a “fix”, think of it as one tool within a much bigger recovery toolkit.
At The Health Studio, we often combine sports massage with practical advice around movement, pacing your return to training, and simple self-management strategies that you can continue at home.
A Few Things To Avoid
In the excitement after finishing, it’s easy to forget that your body has been under significant stress.
Try to avoid:
- Returning to hard training too quickly
- Skipping meals because you’re not hungry
- Relying heavily on alcohol for rehydration
- Ignoring pain that feels different from normal muscle soreness
- Comparing your recovery to someone else’s
Everyone recovers differently.
Age, training history, race distance, terrain, weather conditions, nutrition and sleep all influence how quickly your body bounces back.
The Bottom Line
The best recovery strategies aren’t usually the most glamorous.
They’re the ones that are backed by years of sports science research:
✔ Eat enough carbohydrates and protein.
✔ Rehydrate with fluids and electrolytes.
✔ Keep gently moving.
✔ Prioritise sleep.
✔ Give your body enough time before returning to hard training.
Recovery isn’t something that happens after training.
Recovery is part of your training.
Treat it with the same care as your race preparation, and your body will thank you when it’s time to pin on the next race number.
References
American College of Sports Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics & Dietitians of Canada. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2016.
Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016.
Dupuy O, et al. An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018.
Barnett A. Using Recovery Modalities Between Training Sessions in Elite Athletes. Sports Medicine. 2006.
Wiewelhove T, et al. A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Foam Rolling on Performance and Recovery. Frontiers in Physiology. 2019.
Davis HL, et al. The Effects of Massage Therapy on Sports and Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2020.
Vitale KC, Weydahl A. Chronotype, Physical Activity and Sport Performance. Sports Medicine. 2017 (sleep and recovery overview).