You’ve crossed the finish line, collected your medal, and celebrated a goal that once demanded months of early mornings and long runs. Now comes the less glamorous part of the marathon: recovery. You might be eager to get back on the road—or perfectly happy to take a break.
Either way, the days and weeks after a marathon deserve as much thought as the training that got you to the starting line in the first place. Here’s how to decide how long to rest, recognize when you’re ready to return, and ease back into training so you can build toward your next goal feeling strong. Exactly when you return to running after a marathon depends on how the race went, your overall effort during it, and how you feel.
Some experts recommend one day of recovery time for every mile raced—so 26 days of rest for marathoners. And some even recommend one day of rest for each kilometer raced, which would mean 42 days of recovery. The good news is that “rest” does not have to mean no running at all (though it can).
It just means taking a break from high-intensity training such as speedwork or other races. Remember, running a race at a submaximal effort is different than racing it at a high effort. But either way, there’s no exact formula to follow for recovery after a marathon, so the best guide is really tuning in and listening to your body.
At a minimum, take three to seven days completely off from running after a marathon. Sleep in, eat, and enjoy your accomplishment. After that, begin an active recovery program.
Active recovery includes light exercise and can include some running, if you are not sore and feel mentally and physically ready to get back to it. More specifically, “light” exercise means exercising at a low-intensity level, i.e., no more than 60 to 65 percent of your max heart rate for a relatively short duration, like less than 60 minutes. Activity actually helps you recover faster than inactivity because it promotes circulation.
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