Congrats! You successfully reached your goal of completing an ultramarathon and you were challenged mentally and physically. But now, the race is over, your body is sore, your mind is tired, so what do you do?
… Eat ice cream of course! Just kidding. Okay, maybe you can have a little ice cream.
It always bothered me that the training plans that I’ve used never told me what to do after the race. So that’s why I’m creating this guide for you.
PHYSICAL
Post race
- Rehydrate with Pedialyte
- Take a warm shower
- Stay off your feet
- Get a good night’s sleep
For me, the first thing I do is drink Pedialyte! Seriously, I chug the baby drinks. Pedialyte has been my go-to post race drink ever since I was training for Ironman Wisconsin in 2017. It contains tons of electrolytes and the Mango flavor is delicious.
You probably won’t be starving by the end of the race, but nibble on something light immediately post race and then save the larger meal for later when your appetite returns.
Once you get home, take a long, hot shower, and eat whatever you want.
For the rest of the day or night, stay off your feet and relax. Careful with those stairs!
Finally, once of the most important things that you can do post race is ensure that get a good night’s sleep.
Day after
- Do some light walking
- Epsom salt baths
- Stretching SAM and with foam roller
Once you awake from your slumber, hopefully you are able to relax and don’t have too many activities going on. You’ll likely be sore, but I like to try and go for a light walk to get the blood flowing through my body.
I also like to take a hot bath with Epson salts. Turn off the lights, fire up some candles, and relax. You’re an ultramarathoner!
At some point during the day, you’re going to want to do some stretching. My favorite stretches come from Coach Jay Johnson . If you’ve been doing these stretches as part of your training, you can go with whatever phase you are in. If you are finding this for the first time, just start with Phase 1, Easy Day.
If you have a foam roller, prepare for pain!
When I was training for Ironman, I never stretched and I ended up with IT band syndrome. It got to the point where I couldn’t run more than 2 minutes without having a deep, sharp pain in the knees. From there, I met with a physical therapist who recommend several stretches and exercises that I could do to get back to running. They also recommended getting a foam roller to massage my IT band, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
This is the one that I use that I highly recommend.
Week after
- Light cross training exercise
The week after your ultramarathon should be all about rest and light cross-training exercise. The important thing is that you shouldn’t return to intense exercise too quickly.
Here’s what my first week looked like after my first 50k race on a Saturday.
| Sun | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat |
| REST STRETCH ICE CREAM | REST | 20 mins bike | REST | 20 mins bike | 20 mins bike | 20 mins bike |
It took me 3 or 4 full days of rest, stretching, and light exercise before I started to feel recovered. As you can see, towards the end of the week, I started to be more consistent with the exercise but still at a very light pace.
MENTAL
As some of you already know, training and competing in endurance events takes a toll on our minds just as much as our bodies. It can be tough to stick with a training plan, to force yourself to get up in the early hours every day, eating healthy foods and avoiding the foods you may love, and then get through the challenge of the race.
So we should have a plan for our mental recovery as well!
Other tips
- Thank the people who supported you and spend time with them
- Write a race report
- Document what you learned about yourself
- Don’t be in a hurry to return to training
- Do NOT come back hard after an ultra
- Don’t forget to celebrate
One of the first things I try and do is thank the people around me. I start with Emily, and reflect on all the ways that she helped me through the process, from allowing me to take the time to train, to making breakfast after long runs, to driving through the snow storm in order to get to race event, waking up at 5:30 am on race day, and sticking through the race day conditions to support me in one of the hardest events I’ve done.
I also like to race directors and volunteers for putting together a great race and giving me the opportunity, and then I send a thank you message to all the people who supported me through training. It’s not about about the race, it’s about the person you become along the way. Make sure you tell them how much they have been a part of your training
I just started doing this, but I wrote my first race report. This can be a helpful way to relive the race and reflect on what did you learn? What went well? What didn’t go as well? What will you do differently next time?
The mind needs recovery just as much as the body, so don’t rush back. That’s a great recipe for injury and I think it’s as important to give your mind a break as resting your body.
Above all, don’t forget to celebrate! And not just the race, but the person you are becoming along the way.
Join our journey!
If you want to be a part of our journey, check out our Instagram here or by saying hi at hello.endurify@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you on your 2020 goals and how we can help. Are you thinking about signing up for a triathlon, half or full marathon?