It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five. You may have seen that I ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend (recap) for the first time since 2007. [Lacey from Fairytales and Fitness ran, too, and we met up. Here’s her recap.]
I talked to a few runners (especially first timers) who wondered what I do after the marathon. Here are my tips!
5 Things to Do Post-Marathon
Celebrate. Whether this is your first marathon or your fiftieth, celebrate your success. How? However you like! We joined a group of finishers and fans at a brew pub. Other friends had their favorite meals or treats. Some people bought all the finisher gear and had their medals engraved.
One cool way to celebrate and commemorate your marathon is with a custom print from Run Ink. Check out the Chicago Marathon collection here. They also have mugs, calendars, ornaments and other fun items. Run Ink will send one lucky reader a $25 gift card. Read to the end for a giveaway.
Recover. You trained hard. Give yourself some time to recover. There are some metrics on how many days to take off. Some people say 1 day per mile that you’ve run. I’ve never subscribed to that (which is great because the NYC marathon is 21 days from Chicago). I do believe in not running hard or doing any intense workouts for 5 – 10 days. That’s what works for me. If you still feel sore, try walking or elliptical to move your legs.
Self Care. Get a massage or a pedicure or both. Try Cryotherapy or Normatec booths. I’ve taken a few epsom salt baths and have been using my CryoFreeze CBD roll on. I’ve also been using Kamedis Hydrating Gel Cream on my feet. It’s amazing for dry winter feet but also for those areas that get roughed up for me after the marathon.
Whatever you like for self care, do that!
Post-Mortem. After a few days, think about what went well, what went OK and what you would do differently. I heard pro runner Jordan Hasay speak earlier this year and she writes a “good, better, next” list. She said even on bad days something was good. She likes to think about what could be better and what she’ll do next time. Don’t wallow in it, but do think about it!
Look Ahead. This means something different to everyone, but if you’re like me… you sign up for your next marathon.
What do you do after your big event is complete?
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Please note: I was provided the Run Ink print at no cost in exchange for editorial consideration. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.