Athletico Health Resources

Completing a marathon is an incredible achievement, but the journey doesn’t end at the finish line. The hours and days following a marathon are crucial for recovery and preventing injuries. Physical therapy plays a significant role in helping runners bounce back effectively. In this blog post, we will discuss essential post-marathon recovery strategies that every runner should consider. These tips, recommended by physical therapists, will help you minimize soreness, reduce the risk of injuries, and get back to running with confidence.

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Embarking on a running routine brings many health benefits. More robust cardiovascular fitness, enhanced daily energy, improved body composition, and greater stamina are all scientifically known benefits of running. These benefits, however, are based on a regular and consistent habit of running. Are you interested in starting a running program, but unsure where to start? This blog has you covered. Here, you will find an all-inclusive 8-week program for new runners. This plan is great for brand-new runners, with little or no prior experience. First, some things to consider:

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Congratulations! You did it! 26.2 is a long way, particularly on foot. Take some time to embrace your journey, your success, and the obstacles you overcame. Take a look below for the top 3 tips of how to embrace your mental health after running a marathon and avoid the post-marathon blues.

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Our Achilles tendons don’t often get the praise they deserve. These large tendons on the back of our lower leg are surprisingly strong, and vitally important, especially for runners. The Achilles connects the muscles in our calves to our heel bones. Specifically, they connect the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the back of our calcaneus bone. Because of their attachment point, the Achilles tendons help propel us forward when we walk, run, or jump. Through this attachment, our Achilles tendons can withstand up to ten times our normal body weight when we run or jump. Just think about how many strides you took during your last run, and how many times up to ten times your body weight was placed on your Achilles tendon! Luckily you had a tough Achilles tendon to absorb all that force.

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Stamina and endurance are often used as interchangeable descriptors in the world of endurance sports. ‘Runners are known for impressive stamina’ or ‘Triathletes train their bodies for maximal endurance’ are synonymous on the surface. However, stamina and endurance do not have the same technical meaning. Stamina relates to an individual’s ability to sustain peak energy output. Endurance relates to the length of time an individual can sustain moderate level activity.

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For those that don’t know me, I am nothing like your typical marathon runner. I have the build more so of an offensive lineman, nothing like the marathoners you see in the media. But I am always up for a good challenge. I signed up through a charity in late-2021 for the 2022 Chicago Marathon.

I knew running a marathon wouldn’t be easy. But there are so many unexpected challenges that arise along the way.

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Runners are known to push into pain in pursuit of their goals. Setting a new 5k PR or training for a marathon involves an unavoidable degree of discomfort. However, some nagging aches and pains are our body’s way of telling us something needs fixing. Whether you are a rearfoot or forefoot runner, a large amount of force goes through your ankle when you run¹. While knee or ankle pain could be normal delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from running, it could also be related to ankle mobility².

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Running can place up to 3 times your body weight of force on the body. Because of this extremely high demand, having a strong core is important. The core muscles include the diaphragm, transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, obliques, pelvic floor, and multifidus. These muscles provide stability to the trunk when the arms and legs are being used, as well as through an axial load (which occurs during running). A strong core to absorb all of the force described above with running is critical to prevent injuries. Below you will find a complete core workout to help encourage core strength to help prevent injuries.

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