Discussing recovery post endurance events and the tools to aid the athlete. None
This is an article primarily for marathon or Ultra marathon recovery. It is of course adaptable to other endurance sports or even long training sessions but as with most things there are many ways to skin a cat. If what you do post event works for you, then I would be loath to change it, without some research and talking to experts in whichever area is applicable. Most of what follows is both anecdotal and my own take on articles and the science I have read, so make up your own mind and do your own research (or pay a qualified coach to do it for you).
A good coach not only plans your training but also your recovery. This is vital for your fitness progression as well as your general health and well-being. I, like most coaches, like to have a structure. Mine is loosely based on an adaptation of periodisation. Tudor Bompa wrote a seminal book called Periodization, which delves into the finer detail but for the purposes of this opinion piece a microcycle means a short phase or stage of training or in this instance, recovery. The key to the success of the recovery process is to have it pre planned and to have all the necessary ‘tools’ to hand post-race. Either by having a checklist to pack your post-race bag or having an excellent and well informed support crew. The first microcycle is detailed below and in the coming months I will post the other recovery microcycles. This article is not written in a timeline format, one recovery strategy is not done before the other, and dropping one strategy or method will not necessarily impact on the effectiveness of another.
The Initial attack:
The first microcycle spans immediately post-race and lasts 24 hours. So as soon as you cross the finish line the recovery starts. The aim is to prevent extending the post-race effects on your body as well and getting back to full race fitness as soon as possible. This means you should continue walking, in circles if you have to, to prevent postural hypotension and to keep the blood pumping in those tired muscles. The body is already repairing itself by transporting oxygen and nutrients to the damaged tissues to rebalance the oxygen debt and begin repairing the tissue. It is also transporting the waste products away from the damaged tissues so that the body may deal with them (in the lungs, kidney, liver etc.). This is also one of the reasons that the post marathon massage is very light and effective. While massage has no known side effects, a review by Weerapong et al. did report that some studies have shown that massage effectively reduced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), while in other studies no effect was seen. In the various studies the definition of recovery and the methods used varied however one salient point in the review is that the psychological effect of massage showed merit.
Some Ironman events have Ice baths available at the finish line and there is a growing amount of research supporting the use of Ice baths and contrast baths (alternating hot and cold baths), which does not clearly recommend one bath over the other but confirms both as an aid to recovery. Not just the cold (the bath doesn’t really need to be much colder than cold tap water so when you’re at home you can spare yourself hauling buckets of ice up the stairs). The immersion in the water leads to the hydrostatic pressure having a light compression effect on the submerged tissues which assists in normalising the intramuscular pressure gradient, helping the valves in the veins with the blood flow and getting blood fluid back where it should be by decreasing the muscular swelling. The contrast baths using alternating vasodilation in the warm bath and vasoconstriction in the cold bath as a method for the blood ,superficially, to ‘clean’ or ‘pump’ and assist the hydrostatic pressure in transport of the blood back to the heart and on to the various organs of the body. My preference is for a ten minute ice bath (or contrast bath protocol) while consuming my post-race fluids and nutrition. Bosak et al. showed in their study in 5k runners that cold water immersion had benefit on recovery but that its effects on performance varied amongst the individuals.
You also need to start your fluid management. Even if you are an elite marathoner, you will have been on the go for at least two hours, meaning that you will be dehydrated to some degree. While there is some debate on hydration strategies and how far you can dehydrate and preform at your peak level, it is imperative that you rehydrate post-race to aid recovery. How much you should hydrate and the water to electrolyte mix required will depend on a huge amount of factors but you should try and concentrate on aggressive fluid replacement for the first two hours post event. I find cool fluids work best as they can also help as a heat sink to lower your perceived body temperature. The muscular system generates quite a bit of heat when active. The nutritional side of the recovery I will leave to the nutrition experts but you should be consuming some carbohydrates and protein within the first half hour of finishing the event or training session. The exact amount with depend on your body weight and the delivery of the nutrients will depend on your logistics but I like to consume solids at this point as when I race quiet a lot of my calories are taken in liquid or gel form, solids become a treat. In case you misunderstand, electrolytes (sodium etc.) and carbohydrates should be included in rehydration beverages to aid in the immediate restoration of muscle glycogen stores and this represents a cornerstone of your recovery strategy. Cost will become a factor if you consume commercially finished sports nutrition, but a banana washed down with chocolate milk has not broken most peoples piggy bank yet and while I have not experimented with making my own sports drink at home, this can also be a cheaper alternative. Try and avoid diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine (mild), although there are a few promising studies showing alcohol free beer to be acceptable as a post-race beverage. In other research it shows that it is acceptable to rehydrate up to an alcohol content of 2-4% provided the fluid intake is larger than the urine output. Alcohol also raises the cortisol a stress hormone which might inhibit recovery.
So you have crossed the finish line and continued to walk, all the way to the massage table queue (performing some very mild stretching en route) by way of your fluids and nutrition, you have had your massage or you’re in the process of having it. The ice bath can wait till later if it must. You have rehydrated enough to need to urinate, observing the colour of your urine to benchmark against a pee chart, which a great many exist on the internet or the wall of your gym’s toilet. This pretty much covers your first half hour to first hour.
In the next phase which will span from the first half hour up to two hours post-race, will include some light walking, and gentle stretching (limiting your sitting in cramped confines such as transport) but will also include a more targeted stretching routine dependant on the activity you have undertaken. A very light dynamic stretching or a trigger point style routine will be fine as long as you don’t over exert or overdo it. My preference is for some myofascial release such as using a foam roller or the ‘stick’, but if Wharton’s AIS or trigger point therapy floats your boat, then carry on using whatever method you’re comfortable with.
Compression clothes are very popular and are derived from the medical compression stockings which have a wealth of research over many years supporting their use. While I have yet to see a comprehensive study on sports compression clothing and their performance benefits during the race, the mixed research reviews available seem to support their use in recovery. A recent study albeit in sprints by rugby players seemed to show no determinable effect while sprinting, but it did show a small effect in the limited recovery between sprints in the compression wearing players. Just be aware that most of the readily available compression gear is graduated and therefore requires correct sizing and usage. There are few contra indications but inform yourself as to the particulars of the brand and type you are using and make sure you have gotten the right size.
Within the first two hours you should be consuming your recovery meal. Protein and carbohydrates are on the cards. A well balanced meal post-race full of fresh nutrients is the order of the day. You are eating both to replace what you have used and also to help the body recover. There are numerous websites and experts out there to help you calculate the amounts you need to eat for your bodyweight to recover. Also worth eating and drinking are some anti-inflammatory foods such as ginger and cherry juice for example. Stay natural, no need to pop a pill when fresh pineapple will do. If you find it hard to eat a meal then plan on snacking throughout the day especially if you have a sensitive stomach, you need the nutrients to recovery and you need them in a timely fashion in adequate amounts. Your diet before the race also has bearing on your potential to recover, as any diet deficiency might lead to early fatigue in the race, which would require ‘more’ recovery or might even influence the athlete in acquiring an injury in the latter phases of the race. So you need to prepare for your recovery before you race.
Any injuries that you may have picked up during the event also need attention as soon as possible. Avoid long periods of sitting, such as car travel, begin self-treatment of any niggles or strains you might have picked up, seek treatment from suitably qualified practitioners should this be required. R.I.C.E (Rest, ice, compression, elevation) is a golden oldie but a good basis to start from. Basically get flat and rest, if this mean commandeering the couch at home to lie out with your feet up, I am sure your other half will understand. Or maybe not! Try to understand, if your partner is a non-runner that they usually understand and sometimes agree to be supportive but to a non-runner, the race ends with the finish line so be prepared to thread softly for a week or two.
A much forgotten tool in recovery is sleep, in a 2007 study, Reilly et al suggested that sleep might have beneficial effects on recovery especially that sleep deprivation may slow or impair the recovery process by affecting the immune and endocrine systems. If the immune system is depressed post marathon, it is not uncommon to get colds or upper airway infections in the few days following the race. This lengthens the time required to recover (get back to full training) and proper nutrition and sleep helps your immune system stave off some of these infections. If you read some elite athlete’s blog’s, you cannot help but notice the long nap some athletes take. This is part of their recovery process after a hard session, because without appropriate recovery your body cannot build on the training stimulus with maximum effect. Getting enough sleep could possibly help prevent overtraining syndrome (another topic for another day). Getting enough sleep is also a mental boast to the athlete, we all know how much more positive an outlook on life we have when we are not exhausted and lacking in sleep.
I hope I have given you some food for thought. These methods should help you recovery from a long endurance event or training session. This is a brief overview and I hope in the next recovery article to discuss the next microcycle, the day after, as well as some other methods to get you back to your next great performance. Below I have included some of the sources for those interested in the details.
Happy recoverying!
Niall 27/01/2012
This is an article primarily for marathon or Ultra marathon recovery. It is of course adaptable to other endurance sports or even long training sessions but as with most things there are many ways to skin a cat. If what you do post event works for you, then I would be loath to change it, without some research and talking to experts in whichever area is applicable. Most of what follows is both anecdotal and my own take on articles and the science I have read, so make up your own mind and do your own research (or pay a qualified coach to do it for you).
A good coach not only plans your training but also your recovery. This is vital for your fitness progression as well as your general health and well-being. I, like most coaches, like to have a structure. Mine is loosely based on an adaptation of periodisation. Tudor Bompa wrote a seminal book called Periodization, which delves into the finer detail but for the purposes of this opinion piece a microcycle means a short phase or stage of training or in this instance, recovery. The key to the success of the recovery process is to have it pre planned and to have all the necessary ‘tools’ to hand post-race. Either by having a checklist to pack your post-race bag or having an excellent and well informed support crew. The first microcycle is detailed below and in the coming months I will post the other recovery microcycles. This article is not written in a timeline format, one recovery strategy is not done before the other, and dropping one strategy or method will not necessarily impact on the effectiveness of another.
The Initial attack:
The first microcycle spans immediately post-race and lasts 24 hours. So as soon as you cross the finish line the recovery starts. The aim is to prevent extending the post-race effects on your body as well and getting back to full race fitness as soon as possible. This means you should continue walking, in circles if you have to, to prevent postural hypotension and to keep the blood pumping in those tired muscles. The body is already repairing itself by transporting oxygen and nutrients to the damaged tissues to rebalance the oxygen debt and begin repairing the tissue. It is also transporting the waste products away from the damaged tissues so that the body may deal with them (in the lungs, kidney, liver etc.). This is also one of the reasons that the post marathon massage is very light and effective. While massage has no known side effects, a review by Weerapong et al. did report that some studies have shown that massage effectively reduced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), while in other studies no effect was seen. In the various studies the definition of recovery and the methods used varied however one salient point in the review is that the psychological effect of massage showed merit.
Some Ironman events have Ice baths available at the finish line and there is a growing amount of research supporting the use of Ice baths and contrast baths (alternating hot and cold baths), which does not clearly recommend one bath over the other but confirms both as an aid to recovery. Not just the cold (the bath doesn’t really need to be much colder than cold tap water so when you’re at home you can spare yourself hauling buckets of ice up the stairs). The immersion in the water leads to the hydrostatic pressure having a light compression effect on the submerged tissues which assists in normalising the intramuscular pressure gradient, helping the valves in the veins with the blood flow and getting blood fluid back where it should be by decreasing the muscular swelling. The contrast baths using alternating vasodilation in the warm bath and vasoconstriction in the cold bath as a method for the blood ,superficially, to ‘clean’ or ‘pump’ and assist the hydrostatic pressure in transport of the blood back to the heart and on to the various organs of the body. My preference is for a ten minute ice bath (or contrast bath protocol) while consuming my post-race fluids and nutrition. Bosak et al. showed in their study in 5k runners that cold water immersion had benefit on recovery but that its effects on performance varied amongst the individuals.
You also need to start your fluid management. Even if you are an elite marathoner, you will have been on the go for at least two hours, meaning that you will be dehydrated to some degree. While there is some debate on hydration strategies and how far you can dehydrate and preform at your peak level, it is imperative that you rehydrate post-race to aid recovery. How much you should hydrate and the water to electrolyte mix required will depend on a huge amount of factors but you should try and concentrate on aggressive fluid replacement for the first two hours post event. I find cool fluids work best as they can also help as a heat sink to lower your perceived body temperature. The muscular system generates quite a bit of heat when active. The nutritional side of the recovery I will leave to the nutrition experts but you should be consuming some carbohydrates and protein within the first half hour of finishing the event or training session. The exact amount with depend on your body weight and the delivery of the nutrients will depend on your logistics but I like to consume solids at this point as when I race quiet a lot of my calories are taken in liquid or gel form, solids become a treat. In case you misunderstand, electrolytes (sodium etc.) and carbohydrates should be included in rehydration beverages to aid in the immediate restoration of muscle glycogen stores and this represents a cornerstone of your recovery strategy. Cost will become a factor if you consume commercially finished sports nutrition, but a banana washed down with chocolate milk has not broken most peoples piggy bank yet and while I have not experimented with making my own sports drink at home, this can also be a cheaper alternative. Try and avoid diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine (mild), although there are a few promising studies showing alcohol free beer to be acceptable as a post-race beverage. In other research it shows that it is acceptable to rehydrate up to an alcohol content of 2-4% provided the fluid intake is larger than the urine output. Alcohol also raises the cortisol a stress hormone which might inhibit recovery.
So you have crossed the finish line and continued to walk, all the way to the massage table queue (performing some very mild stretching en route) by way of your fluids and nutrition, you have had your massage or you’re in the process of having it. The ice bath can wait till later if it must. You have rehydrated enough to need to urinate, observing the colour of your urine to benchmark against a pee chart, which a great many exist on the internet or the wall of your gym’s toilet. This pretty much covers your first half hour to first hour.
In the next phase which will span from the first half hour up to two hours post-race, will include some light walking, and gentle stretching (limiting your sitting in cramped confines such as transport) but will also include a more targeted stretching routine dependant on the activity you have undertaken. A very light dynamic stretching or a trigger point style routine will be fine as long as you don’t over exert or overdo it. My preference is for some myofascial release such as using a foam roller or the ‘stick’, but if Wharton’s AIS or trigger point therapy floats your boat, then carry on using whatever method you’re comfortable with.
Compression clothes are very popular and are derived from the medical compression stockings which have a wealth of research over many years supporting their use. While I have yet to see a comprehensive study on sports compression clothing and their performance benefits during the race, the mixed research reviews available seem to support their use in recovery. A recent study albeit in sprints by rugby players seemed to show no determinable effect while sprinting, but it did show a small effect in the limited recovery between sprints in the compression wearing players. Just be aware that most of the readily available compression gear is graduated and therefore requires correct sizing and usage. There are few contra indications but inform yourself as to the particulars of the brand and type you are using and make sure you have gotten the right size.
Within the first two hours you should be consuming your recovery meal. Protein and carbohydrates are on the cards. A well balanced meal post-race full of fresh nutrients is the order of the day. You are eating both to replace what you have used and also to help the body recover. There are numerous websites and experts out there to help you calculate the amounts you need to eat for your bodyweight to recover. Also worth eating and drinking are some anti-inflammatory foods such as ginger and cherry juice for example. Stay natural, no need to pop a pill when fresh pineapple will do. If you find it hard to eat a meal then plan on snacking throughout the day especially if you have a sensitive stomach, you need the nutrients to recovery and you need them in a timely fashion in adequate amounts. Your diet before the race also has bearing on your potential to recover, as any diet deficiency might lead to early fatigue in the race, which would require ‘more’ recovery or might even influence the athlete in acquiring an injury in the latter phases of the race. So you need to prepare for your recovery before you race.
Any injuries that you may have picked up during the event also need attention as soon as possible. Avoid long periods of sitting, such as car travel, begin self-treatment of any niggles or strains you might have picked up, seek treatment from suitably qualified practitioners should this be required. R.I.C.E (Rest, ice, compression, elevation) is a golden oldie but a good basis to start from. Basically get flat and rest, if this mean commandeering the couch at home to lie out with your feet up, I am sure your other half will understand. Or maybe not! Try to understand, if your partner is a non-runner that they usually understand and sometimes agree to be supportive but to a non-runner, the race ends with the finish line so be prepared to thread softly for a week or two.
A much forgotten tool in recovery is sleep, in a 2007 study, Reilly et al suggested that sleep might have beneficial effects on recovery especially that sleep deprivation may slow or impair the recovery process by affecting the immune and endocrine systems. If the immune system is depressed post marathon, it is not uncommon to get colds or upper airway infections in the few days following the race. This lengthens the time required to recover (get back to full training) and proper nutrition and sleep helps your immune system stave off some of these infections. If you read some elite athlete’s blog’s, you cannot help but notice the long nap some athletes take. This is part of their recovery process after a hard session, because without appropriate recovery your body cannot build on the training stimulus with maximum effect. Getting enough sleep could possibly help prevent overtraining syndrome (another topic for another day). Getting enough sleep is also a mental boast to the athlete, we all know how much more positive an outlook on life we have when we are not exhausted and lacking in sleep.
I hope I have given you some food for thought. These methods should help you recovery from a long endurance event or training session. This is a brief overview and I hope in the next recovery article to discuss the next microcycle, the day after, as well as some other methods to get you back to your next great performance. Below I have included some of the sources for those interested in the details.
Happy recoverying!
Niall 27/01/2012
