Richmond Marathon Recovery

Over 72 hours have passed since I crossed the Richmond Marathon finish line. I’ve had time to reflect on the race and my legs have had time to begin the recovery process. On Sunday, the day after the race, my left hip was sore. Monday brought some discomfort to the outside of the knee (both knees actually). Today my calves are a bit tight, but on the whole I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve been stretching at every opportunity and moving around as much as my desk job allows. I’m actually quite surprised I’m not hurting more than I am.

So, do I regret running a second marathon 13 days after the first? Absolutely not.

Would I do it again? Probably not, at least not at the pace I tried to run.

Would I recommend it? Definitely not, unless you’re just using the marathon as a long training run.

I actually read an article at RunnersWorld.com today, discussing the pros and cons of back to back marathons. The article is called Pick Up The Pieces and attempts to answer the dilemma:

“If marathon day doesn’t go as planned, should you do another one?”

Some people say you need one day of recovery for every mile races – that’s 3 days for a 5k or a massive 26 days for a marathon. Others recommend a full six weeks before you’re ready to put your body through another marathon ordeal. Of course there are many factors to consider, such as how hard you ran the first marathon, what expectations you have of the second one and even why you’re attempting another 26.2 miles.

So, if you have a bad or disappointing race, don’t dive in and sign up the the next day for another one. Take at least a week and weigh up all the pros and cons. You might save yourself some money and more importantly perhaps, might prevent an injury that will sideline you for months.