The Marathon Recovery Guide

Introduction

Remarkable research demonstrated that creatine kinase, a metabolic marker of muscle damage, was elevated by 2000% following the Boston marathon and remained elevated for 4 weeks. That is despite the fact that fuel stores and energy-producing pathways are back to normal within just 2 days. 

Endurance running, whether it be a marathon or more, results in significant physiological, neurological and psychological stress. This stress triggers a cascade of internal changes to inflammation, oxidative stress and immune function markers, alongside changes in motor coordination and emotional processing in the brain that can negatively impact mood, commonly referred to as the ‘post-marathon blues’.

Endurance running is no mean feat. Supporting your recovery as soon as the race ends can help make life easier.

In the following guide we will introduce some evidence-based nutrition tactics to optimise your recovery. 

Recovery Fallacies

In the traditional sense a protein-rich meal or shake was thought to be the only thing you need to recover from an intense session. But that’s far from the truth. Too much of an emphasis is placed on protein in the recovery process. The influence of energy intake, carbohydrate, fluids and electrolytes are far more significant. The adaptive processes within the muscle take weeks to occur and while protein intake can certainly accelerate the rate of recovery, the strategic intake of carbohydrate, fluids and electrolytes are more likely to benefit in the short term.  

Ultimately the chronic effect of meeting energy requirements and maintaining adequate energy availability matters more than 30 grams of protein immediately post-race. So the days and weeks leading up to and following the event are critically important to recovery too. Supporting the recovery processes with sufficient energy is the priority, failing to meet energy requirements will reduce rates of muscle protein synthesis, and further increase glycogen and protein breakdown. Theoretically, a caloric surplus (~10%) is likely to benefit recovery by creating an anabolic environment, so athletes should be encouraged to ‘eat a little bit more than usual’.

Total energy intake also plays a fundamental role in supporting the immune system. Immunosupression after intense activity is common, meaning athletes are more susceptible to illness. A growing body of evidence now supports the fact that pre and during exercise carbohydrate intake plays a pivotal role in maintaining immune function during periods of intensified training/competition by stabilising blood glucose and the stress response. So simply consuming an adequate, carbohydrate-rich pre-race meal and consuming roughly 60 - 90 g/hour of carbohydrate from a variety of fluids, gels and snacks is vital.

Introducing the 5R’s of Recovery

When it comes to nutrition and recovery after intense exercise we have 5 key targets to consider. They are:

1. Rehydrating to restore balance with sufficient fluids and electrolytes.

2. Refuelling glycogen stores in the liver and muscle with sufficient carbohydrate

3. Repairing damaged muscle with sufficient, high quality protein.

4. Reducing inflammation and oxidative stress with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

5. Rest and relax to support psychological recovery. 

Rehydrate

The fluid and electrolyte requirements for rehydration alongside the benefits of sodium on hydration have been discussed at length here on the website. On average, marathon runners complete the race with 3% to 4% dehydration and replace less than 50% of their sweat losses, suggesting fluid and electrolyte intake during the race itself is a significant problem. Fluid and electrolyte losses during exercise display significant intraindividual variability depending on the volume and composition of fluids consumed during exercise, the environmental conditions, genetics and more. The average fluid losses during a marathon in cool weather is roughly 1.9 kg, with much higher fluid losses in warmer environments. Further reports have suggested a range of 2.5 to 6.8 litres during a marathon. In general, endurance athletes are expected to lose 1.3 Litres per hour. With average sweat salt losses of 2.3 to 7 grams per race or roughly 900 - 1200 mg per hour.

It is critically important to calculate your own unique sweat rate and ideally assess fluid losses during a competition so that you can tailor your fluid requirements for rehydration specifically and strategically. This can be done via simple online tools. The same thing would be recommended with sweat composition. It is also recommended to assess and analyse your unique sweat composition to determine the specific quantity of electrolytes, specifically sodium, that you need to consume in order to adequately rehydrate and restore electrolyte balance following exercise.  

However, for the sake of providing a practical example, assume you have good, evidence-based hydration habits during the race. Running a 3 hour marathon, losing 1.3 L of fluid per hour, replacing only 75% of that you will lose 1.2 kg of weight or 1.7% body weight across the course of the race. Assuming there is a 1000 mg/hour sweat sodium loss and you only replace 50% of that during a race, you still have a 1500 mg deficit to make up after the race. The gold standard recommendation for optimal rehydration is 150% of body mass lost during exercise. In this example that is 1.8 litres of fluid and at least 1500 mg of sodium to optimally rehydrate and restore fluid balance. That is the equivalent of 3.6 x 500 ml bottles of water with 3 Core 500 Electrolyte Sachets or 3 Core 500 RTDs. . However, this example assumes that you practice good fluid and electrolyte habits during a race, which is not actually supported by research. So these figures are likely the bare minimum.

Certain foods may also help with rehydration. Fresh fruits and vegetables, soups, smoothies, fruit juices and chocolate milk can be particularly beneficial. In regards fluid retention, at 2-hours following consumption milk actually outperforms still water and sports drinks. The addition of milk or yoghurt is particularly beneficial during the acute recovery period as it provides fluid, carbohydrate, protein, electrolytes and calcium to offset bone resorption.

Refuel

Prolonged, intense exercise, either endurance or intermittent activity will inevitably result in glycogen depletion, likely between 60 - 120-minutes. This is where the glycogen stores or fuel tanks in the muscle are completely depleted. Glycogen depletion will result in fatigue, a shift in fuel use and significant drop in exercise intensity, also known as ‘hitting the wall’. It’s estimated that over 40% of marathon runners experience ‘hitting the wall’ during a race and their ability to avoid it depends on pre-race carbohydrate intake, race pace relative to aerobic capacity and carbohydrate intake during the race itself. 

That being said, restoring glycogen post-race is one of the primary objectives of post-race recovery. This refuelling should begin immediately post-race, even a small delay can result in a 45% slower rate of refuelling and a 30% reduction in performance in the following days. Research has shown that the consumption of 1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight at 1-hour intervals, for the first 4-6 hours, beginning as soon as the race ends is likely optimal in regards to maximising the rate of glycogen resynthesis. That’s the equivalent of 1 Fuel 40 Bar, 1 sports drink and a piece of fruit every hour for an average 70 kg runner. 

However, practically, that can be incredibly challenging and is only likely necessary if you are hoping to compete at a high level again the following day. It is possible to stimulate muscle glycogen resynthesis to the same extent with a lower carbohydrate dosage (0.7 – 0.9 g/kg) and the addition of an insulinogenic protein source such as whey protein (0.2 – 0.4 g/kg). This 3: 1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein is practically more convenient and can be consumed via accessible ingredients such as low fat chocolate milk, combined with higher carbohydrate options such as Core 40 Fuel Bar.

Based on the available evidence it is also recommended that you add a dose of creatine monohydrate during this recovery period. Creatine has a myriad of benefits, one of which is to accelerate the rate of glycogen resynthesis. Creatine supplementation combined with a higher carbohydrate intake led to an 82% increase in the rate of glycogen resynthesis. The optimal dose of creatine is around 0.3 grams per kilogram body mass or 21 grams for an average 70 kg runner.

Repair

Endurance events result in a significant amount of muscle damage. These microtears occur as a result of the consistent mechanical strain. Exercise induced muscle damage increases subjective soreness and reduces subsequent exercise performance by as much as 4%. Protein ingestion is known to increase muscle protein synthesis, which plays an important role in the growth, repair and recovery processes within a muscle. Endurance athletes typically consume around 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Although recent evidence suggests that a daily protein intake of 1.8 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is likely to be of greater benefit. Protein requirements also increase on recovery days. 

As mentioned previously, the combination of protein (0.2 – 0.4 g/kg) and carbohydrate is likely to accelerate the rate of refuelling and should be initiated immediately post-exercise. This dose is likely to maximise rates of muscle protein synthesis and support the repair processes within the muscle. That’s not to say that more protein is useless, as recent evidence has shown that a single dose of 100 grams of protein resulted in a 19% increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to a 25 gram dose over the initial 4 hours and remained 30% higher over a 12 hour period. But if you were to consume 100 grams of protein during the initial hours of recovery its likely your appetite would be suppressed and thus consuming other important nutrients at the specific time points to accelerate recovery would be incredibly difficult. 

Pre-sleep protein intake is another useful tactic adopted by athletes to accelerate the overnight growth and repair of muscle tissue. Research has consistently shown that doses of around 40 grams of high quality protein can maximise overnight muscle protein synthesis and accelerate recovery. Practically speaking this can be achieved via a simple whey protein (1.5 scoops) shake with low fat milk, a protein RTD or whey protein mixed into low fat Greek yogurt, perhaps with some honey and berries. 

Reduce 

Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress increase significantly following intense endurance exercise and remain elevated for extended periods, as a consequence of the muscle damage and metabolic stress. This muscle damage presents as exercise induced muscle soreness and reduced muscle function. Within the applied setting I often refer to inflammation and oxidative stress as small sparks or fires within the body, that occur as a result of the intense activity. This can result in an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals. Chronically this imbalance can damage cells and negatively impact health. 

The lifestyle choices you make in the aftermath of exercise can either fuel the fire, extending the duration and severity of inflammation and oxidative stress or they can extinguish the fire. Interestingly this is where you reach a fork in the road, with key decisions to be made. Inflammation and oxidative stress are important components of the adaptive response to exercise. Getting fitter, faster and stronger requires a degree of muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative stress to drive the key adaptations in the muscle. So at certain times during the competitive season this inflammation is allowed to run wild, while in season where recovery for the next game is paramount then reducing inflammation and oxidative stress is critical. 

The strategic consumption of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory rich nutrients can serve as fire extinguishers, reducing muscle damage and soreness. Foods such as colourful fruits and vegetables, olives and olive oils, tea and coffee, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds can all be incredibly beneficial here. Polyphenol rich foods such as berries, cherries and pomegranate have shown particular promise. Research in athletes has demonstrated benefits to athletic performance and recovery. With doses of around 300 mg consumed prior to exercise known to enhance endurance and repeated sprint performance and higher doses of 1000 mg supporting recovery through reductions in exercise induced muscle damage. At this dosage athletes can expect a 7% increase in muscle strength and 4% reduction in muscle soreness in the days following intense competition.

More recent research has suggested that consumption of 1000 mg of polyphenols may result in a 13% increase in maximum voluntary isometric contraction, 29% reduction in muscle soreness and a 13.1% improvement in counter movement jump when the drink is consumed immediately post-match in the days following competition. It has been suggested that reducing muscle soreness by just 14% can have practically meaningful benefits to recovery and restoration of muscle performance after intense exercise. Intense sports such as football and rugby that rely heavily on lower body power and explosive strength, recovery of jump performance and maximal isometric voluntary contraction of this magnitude is a significant result and will certainly enhance recovery.

Curcumin, the active ingredient within turmeric, when consumed at dosages of 1000 - 1500 mg is also able to reduce inflammation, muscle soreness and accelerate recovery. Jager et al (2019) reported a 26% reduction in muscle soreness in athletes who consumed curcumin.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in various fish and also nuts and seeds, also possess strong anti-inflammatory properties. The specific and strategic consumption of higher dose omaga-3 around intensive training and competition is also known to accelerate recovery and might also enhance the rate of muscle protein synthesis.

Practically speaking, incorporating various berries, cherries and pomegranate juice, curcumin, salmon, green tea, coffee, olives and olive oil into your daily diet in the aftermath of intense endurance exercise is likely to be of great benefit to your recovery through extinguishing the fire, reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and muscle soreness. On the other hand, reducing your intake of ultra processed foods may benefit. These foods are known to elevate inflammation and essentially fuel the fire. Despite research showing that fast food is equally effective as sports supplements in relation to glycogen resynthesis, note that complete recovery is more than simply refuelling. At this stage diet quality counts too. 

Rest and Relax

Sleep is essential for overall wellbeing, playing a key role in overall health, cognitive performance, and physical recovery. Additionally, high quality sleep  improves physical performance and muscle recovery, with research showing that sleep deprivation reduces muscle glycogen storage by 24.5%. Mah et al. (2011) demonstrated that extended sleep duration improved athletic performance, reducing sprint times and enhancing reaction times, supporting that sleep quality and duration has a direct and acute impact on physical performance. These findings highlight the vital role of sleep in maintaining mental health, optimizing performance, and facilitating recovery.

Be sure to check out our article on the impact of sleep on recovery. But generally speaking, in order to fully optimize recovery you should invest resources into improving sleep, making time for purposeful relaxation to reduce stress and accelerate mental recovery. In team sports settings that can often involve laughter through comedy movies on flights home or live concerts to rest, relax and remove yourself mentally from competition. 

The choices you make after a race can both help or hinder sleep, so be aware of the factors that influence sleep and consider the Recover Sleep Sachet in combination with an evidenced-based 10, 3, 2, 1, 0 pre-sleep recovery routine.   

• 10-hours before bed: no more caffeine
• 3-hours before bed: no more food or alcohol
• 2-hours before bed: no more work
• 1-hour before bed: no more screen time and a warm shower
• 0: the number of times you hit snooze in the morning

Although the topic of caffeine is somewhat conflicted, there is research to suggest that caffeine actually accelerates the rate of glycogen resynthesis. So there are certain occasions within the applied settings, where sports nutritionists will implement caffeine post-exercise to support refuelling. But this again highlights the nuance of sports nutrition and the fact that every recommendation is context specific. 

Conclusion

Recovery is multifaceted, nuanced and very individual. But the food and fluid choices you make in the hours and days after an intense endurance race can accelerate your recovery, reducing muscle soreness, allowing you to return to training and full athletic performance within a few days. 

Written by Cadence Head of Nutrition, Matt Jones