Recovery is an essential part of any workout plan, yet hard-headed distance runners often think themselves exempt. Besides, marathon training is a months-on-end effort, and taking time off for injury can throw off your whole training program.
The good news is that running recovery doesn’t mean going to get a massage. (But, ohhh, is that nice!) You can speed up recovery from running right at home!
Three Top Ways to Speed Up Recovery From Running
- Foam Roller
- Epsom Salt
- Ice
No, these aren’t fancy gadgets. But if you’re going to train for a marathon, these are the three best ways to recover from running that you can use every day.
Foam Roller: A Marathon Runner’s New Best Friend
I love this basic foam roller because it works well for myofascial release. That’s fancy for “massage that helps the muscles return to their optimal position.” It’s also great for back relaxation and chest opening prop when aligned under the spine.
It’s really the self-massage that most people think of when they grab a foam roller. Runners can use the roller to get into tight glutes, hips, and IT bands. Keeping the hips and legs moving well is key to being able to stick to your marathon training plan.
But as this Runner’s World article very thoroughly demonstrates, the foam roller can be used for warm up and cool down, as well as rehab. I like to roll in the evenings while I’m watching TV, and I’m finding that just 5-10 minutes a day makes a big difference in keeping my low body happy.
If you’re curious about foam rolling but want to make sure you’re getting the benefit without doing harm, reach out to a personal trainer. Even having one or two private sessions with a personal trainer can improve your running. Just don’t think you’re required to use those sessions out on the road and running! Learning proper recovery tricks is just as valuable.
Magnesium is a Great Option to Help Running Recovery
Another way I know how to speed up recovery from running is an old treatment. This runner’s friend is someone I knew back when I was a teenage runner but I lost track of over the years. It was re-introduced to me by my massage therapist. She reminded me of the importance of magnesium in muscle recovery.
She uses magnesium oil to lubricate the body for massage, and while I never seem to mind magnesium oil when I’m getting a massage, I found it a bit stingy when I tried to use it at home.
So I went to the source: epsom salt.
Because I’m too lazy and too busy to sit and soak in a tub of epsom salt regularly, I use this in the shower daily instead. I scoop a cup of the salt as I get into the shower, and then I mix a handful of epsom salt with shower gel and massage it into my legs. It feels so good! I like to use a high-quality, USA-sourced epsom salt so I know that I’m getting the best magnesium into my muscles.
I feel a little silly recommending epsom salts, as it’s such a fuddy-duddy treatment. But there really is merit in simplicity here. When the muscles are tight, magnesium helps. Why not deliver it through the skin– your body’s largest organ!– with a little massage, too?
Speed Up Recovery From Running With Ice
The final friend I want to introduce to you today is even more humble than salt. It’s ice. (Well, technically, it’s gel.)
For stubborn sore muscles (like the giant knot I had in my right calf for a week), I return to the icing protocol I learned years ago: fifteen minutes of ice on, thirty minutes off…repeat as many times as possible.
But having a big ice (gel) pack like this makes it easy to cover a lot of muscle at once.
(Please don’t ever put ice directly on your skin for an extended period. It’s a bad idea!)
How to Speed Up Recovery From Running? Foam Rolling, Magnesium & Ice!
By foam rolling, massaging with magnesium oil or epsom salt, and regular icing, I can keep my legs running 40-50 miles a week. I also still have energy left for work and family. By learning how to speed up recovery from running, you can stay healthy and on the road.
If you have an injury, however, make sure you’re seen by an appropriate medical professional. Then you need to follow a protocol to return to exercise after injury so you don’t wind up sidelined again!
Take care of your body, and it will take care of you!
Karen Shopoff Rooff is an ACE certified personal trainer and health coach with more than 20 years’ experience running marathons and ultramarathons. The Marathon Finish Line blog is for informational purposes. Please seek advice from a medical practitioner before engaging in a new fitness program.