In March 2021 I ran my first marathon and two weeks later I recorded this video I thought it would be helpful to share how my body. Initially I felt amazing, then felt lots of niggles, then finally I was able to get back to running but only after listening to my own body.
You can watch the video below or read the transcript.
Video Transcript
I ran my first marathon just under two weeks ago, and I thought I’d share my experience to maybe help others. Especially those who don’t quite fit into the traditional marathon runner physique and lifestyle. I am a 40-year-old, overweight man who’s been running for a few years now. Despite any self-deprecating comments, I feel brilliant about completing the marathon!
Recovery After The Marathon:
There are countless horror stories out there about marathon runners being unable to walk or even move properly after finishing. Fortunately, I didn’t feel that way. I believe it was because I had trained properly and paced myself throughout the race. I took a few walking breaks and completed the marathon in about five hours.
After the marathon, I felt decent. I had a nice takeaway meal and expected a good night’s sleep. But sleep eluded me, probably because my body was working hard repairing muscles.
The next day, I felt good enough to go for a walk, but by the time I got home, my foot was aching, likely from overuse. Almost two weeks later, it’s still giving me problems. When you consider that during the marathon, you’ve taken around 50,000 steps, it’s understandable that you might experience injuries or strains that you haven’t felt before. It’s essential to listen to your body and not immediately jump back into intense physical activity.
Getting Back Into Running:
My foot injury meant I couldn’t run for about a week. When I did try running again, after a week and a half, I could only manage 2km before my ankle began to hurt. However, in the past two days, I’ve managed to run 5km each day and felt great. It’s strange how quickly our endurance can wane. You train rigorously, increasing your mileage steadily, but once you stop, your body seems to relax, and it takes time to get back into the swing of things.
One positive note is that I haven’t fallen sick since the marathon. In the past, after rigorous training and then stopping, I would often catch a cold, but luckily that hasn’t happened this time.
Wrapping Up:
Tomorrow marks two weeks since my marathon. While I don’t plan on doing any long runs soon, I’ll be enjoying shorter 5km and 10km runs. If you’ve just finished a marathon, congratulations! Remember, everyone’s experience is different, so it’s crucial to listen to your body and take things at your own pace.
Stay safe and happy running! Cheers!
After the video… What happened next
Following this video I hoped to get back to running asap and not lose any of that fitness I’d built up, but the pain in my foot continued for a while longer and I took the decision to go see a physio for check-up.
I hadn’t mentioned it in this video but 2 weeks before my marathon I’d rolled my other ankle and so had it strapped up for the run.
The physio checked me over and said there was nothing majorly wrong and gave me the following synopis:
- My other foot will have compensated for a weakness in the ankle I’d rolled so that could explain why it was now aching.
- A marathon is a long way, and repetitively pounding the pavement puts stress on your feet, so of course you’re going to get aches.
Her advice was to take rest and allow the body to recover, which to a runner is a very hard thing to do especially if you’ve been on a training plan. It makes sense though, so if you’ve run a marathon, expect some pains, expect the body to find runs harder, and don’t forget about having a rest and taking things easy for a few weeks.
