Eugene Marathon Weekend and Post Race Recovery

Eugene Marathon weekend is one of our favorites of the year (and quite the busy one).

Below, we have some brief tips on post race recovery (keep your eyes peeled for a more complete recovery article from Dr Jenn Randall post race)...

but first: the Zenith-PNW Weekend.

We were happy to participate in the Eugene Marathon Health & Wellness Expo and help share our expertise with runners before they took on their big race.

Look for us at the Expo on Friday and Saturday. We'll be at booth 17 (near Krusteaz pancake stand). Feel free to stop by and use our tools to loosen up, ask any last minute advice from a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and check out our exclusive race weekend deals.

Then Sunday, Dr Mike Robinson will be participating in the half marathon while our Performance Manager, James Wellington will be on pacing duty.

Every year, we have dozens of clients participate, and countless friends and teammates. Lots of them set PRs and meet goals. It really feels like a celebration of our TrackTown running community. Congratulations to everyone who is participating and we wish you the best!

Post Race-Recovery

It always takes some bravery to go out and do something that you know is going to be uncomfortable, and downright hurt- both during the race and potentially for a few days afterwards. Whether or not you hit your goal times/efforts- just crossing the starting line, knowing what lies ahead (and the months of training lying behind you), is already something worth being proud of.

If you hit your race goal: congrats! That’s awesome.

If you don't, we're sorry to hear that.. It always sucks to put yourself on the line for something you know is going to be hard and not get it. But it’s better to try and fail than not try at all (something Shakespearian like that). Try to figure out what went wrong in preparation or goal setting for next time. If you can’t think of anything, maybe it was simply a bad day. Those happen.

BUT once you finish, there are several things you should focus on.

I'll go over those briefly here, but look out for a more complete post-race recovery blog from Dr Jenn Randall in the near future.

Side note: recovery starts before the race, with proper tapering and race-week preparation- see previous posts for that.

Tips for ideal recovery:

-NO RUNNING for at least a few days to allow your legs and body to recover

-Continue with gentle, active exercise to help your body recover. This can include walking, gentle stretching, light exercises.

-Passive modalities, while honestly not as good, are also helpful and downright feel good. These might include: soft tissue work, assisted stretching, Normatec or other compression garments and boots, percussive and vibrational devices, massage, etc.

These activities can help speed the recovery process and make you more ready for the easy running week two and resuming training 3-4 weeks post racing.

There are also important non-physical activities that we recommend. You just trained for a race, potentially for months.

It’s worth sitting down quietly, maybe with a journal, and reflecting on how the race went for you (social media race recaps work for this, but make sure you’re honest with yourself). What went well, what didn’t, what do you wish you would have done differently in training, in race week prep, or during the race. Write it down so you do it next time.

Enjoy your time off running to be with family, friends, and do the stuff you’ve neglected recently.

Contact us if you're needing massage therapy or a physical therapy appointment if you picked up an injury along the way. Our free injury consults are available online if you'd prefer to discuss over the phone.