So, you just finished a race, congrats!

Whether it was a 5k or a marathon, you should be proud of your accomplishment.

You may be asking yourself: “Where do I go from here?”. That’s a totally valid question and one that I can relate to.

The best way to have a successful post-run strategy is to be prepared. What you do in the hours and days following the race can have a significant impact on your recovery.

Even though I have been a physiotherapist for the last 10 years as well as a runner, I have made my fair share of mistakes when it comes to training for races. It’s always easier to advise people when you’re on the outside, but it’s not always as easy to implement the advice into your training.

Knowing what I know now, and having experienced training for multiple races firsthand, here are 7 things I would ABSOLUTELY recommend doing when training for a marathon (or half marathon).

I had done everything ‘’right’’ during my fall 2022 marathon training. I was getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night, I was fueling my body properly, staying on top of my strength training, and following my running program to a tee.

Yet, the week before my marathon, the thing I dreaded the most as a runner happened: a stress fracture. Only at the time, I didn’t know I had a stress fracture.