In November, I ran the New York City marathon for the first time. In the months leading up to the race, I consistently prioritized one thing in my training regimen, even more than running: stretching. Without knowing the science behind it, I quickly learned that stretching before I ran yielded better results—faster mileage, longer distances—and that stretching after I ran meant faster recovery. What I didn’t realize, though, was that after running all 26.2 miles my muscles would need a little extra TLC (and by a little, I mean a lot). This led me to book an appointment with my local Stretch*d studio to get professional help to recover from the race.
A few days after the marathon, I walked (read: limped) into Stretch*d Flatiron in the hopes of getting my legs back to functional. Surprisingly, the stretching session didn’t start with my legs. In fact, much of the stretching session focused on my arms, neck, and back—of course, we spent time on my legs and hips, but it was truly a full body stretch and made me realize how much I used every single muscle during the five and a half hour run.
I reached out to Stretch*d’s Director of Training, Jeff Brannigan, for even more advice on how to stretch during both training and recovery. See below for expert tips on after marathon stretching.
How is stretching after a marathon different or more important than regular stretching?
Post-marathon, your muscles are extremely fatigued and inflamed. Dynamic stretching will help flush out toxins that contribute to soreness and help you recover faster. We recommend dynamic stretching vs. static stretching (long holds) because it s movement-based and helps with circulation. Stretching will help lengthen muscles that become extremely shortened and tight after the long run.
Which muscle groups do you recommend spending the most time stretching?
You should stretch some of the larger leg muscles that worked overtime during the long run— hamstrings, quads, calves, and glutes. These are also the muscles where most of the waste material that makes you sore builds up, such as lactate.
We also recommend stretching the upper body as that can get very tense during a long run, which include shoulders, chest, upper back, and neck.
How does nutrition factor into post-recovery/stretching care?
Nutrition is very important to help your body recover. While it s a moment to splurge and celebrate, we advise runners not to reach for alcohol. It s very important to stay hydrated, because it s key to helping the muscles recover. You should also load up on healthy carbs and even salty foods to replenish what your body lost over all those miles.
How important is stretching before running a marathon?
Stretching before a marathon should be part of your training program. As you increase your mileage, you should increase the time you spend stretching. Stretching as part of your training allows your muscles to perform optimally and helps prevent injury. You will have greater flexibility and range of motion in key areas such as your hips and calves. This can potentially lengthen your stride, which can ultimately help you run faster and more efficiently.
Immediately before a marathon, we recommend doing dynamic stretches to help warm up the muscles and joints and prep them for the run. Cold muscles make you more prone to injury.
How many days after the event should you keep up a stretching routine?
Ideally you re spending extra time (at least 15 to 20 minutes) stretching every day for the week after the marathon. It s important to be consistent about your stretching. A little each day is better than an hour once a week. Even if you re not putting in the miles, we encourage regular stretching. Stretching is helpful to remain pain-free in your everyday life, whether it s from spending too much time behind a desk or from frequent travel.
What happens if we don t stretch our bodies?
Not stretching leads to limited mobility and flexibility. This reduces your ability to perform optimally and to feel comfortable in everyday life. Most Americans complain about back pain at some point in their lives.
Not stretching can lead to injury as your muscles simply aren t prepped and don t have the flexibility to perform at a high level. Hamstring strains are common injuries for marathon runners. This can be avoided by stretching your hamstrings, hip flexors and glutes regularly in the weeks leading up to the marathon. Not stretching also delays your recovery, so you re not able to bounce back and put in the miles you need for your training.
How do you know you have fully stretched each muscle?
We recommend doing active stretching over multiple repetitions. This means holding each stretch for 2 to 3 seconds, releasing and allowing the muscle to reset, then repeating 10 to 12 times. This method not only brings blood flow to those muscle groups, but it also ensures a safe stretch where you don t overstretch a muscle or joint. We recommend 10 to 12 reps on each muscle and coming back for an additional set of stretches for a muscle that is particularly sore.
What are the three most important muscles to stretch after the marathon?
- Hamstrings: This large muscle group is doing a lot of the work to carry you through the long miles. It s also likely tight if you spend the rest of your day sitting behind your desk. Again, hamstring strains are a common injury during a marathon.
- Quads: Your hip flexors and your quad muscles work hard with each step you take. Flexibility in the hip flexors will help you lengthen your stride and improve your running.
- Your feet: Often forgotten, your feet are the foundation of your entire body. We suggest a few active stretches to work the supination and pronation of your foot, as well as even the webbing between your toes.