What to Do After You Cross the Finish Line of a Half Marathon

Hard work & consistency pay off over time. Stay the course & progress will happen. 💪🏼Thank you @cmule518 for proving this is true! ・・・ Wore a 2:40 pace band with a goal of running a sub 2:45 half- 2:40 being ambitious. Finished in 2:37 (almost 13 min faster than last year). WHUUUUUT. @racepacejess you are magical. #stillaslowpoke #butafasterslowpoke #airbnbbkhalf #nyrr #racepacerunner

A photo posted by 👻 Snapchat: racepacejess (@racepacejess) on May 24, 2016 at 4:25am PDT

 

Never underestimate the importance of what you do following a goal race. Your training plan doesn’t necessarily end once you’ve ran your race. In fact, I’d recommend extending your training plan to include the two weeks after your goal race.

 

The more strategic you are with your recovery plan, the better you’ll be prepared to go after your next goal. Here are my 6 rules for optimal recovery after a half marathon.

#1. Recovery begins the minute you cross the finish line. Rehydrate and refuel with healthful foods before grabbing your celebratory beer or pizza (my personal favorite).

#2. Fight the urge to just sit. Take walks, foam roll, and do your dynamic stretches.

#3. Write out  a 14 day recovery plan. This plan can include yoga, a sports massage, sleeping in, etc. It’s important that you take it easy, but this doesn’t mean you should just binge watch Gilmore Girls for two weeks.

#4. Examine your training log, then write out what went well during training and what did not.

#5. Write out a list of what went well on race day and what didn’t go well on race day.

#6. Celebrate your training season and race even if things did not go as planned, then let it go for a few days before signing up for your next race or nailing down your next goal.

Have a question you’d like for me to answer? Tweet me with your running related questions @RacePaceJess.