Although there is no one specific guideline, rule or method to speed up recovery after an endurance triathlon event, I feel it's important to walk you through some of the factors that contribute to recovery time after an endurance event. Although everyone is different, here are some of the mistakes that athletes make post race and a few strategies to help you get back to good health after a long-distance triathlon event.
Why is recovery important?
In training for an event, we welcome (and need) intentional and residual training stress for proper peaking and then we need to provide the body with a taper, in order to reduce the psychological and physiological stressors of consistent training in order to optimize performance and enhance previous training adaptations.
After a race, recovery is the time when the body returns to a normal state of health and mind, so that you can once again, consistently do high-quality training sessions with no residual fatigue from the last event.
Many athletes make the mistake of training for one race at a time and not seeing the season as a progression of fitness from race to race. In other words, you can actually gain fitness from race to race, so long as you properly recover and continue with well-planned, structured training. Take too long of a break and you lose what you gained in previous training but come back to soon, and you remain stale, tired and fatigued with little ability to take fitness to that next level.
Factors affecting race recovery
How fast or effectively you recover from an event depends on many factors. Even within one season, recovery time for one athlete may differ race to race, as some races require a longer recovery time than others.
- Distance of the event
- Prior experience in the sport
- Finishing time
- Racing intensity relative to distance
- Racing intensity relative to race priority/season planning
- Race preparation and ability (or lack thereof) to remain consistent to training
- Life stressors (family, travel, personal, work)
- Age
- Athletic ability/resilience
- Length of taper
- Health status leading up to the race
- Nerves/anxiety before the race
- Nutritional status leading up to the race
- Fueling/hydration execution during the race
- Pacing during the race
- Difficulty/ease of race course
- Environmental conditions on race day
- Terrain management on race day
- Type of course layout (ex. downhill running, extreme heat or cold)
- Setbacks on race day (ex. dehydration, cramping, bonking, nausea/fatigue)
- Post race nutrition, including refueling and re-hydration
- Post race sleep habits
- Post race stress
- Post race travel
- Timing of next race
- Mental state post race
Common post-race mistakes
The 48-72 hours after an endurance event are critical for optimizing recovery. Seeing that poor sleep, poor hydration and nutrition, extreme muscle soreness and travel will all impede recovery, athletes should be aware of the consequences of returning back to training too quickly. However, doing nothing is not helpful for recovery. Considering that racing is a great stress on the human body, returning back to training too soon, without optimal recovery, may negatively affect metabolic and hormonal health, central nervous system functioning and mood, not to mention lingering fatigue. In other words, if you rush the recovery, you may dig yourself into a hole that you can't get out of for several weeks, if not months - or the rest of the season.
Here are some common mistakes made by athletes post-race:
- Using anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation.
- Not executing a rehydration and refueling strategy in the 24 hours post race.
- Eating "too" healthy in the 24 hours post race.
- Eating "too" unhealthy in the 24 hours post race.
- Resuming "normal" training, despite being sleep deprived.
- Resuming "normal" training, despite form being affected by soreness and niggles.
- Being too sedentary in the 3-4 days post race.
- Returning back into intense training because a race didn't go as planned (ex. didn't PR, podium, etc.).
- Returning back into intense training because a race exceeded your expectations and you are itching to get back into training for the next race.
- Returning back to training because you don't know how to function in life without training.
- You hate resting/recovery.
- Following a fixed training plan and not listening to your body post race.
Here are a few suggestions to help you recover from your long-distance event:
- Give yourself 4-6 hours to rehydrate and refuel after the race. Understanding that it may take time for your appetite to return to normal, it's OK to eat what you crave but just be sure to eat and rehydrate with water and electrolytes. Not eating/drinking for 6-8 hours after a race will only delay recovery and may compromise your health.
- Continue to focus on good refueling and rehydration methods for the next 48 hours with permission to indulge as you wish, within reason. By this time, you should be slowly returning to your normal eating habits, emphasizing real, wholesome food options.
- Try to avoid jumping right into the car or on an airplane in the 4 hours after a race. Ideally, give yourself one extra night of rest and light movement before you are forced to sit for an extended period of time, so that you have an opportunity to move your body. If you do have to travel soon after the race, be sure to get up and move around to help with blood flow (and wear compression).
- Avoid getting a massage in the 48 hours post race. Rehydrate yourself and focus on daily mobility for the next 48-72 hours. Schedule a flushing massage at least 4+ days post race.
- Consume anti-inflammatory foods, like pineapple, celery, fish and leafy greens in the 48 hours post race. Avoid taking any anti-inflammatories or pain relieving pills.
- Wear compression (or compression boots) post race. Graduated compression socks (and not calf sleeves) will help with blood flow.
- Use a safe and muscle relaxing cream (ex. Mg12) on any tight/sore muscles after a race.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages in the 48 hours post race. Avoid caffeinated beverages in the 6-8 hours before bedtime.
- Try to get yourself into a good sleep routine as soon as you can. Do not allow yourself to return back into structured training until you can get a consistent 7-8 hours of sleep without waking up throughout the night.
- To expedite the recovery process, it's advised to do something non-weight bearing and very light on the body in the 24 hours after a race. Instead of sedentary recovery (laying around), try to move blood with light swimming and bike riding.
- Give yourself up to 72 hours of no structured training. Instead, exercise as it comes natural to you. When you have the time, go for a swim or spin but avoid setting an alarm or returning back to your structured training regime too quickly. There's plenty of time for that after you recover.
- Consider minimizing running for at least 48-72 hours. Since running is very corrosive on the body, it's advised to keep your runs short and frequent (ex. 15-40 minutes every other day) while including walk breaks.
- Understand that some body parts will recover faster than others but there is deep damage inside you that you can't feel. Generally speaking, most athletes will not make any additional fitness advancements in the days soon after a race so be patient before you begin to train again for physiological gains. Additionally, an elite or trained athlete who takes more risks on race day may experience more mental and physical damage if recovery is not taken seriously.
- Accept that age, previous fitness and racing execution will affect your recovery. Don't compare your recovery to another athlete, focus only on yourself.
- If you can't keep good form or focus during a workout, stop immediately. Poor/inefficient form or a central nervous system that is still depressed from the previous event is a sign that your body is not yet recovered and you could risk further damage or injury.
- Have fun in the 5-7 days after your race. There will be a time to push hard again. Enjoy the lower intensity workouts and having a bit more free time, as you slowly ease back into structured training.