Running Recovery: What a Physio Wants You to Know
By Emily Murphy, Chartered Physiotherapist at Platinum Pilates
The short answer: after a long run or a marathon, gentle movement usually beats complete rest, soreness tends to peak a day or two later, and your body keeps recovering well after the aches have gone. Good food, sleep and a gradual return to harder training do most of the work.
With the Dublin Marathon taking place this weekend, we've been talking a lot about recovery in clinic and in classes. Whether you're racing on Sunday or you're gearing up for your longest training run yet, the question is the same: what should I do afterwards to recover?
Here's what we tell runners, and what the research says behind it.
Is complete rest best after a long run?
You'll generally hear that complete rest is best. Yes, rest is important, but gentle movement such as walking and mobility exercises can help reduce stiffness and keep you moving comfortably in the days that follow.
A 2018 meta-analysis of 99 studies found that active recovery gave a small to large reduction in muscle soreness after exercise (Dupuy et al., 2018). A 2021 study of 64 marathon finishers found that moderate exercise from 48 hours after the race did not slow muscle recovery, and the authors suggested it could help the body bounce back (European Journal of Sport Science, 2021).
But take note, "gentle" is the key word here. In the first day or two, think walking, easy mobility or a recovery class, not a run to test your legs.
Why do my legs feel worse two days after a run?
After a long or challenging run, it's normal to experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It typically peaks around 24 to 72 hours after exercise and is part of your body's response to demanding activity.
That's why day two can feel worse than race day itself. DOMS usually builds over the first 24 hours, peaks between 24 and 72 hours, then fades within about a week (Delayed onset muscle soreness overview). Running downhill and the long, repetitive loading of a marathon are classic triggers, because muscles work hard while lengthening.
How sore you feel is not a precise measure of how much damage there is. Research shows the intensity of DOMS doesn't necessarily match the extent of muscle damage, which leads to the next point.
If the soreness has gone, am I recovered?
Not quite. When the soreness fades, that doesn't mean your body has finished recovering. Muscles, tendons and joints all need time to adapt, so a gradual return to harder training sessions is important.
In one study of recreational marathon runners, creatine kinase (a marker of muscle damage) rose 15-fold, peaked 24 hours after the race and took about a week to return to normal (Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport). Another study found soreness was back to baseline by day three, yet runners still didn't feel fully recovered by day six (Gries, 2015).
Tendons are even slower to recover. They adapt to load more gradually than muscle, and researchers describe an "adaptation gap" where muscle capacity outpaces the tendon, creating a period of higher injury risk (Quality in Sport review). In practice, that means easy runs first, and speed work or long runs only once those feel genuinely comfortable.
Is soreness just part of running?
This is one we love to debunk in clinic. Some soreness is part of running, but sharp, localised or worsening pain, particularly if it's affecting how you move, is worth getting assessed.
Normal DOMS feels like a dull, general ache across a muscle, often with tenderness and stiffness, and it eases over a few days. These are the signs that suggest something else is going on:
Pain you can point to with one finger, especially on a bone or tendon
Pain that gets worse over the following days instead of better
Pain that changes how you walk, run or climb stairs
Swelling, or pain that wakes you at night
If any of these sound familiar, a physio assessment will tell you what's going on and how to keep running safely.
What should I eat after a long run, and does sleep matter?
Nailing the basics is the key to recovery. Carbohydrates help replenish your muscles' energy stores, and protein supports muscle repair and adaptation, so aim to eat both soon after a long run.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition notes that long, high-volume exercise depletes muscle glycogen the most, and that eating high-quality protein in the first couple of hours after exercise strongly stimulates muscle repair (ISSN position stand, 2017). A bowl of porridge with Greek yoghurt, eggs on toast, or a chicken and rice dinner all do the job.
Sleep is the other half of the picture. Reviews link sleep to muscle repair, hormone regulation and refuelling, and show that sleep loss can slow glycogen replenishment after exercise (Sleep and athletic performance review). After a marathon or a big training week, an early night is one of the most effective recovery tools you have.
How Platinum can help you recover
At Platinum, chartered physiotherapists and Pilates teachers work under one roof, so recovery advice and movement come from the same team.
Sports massage. In the 2018 meta-analysis above, massage was the most effective of all the techniques studied for reducing DOMS and perceived fatigue (Dupuy et al., 2018).
Book a Sports Massage at Platinum
LymphaStim. LymphaStim uses gentle, rhythmic compression to encourage circulation and fluid movement through the legs, which may help ease feelings of heaviness and swelling after exercise.
Book a LymphaStim Session at Platinum
Physio assessment. If something keeps niggling after your long runs, an assessment is the quickest way to find out what's going on and get a plan to keep you running.
Book a Consultation with our Team
And if you're planning your next goal, The Running Method is a 6- week programme built by our physio team, to help runners of all levels build strength, and run more efficiently.
Register your interest for the next programme here.
Running recovery FAQs we get from patients in clinic
How long does it take to recover from a marathon? Soreness often settles within three to seven days, but markers of muscle damage can stay raised for a week or more. Most runners do best with easy running for the first couple of weeks before returning to harder sessions.
When does DOMS peak after running? DOMS usually peaks between 24 and 72 hours after a long or hard run, then fades within about a week.
Should I run the day after a marathon? Gentle walking or mobility is a better choice for the first day or two. Research suggests easy, moderate exercise from around 48 hours after a marathon doesn't slow muscle recovery.
Does sports massage help with running recovery? Yes. Across 99 studies, massage was the most effective technique for reducing muscle soreness and perceived fatigue after exercise.
When should I see a physio after a run? If pain is sharp, sits in one spot, gets worse rather than better, or changes how you move, it's worth booking an assessment.
References
Dupuy O. et al. (2018). An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 9:403.
The week after running a marathon: effects of running vs elliptical training vs resting on neuromuscular performance and muscle damage recovery (2021). European Journal of Sport Science.
Delayed onset muscle soreness, overview with primary references.
Effect of a marathon run on serum lipoproteins, creatine kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase in recreational runners. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.
Gries K. (2015). Effects of running volume in training on muscle damage, muscle soreness, and recovery after a marathon. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Evidence-based load management for tendon adaptation and injury prevention in athletes. Quality in Sport.
Kerksick C. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Maia F. et al. (2024). Effects of lower-limb intermittent pneumatic compression on sports recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biology of Sport, 41(4).
