The Best Post-Run Routine: Do These 9 Things After Every Run

Stretching can be one of the most beneficial things to incorporate into your post run routine.

• Prevent Injuries  – Some of the most common injuries happen in conjunction with the knees and ankles – both of which can be prevented with some regular stretching.
• It’s no secret muscles need to be warmed up before physical activity, but the reasons behind it are that stretching improves muscle flexibility and helps prepare them for the workload they’re about to take on.

Static stretches are the way to go post-run. Focus the main chunk of your stretching routine on your legs.

In a study by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research , researchers found that foam rolling for just one minute can improve an athletes range of motion , whileanother study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that foam rolling after intense exercise can relieve muscle soreness over the next two days.

Foam rolling can also increase a runner’s mind-body connection.

Working out where all of those tight spots are in your body gives you the opportunity to work on easing them.

This one sounds obvious, and it should be.

As you run you sweat.

This makes your skin the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Getting straight into the shower after a run is a great way to wash off any unhealthy (and smelly) bacteria.

Showering also helps to clean your pores.

Water is essential for life, it makes up 60% of your body weight and plays a key role in almost all of your the human body’s functions. So it’s important to stay hydrated .

It is normal for you to be modestly dehydrated when you get back from a run, as long as you replenish your stocks as soon as possible.

For every kilogram of body weight that you lose via dehydration, the advice is that you drink one and a half litres of water.

As a rule of thumb, you should try to eat a meal or snack as quickly as possible after getting back from a run.

More specifically, aim to eat within 30-60 minutes of getting back from your run.

Make sure that your meal or snack contains carbohydrates , to replenish your lost glycogen stores, andprotein , to help repair and rebuild your muscles.

Registered dietitian Mackenzie Burgess  spoke to Marathon Handbook;

Elite athletes are a big fan of this one.

Ok, so this one is non-essential but if you’re brave, it could help to boost your recovery.

Fans of the ice bath purport that taking a dip in an ice bath can help to relieve muscle soreness and fatigue. This has been supported by various studies , but on the whole, the research is inconclusive.

So if you don’t feel like making an ice bath a regular part of your post run routine, don’t worry!

Sleep is king when it comes to running recovery.

Ultrarunner and running coach Zach Bitter highlights the importance of sleep,

Performing at your peak isn’t all just about the training you do, it is also highly dependent on your quality of sleep.

Unsure of what to do after a run in the days following?

The day after a big running day, getting in an active recovery workout can help you bounce back quicker.

Active recovery workouts are low-intensity exercise sessions that get your body moving.

Some examples of active recovery workouts include yoga , gentle pilates, walking , aqua jogging , easy swimming or cycling , or even low effort shorter runs.

It may sound counterintuitive, but active recovery can often be much more beneficial for recovery than doing nothing at all.