Inspirational stories help keep me motivated. I?ve saved perhaps the best for last. During the 2002 London Marathon, spectators must have been surprised to see a «runner» wearing a full, old-fashioned diving suit. The suit weighed 58kg, most of the weight being in the lead boots and in the massive brass helmet. The visibility through the tiny window would have been poor, at best. Every 400 yards, assistants helped remove the helmet for a hydration stop. Inside, Lloyd Scott, a 40-year old cancer survivor, was running his personal race to raise money for cancer charities. His race was a reflection of his fight against cancer: every step a battle. Lloyd finished in 5 days and 8 hours. He was seen later in the year at the New York Marathon, where he smashed his time, finishing in 5 days and 1 hour. So when you find it difficult on Sunday, focus on how light your feet are and spare a thought for Lloyd Scott.

You?ve done everything over the last 18-weeks in preparation for the marathon. On Sunday, you?ll run your personal goal. And afterwards? You need a post-marathon recovery plan. You?ll need to be vigilant of any soreness or injury that you have suffered running the marathon. The recovery plan is structured in four stages. The length of each stage depends on when recovery from that particular cycle is attained.

Many runners experience depression in the days and weeks after a marathon, the Post-Marathon Blues. The cause for this depression varies. It may be from achieving your goal after a long training process, then not knowing how to top it; or from not achieving your goal; or from depletion or derangement of neurotransmitters. Choline, a neurotransmitter precursor, is depleted with marathon-like efforts which may have a bearing on depression. If you experience the blues, ensure you have proper sleep, diet, and hydration. You might try supplements, including choline, and herbal remedies. And be sure to refocus on a new target. There?s nothing like a new running goal to blow away the blues.

<B>Stage 1: The First 24 Hours </B>

Immediately after the race, keep walking, despite the urge to collapse to the ground! Start drinking cool, carbohydrate and electrolyte replacement fluids as soon as possible. Within the first two hours after the race, start eating carbohydrates such as sports bars and bananas, walk at least one mile, perform some gentle stretching, avoid diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine, and avoid warm baths.

Your postrace meals should mirror your prerace meals, being high in carbohydrates. Plan on snacking; continue to rehydrate; avoid prolonged sitting positions and travel; begin any supplements or anti-inflammatory medications you plan to use; begin self-care of any injuries you may have acquired; and try to get horizontal, rest and have a massage.

Stiffness and muscle soreness are sure to follow most marathon efforts. The duration is typically for one to three days after the race. Contrary to popular belief, the soreness is not caused by lactic acid accumulation but by actual microscopic muscle damage. The severity depends on the fitness of the individual and the intensity of the effort. For the first 24 hours after the race, cooling the leg muscles intermittently might help. Try walking in cold water. Gentle massage therapy will also help.

<B>Stage 2: Complete Rest </B>

This stage lasts from Day 1 after the marathon until you have no muscle soreness or injury. It typically lasts for three days but may last two weeks or longer, depending on injury. This is a recovery period, including continued rehydration; consuming a well-balanced, nutritious diet with a greater focus on protein calories than your normal training diet; and allowing for more sleep.

Review your training program and the race. Consider what you did well and what you would change next time. Start looking for a new goal, another race? Activities during this period include gentle stretching, massage, and walking. Avoid running, jogging, and cross-training.

Continue to provide self-care for any injuries that you may have. Do not transition to the next stage until you have no muscle soreness, no injuries, and you have restored your body weight to prerace levels. If you have an injury but everything else is normal, you may transition to a suitable cross-training activity that does not conflict with your injury.

<B>Stage 3: Return to Easy Running </B>

This stage usually begins three to four days after the race (unless Stage 2 has been prolonged) and lasts through four weeks following the race. Recovery is generally said to take 1 day for every 1 mile run. So that?s 26 days to recover. The pace of all runs during this period should be easy and distance kept fairly short. Slowly progress the frequency and distance, it should be a reversal of your 3-week training taper. Run every other day or every third day, with cross-training or days off in between.

Carefully monitor yourself. Back off intensity if necessary. In some cases, it might be necessary to return to Stage 2.

<B>Stage 4: Reintroduction of Long Runs</B>

This stage takes you through to your first post-marathon race. At least two weeks are required.

After completing your reverse taper, you can gradually introduce faster running and long runs. Avoid introducing these elements in the first week of this stage. The focus on these training elements should be based on your new target race. You need to remain vigilant for signs of injury or overtraining.

Finally, a few race day tips:

Write your name on your race number and the crowd will cheer you on.Don?t get caught up in the excitement, starting too fast. Stay focused, conserve your glycogen stores.Take fluids at all of the drink stations. Don?t dehydrate. TEAM Events expect 3,000 runners. Good luck to you all on Sunday, whichever race you are running.

<B>[email protected]</B>