One of the hard truths we must all accept as runners is that this sport can be tough on the body. Regardless of whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned marathoner, or a sturdy trail runner, avoiding common running injuries is hard to do. Studies show that 50 percent of runners get hurt every year. That can be a brutal reality, especially when you’re running to improve your health. But armed with the right information, there is plenty you can do to minimize the chance of being hit by the injury bug.

We spoke with two expert physical therapists from the running mecca of Boulder, Colorado, both of whom are longtime runners themselves, to find out how to best prevent the most common running injuries.

Nicole Haas, PT, DPT, OCS, is a physical therapist, the founder of Boulder Physiolab, and a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist who has treated scores of injured runners over the past 20 years.

She says one of the biggest mistakes she sees many runners making is ignoring minor injuries until they become exacerbated. There can be a gray area between the soreness derived from a workout and the pain stemming from an injury, but any kind of lingering malady should be identified and addressed immediately in order to start the healing process and to reduce aggravating the situation any more.

“The quicker you seek help, the quicker you can get it to go away, even if it’s one visit to a PT,” Haas says. “The alternative is you leave it for months, spinning in a cycle of not really getting rid of the source of your pain.”

Realizing that it can be hard to know exactly when to seek professional help, Haas advises “giving it a week or two” to see if you can change or offload the source of your pain. If it feels better after this time, then you know you’re in the clear, she says, but if not—and every time you run it’s the same or worse—then it’s time to seek professional help.

“Many people think I’m going to tell them not to run, but that’s not it,” Haas says. “A lot of the time I help people continue doing what they’re doing.”

She says that it’s often about managing variables in small, smart ways. That could mean avoiding hills if you’re dealing with a bout of Achilles tendinitis, temporarily reducing mileage and intensity while running on softer surfaces, looking more closely at your choice of running shoes, or even just getting up from your desk more often if you’re sitting for most of your working day.

Carol Passerelli, a physical therapist at the University of Colorado Sports Medicine and Performance Center, holds a similar viewpoint. As an orthopedic doctor of physical therapy for Team USA’s mountain and trail running teams, she knows how important it is to keep runners running whenever possible.

As someone who regularly treats elite runners, she commonly prescribes  an impressive array of exercises designed to help prevent and manage the full gamut of running injuries, so if you’re not already doing plenty of run-specific strength exercises, then her first nugget of advice will always be to do that.

As we dig into four of the most common running overuse injuries, you’ll see that there’s significant commonality among them all: glute and hip strengthening and gait control. A lack of glute strength is typically characterized by the inability to keep the knee from collapsing inwards on impact and the hip dropping excessively. “If you have this pattern, then you have the problem,” Haas says.

“When it comes to knee pain, it’s actually your brain that’s in charge,” she continues. “It will use what it thinks is the most efficient and effective pattern to achieve its goal. If it doesn’t have all the tools to use—like the strength of the glutes—then it defaults to other compensatory patterns that can lead to pain. Glute strengthening in functional patterns can teach that femur (thigh) to steer itself straight, instead of steering right into the pattern that’s causing the pain.”

Read on to find out how to fix those patterns—and how to avoid four of the most common running injuries.

Common Overuse Injury #1: Runner’s Knee

The most common running overuse injury is patellofemoral pain syndrome, otherwise known as runner’s knee. It typically presents as a dull ache to moderate pain around the front of the knee or inside the knee cap. Although those sensations can be present, it is typically felt when running, walking up stairs, hiking, or other daily movements such as getting in and out of a car.

Common causes: An increase in mileage without adequate rest that causes deviations in gait patterns that causes the kneecap to be misaligned; weakness/lack of control in the hips, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, particularly when starting a new running program; limited mobility; movement deficits, such as your knee collapsing inwards when you land and/or your hips dropping excessively.

Treatment: “Glute strength and issues related to running mechanics are definitely the key to this issue, so be prepared for plenty of glute strengthening in any treatment of runner’s knee,” Haas says. “Hands-on stuff can also help with this, along with a proper gait running analysis.”

Prevention: There are many exercises that can help keep runner’s knee at bay, but Haas emphasizes it’s important to not do these exercises using the same pattern that’s caused you to suffer in the first place (e.g., your knee collapses on impact). “It’s important to rewire the brain here and not let the knee collapse in,” she says. “That’s why proper and precise form is key here and as you execute each movement be mindful of how your knee is tracking.”

Key Preventative Exercise: Standing Clam Shells

• Stand on your right leg in a runner’s/athletic stance (slightly bent at the knee).
• Lift your left leg to reach to the wall behind you, keeping all of your weight in the right leg.
• Open your left leg like a clam shell (and very quickly you should feel this in your right hip).
• Vary the amount of hip hinge (flexion) across sets and/or put a band above your knees.
• “Do five repeats followed by a five-second hold, and you should feel it quickly,” Haas says.

Are you wondering why so many PTs recommend clamshells? Passerelli says it’s because the clamshell exercise is highly effective at targeting your gluteus medius, which is one of the three gluteal muscles, and it plays a big role in your quadriceps activation and ability to safely control your knee. “Clamshells—even for athletes—should feel challenging,” she says. “If you don’t feel the correct muscle turning on, it’s very possible you’re compensating.”

Other Preventative Exercises: 

1) Hip abduction single-leg squats [three sets of 15];

2) Bulgarian split squats [three sets of 15];

3) Single-leg squat with isometric hip abduction [three sets of 10 per leg]

Common Overuse Injury #2: Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is characterized by dull to irritable pain on the bottom of the foot that, like an annoying dinner party guest, can seem to take forever to finally disappear. The plantar fascia is a thick, spring-like fascia that runs from the heel to the toes, and plantar fasciitis occurs when the fascia becomes inflamed. This injury can often first present as a nagging pain in the heel that hurts the most when taking your first few steps in the morning.

Common causes: A sudden increase in mileage or intensity; loading with improper mechanics; running too much in minimalist shoes; movement deficits, such as your knee falling inwards when you land and/or your hips dropping excessively during a stride, often due to poor glute strength or control.

“Plantar fasciitis can often be related to stiffness in the big toe or ankle,” Haas says. “But also if it gets loaded improperly or you simply run too much, too fast, and you don’t control the load then you can often encounter plantar fascia problems.”

Haas likens it to pulling at someone’s hair repetitively: eventually it will cause pain in the scalp—even though the scalp has done nothing wrong.

Treatment: Buckle up, because this one can take a while to finally clear up, and it often gets worse before it gets better because merely walking on it can exacerbate the inflammation, Passerelli says.“This condition can niggle for a long time, and it can get excruciating,” she says. “If you’ve had light irritation that you notice every time you run then it’s paramount you intervene and see a healthcare provider.”

Prevention: As with many of the injuries highlighted here, improving proper foot and ankle mobility can help prevent plantar fasciitis. One of Haas’ go-to assessments is the knee to wall lunge test that will give you a hint as to whether you need to work on foot mobility. If you have a restriction, or stiffness, in one or both ankles, this can cause plantar fasciitis or problems in your calves, knees, hips, and back. You can do this simple test to assess your ankle-joint mobility at home.

With your toes facing a wall, place one foot roughly a hand width away. Keeping your heel flat on the ground, bend your knee as if you were lunging into the wall. If your knee cannot touch the wall without your heel lifting, move it closer and try again. If your knee easily touches the wall, move your foot back and repeat. The idea is to find the distance where your knee can just barely touch the wall without your heel lifting. A distance of five or more inches is considered a normal range of motion.

Key Preventative Exercise: Heel Raises with Ball Between Heels

• Stand facing a wall with a lacrosse ball positioned between your heels
• Holding onto the wall for balance, slowly rise up off your heels, squeezing the ball to keep it in position as you rise onto your toes
• Slowly lower back down, maintaining pressure on the ball
• Keep your knees soft, do not hyperextend (lock out)
• Repeat for 15 reps

Other Preventative Exercises: 

1. Calf Stretches
2. Activating Your Arch Muscles
3. Banded Isolated Toe Motions [step 3 of this video]

In addition, the old favorite, Monster Walk (stepping laterally with a sports band providing resistance around the upper legs), will help activate the muscles that help control the pattern as the foot loads on the ground that are typically lying dormant when they need to be active.

Another favorite from Haas is single-leg balance work that can be achieved as follows:

• Standing on a single leg, lift the opposite leg into a fire hydrant position (out and back at a 45-degree angle). You should begin to feel your glutes “kick on” in the standing leg.
• Next, bounce a soccer or basketball in different planes of motion around your standing leg. “The single-leg position helps turn on the glute while the ball bounce adds distraction for the brain, which is so good for running,” Haas says.  “This exercise is a big bang for your buck.”

RELATED: 3 Things to Know About Training After an Injury

Common Overuse Injury #3: IT Band Syndrome

The iliotibial (IT) band is a thick band of fibrous tissue that runs from the outside of the hip to the outside of the shinbone, just below the knee joint. You typically know you have IT band problems when you’re feeling pain at the outside of the knee and up the outside of your upper leg, but as much as you want to stretch it, the pain simply doesn’t go away. You can’t stretch an IT band, it’s a ligament and a tendon, Haas says, but you can address mobility in the muscle attached to it—the TFL (tensor fasciae latae). It can cause a sharp burning sensation on the outside of the knee.

Common causes: Increased uphill and downhill running/loading; lack of glute control causing the hip and knee to roll in; general lack of core strength or weakness in hip rotation/abduction; and possibly from a tendency to overpronate with one or both feet.

Treatment: If seeking PT treatment, a lot of hands-on treatment can help to jumpstart your recovery in the right direction, such as myofascial decompression cup therapy (cupping with movement). “You want to unload the myofascial compression as you move through the pattern you’re having trouble with,” Haas says.

You’ll also want to work on functional mobility. “You can’t stretch it [the IT band], but you can improve the mobility of the tissues around it,” Haas says. She emphasizes avoiding laying on a foam roller to treat this pain as that can make it worse, but instead opting for tools such as myofascial sticks or massage guns that can gently and comfortably help you massage and mobilize the muscles around the affected area.

Prevention: Passerelli says ITB irritation often stems from muscle imbalances, so general strength work and specific leg strength exercises will go a long way in keeping IT band syndrome at bay. “To put it simply, if you strengthen the heck out of your quads, a lot of your pain will likely go away,” Passerelli says.  “Hit the gym, and hit it hard.”

Key Preventative Exercise: Trail Leg Lunge

Passerelli recommends a rear-foot elevated split-stance lunge—a hip mobility strengthening exercise—to work into your routine on a daily basis to help keep your IT band a happy camper.

• Begin in a wide staggered stance position with your back foot resting on a step.
• Bend your knees, lowering your body into a lunge position, then raise yourself back up and repeat.
• Make sure to keep your abdominals tight and do not let your knee move forward past your toe or collapse inward during the exercise.
• Do 2 sets of 15 reps [per leg].

Other Preventative Exercises:

1) Side Plank with Clam and Resistance  [4 sets of 10 reps]

2) Standing Hip Abduction with Bent Knee [2 sets – 15 reps]

3) Lateral Step Down  [2-3 sets of 8-12 reps]

Common Overuse Injury #4: Achilles Tendonitis

After runner’s knee, Achilles Tendonitis is the runner-up in the not-so-highly sought-after league of most common running injuries—and it’s particularly common in master’s athletes, possibly due to the pliability of the tendon as we age.

Common causes: Load and rate of load; tightness and stiffness or a lack of functional mobility in the foot, ankle, and calf complex; sudden onset of hilly running; sudden change in shoe drop.

“If you’ve been running in 8mm drop shoes and then suddenly start running in zero drop shoes then you’re putting yourself at risk of Achilles tendonitis if you don’t have good ankle mobility,” Haas says.

When issues are already present or flared up, she also advises runners to be aware of their everyday shoe choices and how this can impact the Achilles, e.g., wearing flip flops a lot in the summer. (Note: this can also be significant when treating plantar fasciitis too). “A sudden change in tension can have a big impact,” she says. The same applies for sudden changes in terrain covered or weekly mileage.

Treatment: Trying to calm the Achilles requires a similar approach to the plantar fascia: offload it and undo tension. “This doesn’t mean you have to stop running,” Haas says. “You may just need to undo tension in your system before you run or modify terrain to help ease the load on the Achilles.”

Prevention: The knee to wall lunge test, as mentioned in the plantar fasciitis section above, can help determine whether you have ankle stiffness contributing to the issue. If you don’t, i.e., your knee collapses inwards on landing and/or your hips drop, then you are likely to fall victim to one or more of the injuries listed in this piece. Eccentric loading will be your greatest ally in helping to prevent Achillees problems going forwards, with exercises such as heel raises among the most effective.

Key Preventative Exercises: Heel Raises

• Stand facing a wall, lightly resting your hands on it for balance
• Gently lift your heels off the floor, making sure to keep your weight on all 10 toes and hold for 5-10 seconds.
• Slowly lower your heels to the ground and repeat 10-15 times

Other Preventative Exercises:

1) Straight-Leg Calf Stretch

2) Single-Leg Standing Dumbbell

3) Farmer’s Walk on Toes

Conclusion: Keeping Injuries at Bay

As you might have already detected, there are commonalities to the most prevalent running injuries and the most effective way to bulletproof yourself against them is to employ a consistent run-specific strengthening routine that will yield a strong and resilient body with a particular emphasis on glute control.

“The glutes—that’s where it’s at when it comes to running injuries,” Haas says. “Strengthening your glutes and your entire hip complex, training them to help prevent the known pattern related to injuries, that’s what’ll keep you healthy and happy,” she says. And in order to run all the miles you want to without injuries weighing you down, you’ll want to ensure you have a healthy running pattern and gait with hips and knees that don’t collapse as you run. This, combined with sensible increases in weekly mileage and intensity, the right shoes, and adequate rest and recovery, should help keep you fit, fresh, and far away from the injury sidelines.

The New York City Marathon is perennially the largest marathon in the world, with approximately 51,400 finishers in 2023. The 2024 New York City Marathon, which begins at 8 A.M. on November 3, is expected to have 53,000 participants.

The 26.2-mile course, which passes through all five of the city’s boroughs, begins on the southwestern approach to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island and takes runners on a 26.2-mile journey through parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, before heading back into Manhattan and finishing in Central Park. Although the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is by far the biggest hill, the undulating course is full of rolling hills. It has 810 feet of elevation gain and 824 feet of elevation loss from start to finish, which is why it’s not known for super-fast times. (The flatter course of the Chicago Marathon has only 243 feet of gain and the same amount of loss.).

The men’s course record of 2:04:58 was set in 2023 by Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola (2023), while the women’s course record of 2:22:31 dates back to the 2003 effort of Kenya’s Margaret Okayo.

RELATED: Get a PDF of the New York City Marathon course map.

When I crossed the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon in 2015, my first marathon, I made every single post-race recovery mistake I possibly could.

I didn’t feel cold right away, so I didn’t take a space blanket. I was too nervous to figure out the gear check system beforehand, so I didn’t have warm clothes for hours after I finished. I didn’t hit my time goal so instead of savoring the moment, I pouted. I’m pretty sure I stumbled through the crowd, found a sidewalk, and sat down. Two days later, I tried to run 5 more miles to, in my deluded and frustrated state, attempt to start a new training block. All of this was wrong. I didn’t realize how important it was to take care of my body and my brain, and I suffered the consequences. I lived to tell the tale (and have run a few more marathons), but it took months to get back to a decent training volume because I hadn’t recovered properly.

RELATED: 8 Things No One Tells You About Marathons 

If you’ve just finished a marathon, don’t be a dummy like me. You owe it to yourself to let yourself heal. The steps you take immediately after you cross the finish and in the days following the race can both help and hurt you. Have a marathon recovery plan of action ready.

I talked to Scott Browning, a Los Angeles-based exercise physiologist and owner of Run With a Pro coaching service, and Mark Cucuzzella, MD, an accomplished marathon runner (2 hours, 24 minutes, and 45 seconds personal best) and a staff physician at Martinsburg Veterans Administration Hospital in West Virginia, to find out what you should and shouldn’t do to recover from your next marathon.

What Happens to Your Body After Finishing a Marathon?

There’s a reason only .01 percent of people in the world have run a marathon: it is really freaking hard. It’s a beatdown of both your body and brain, both of which need to be tenacious, gritty, and strong to reach the finish line.

“It’s an overload event,” says Browning. “Running a marathon is destructive. Basically, your muscular system gets trashed.”

Aside from your musculoskeletal system, other organs might experience damage or fatigue. Kidney function, for example, could be impacted depending on temperature and how dehydrated you were when you finished. Studies have shown that your immune system may be weaker for up to 72 hours after the race.

Both Cucuzzella and Browning explain that what shape you’re in at the end of the marathon depends on the shape you were in at the start and how the race went.

Cucuzzella says that if you have paced yourself well, you’ll tend to have less muscle injury. “But if the last 6 miles of the marathon were similar to a death march and you were relegated to walking it in, then there will be more significant muscle damage requiring more recovery,” he says.

Luckily, the marathon recovery process shouldn’t take long, especially if you follow this list of do’s and don’ts:

Don’t Force Anything

This might seem like common sense, but pay attention to what your body wants as soon as you cross the finish line. Are you thirsty? Then drink. Are you hungry? Then eat.

“Your body will tell you from its cues when it’s time to replenish,” says Cucuzella. “Certainly if you are a heavy sweater, replace your electrolytes and fluid immediately after the finish.”

Browning tells his athletes to start putting calories back into their bodies as soon as they can.
“But it’s whatever they can tolerate,” he says. “Refueling and rehydrating starts the marathon recovery process. You could make an argument that you should add protein right away, but most people can’t tolerate that immediately post-event. So, just take in what you can—easy carbs— to get some energy.”

Both Browning and Cucuzzella say not to force anything. This suggestion is not just for your stomach’s comfort, but because when you’re in a delicate state, things can become imbalanced. When it comes to hydrating, runners often drink too much because it’s what we think we’re supposed to do. There is research that suggests that about 10 percent of marathon finishers over-hydrate with water, throwing their electrolytes out of whack. This condition, called exercise-associated hyponatremia (a condition of having low sodium content in the blood) can be avoided by using the “drink to thirst” method. I.e., drink when you’re thirsty.

Do Listen to Your Body’s Signals

Just as your body will tell you when it’s time to eat and drink, it will also tell you if it’s not functioning properly or injured. Since hydration can be confusing, Cucuzzella says to pay attention to your bathroom habits.

“If you have not urinated in the last couple hours of the event, make your first goal to hydrate enough to make urine again to get your kidneys flushed,” he says. Dehydration is one beast that will delay marathon recovery, and there is a rare but serious medical issue after running a marathon called rhabdomyolysis which can be prevented by flushing out the kidneys.

RELATED: Just Ran a Marathon? Look Out for These Red Flags.

Pain is another signal that shouldn’t be dismissed. Sure, your legs might sore, your feet will likely feel like cinder blocks, and your back, neck, and head will probably ache. That’s unfortunately kind of normal. However, be wary of sharp pains that might indicate an acute injury.

“If your pain is so severe that you are questioning whether or not you should see a doctor, then you’ve answered your own question,” says Browning. He also says to pay close attention to any new non-severe pains, especially if they start affecting the way you’re moving. “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness usually peaks 48 hours after an event, so it might be best to wait and see for 72 hours. But when in doubt, have a doctor or physio check it out.”

RELATED: On His Way to a PR, a Marathoner Collapsed at Mile 26

Do Get Warm and Comfy

At the end of any endurance event, your body temperature rises.Your body will start trying to cool itself off immediately through sweating and sweat evaporation. Once you’re done running, your core temperature drops rapidly. Even on the hottest days, you might find yourself shivering at the finish line.

“You’re losing a fair amount of heat, and that’s why they give you those space blankets,” says Browning. “Take it and wear it until you can access your gear bag.”

He tells his athletes to pack a sweatshirt and sweatpants to have something warm and dry to change into immediately after the race to help regulate your body temperature. He says for maximum marathon recovery, your gear bag should also include a change of footwear. He recommends recovery sandals. “You’ll want something a little more forgiving than your racing shoes,” he says. “It’s just a matter of creating a level of comfort and signaling to your body and mind that it’s time to relax.”

Don’t Stay Still for Too Long

As tempting as it may be to reach the finish and immediately sit down, just move for a bit longer.

“The best thing to do after finishing a marathon is to actually walk it off a little,” says Cucuzzella. Walking will help regulate blood flow and help your heart rate return to normal.

After a little stroll, take a load off and elevate your feet and legs. For the rest of the day, rest is best, but Browning says some light stretching might actually feel good.

“Really passive and gentle movements that increase circulation are actually beneficial,” he says. “You are not trying to stretch the tissue, just move your joints through their range of motion.”

Do What Feels Good

There’s a lot of conflicting pseudoscience out there that tells athletes what’s best for muscle recovery in the hours after the race. Cucuzzella advises marathoners to take the guesswork out of the equation: if it will help you feel better, go for it.

He says while there is no serious science pointing to the benefits of a warm bath or an ice bath, either one might be a good idea for post-race recovery.

“The key is to be able to release parasympathetic (relaxation) hormones not sympathetic (stressful hormones),” he says. “So if you finish a hot race and you have a nice cold stream and it feels good to get in…then by all means get in. I have had some of the most glorious soaks in cold freshwater streams after summer trail runs. But if the cold is uncomfortable and adds more stress, don’t do it.”

Don’t Take NSAIDs

This is one I needed to hear, and I get it: everything hurts. But the doctor says to put down the bottle of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

“Absolutely do not take Advil or Motrin,” says Cucuzzella. “These can have a negative effect on the kidney and they actually impair recovery. Tylenol would not have the same negative side effects.”

He says that if you are so sore that it’s hard to get up out of a chair, Tylenol (acetaminophen), which is not a NSAID, probably would do no harm.

If you’re someone who prefers herbal or natural remedies, Cuczzella says the most natural way to get rid of pain is to give your body time without pills or potions. “My general premise is that the body is designed to heal and restore itself as long as you support it correctly with rest, proper nutrition, and movement,” he says. “There is no supplement that has been shown to help the body repair quicker than its natural mechanisms.”

Of course, he also believes in doing what works for you. “If you get a positive response from a natural topical cream or vitamin supplement, then by all means continue as long as you don’t have side effects.”

Do Consider Compression

Browning is a firm believer in the power of compression. “With compression, you can start to help the lymph system pull out that excess fluid that’s developing from all of the damage done to the muscle tissue,” he says.

If you have access to a pair of recovery boots, like the ones by Normatec or Therabody, Browning says it could make a huge difference in how you feel in the days after the race. The boots are expensive to own, but some recovery centers offer them for $20 to $50 dollars per session. If you don’t have access to something this fancy, Browning says at the very least invest in a pair of compression socks for after the race.

Don’t Aggressively Foam Roll

If there’s one thing you’ll feel in the hours and days after running 26.2 miles, it’s tight. Hamstrings, calves, and quads get the worst of it, not to mention your upper back. You might find yourself reaching for your trusty foam roller to “work out” those muscles. Browning says to go easy on yourself.

RELATED: 5 Common Mistakes Runners Make When Foam Rolling

“That tissue is already damaged, so if you’re putting a lot of really heavy pressure that’s already beat up, you’re defeating the purpose,” he says. The same goes for deep tissue massage, which is another no-no for the first few days after the race.

Browning says that if you use anything, opt for a massage stick. “But you have to have the discipline to be very light and control the amount of pressure.”

A light pressure massage is another option if you’re just looking for a way to relax your muscles and brain. This goes back to Cucuzzella’s advice about stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and increasing relaxation hormones.

Do Take Time Off Running

Even if you wake up the day after your race feeling like a superhero, taking some time off training is important.

“One of the biggest mistakes I see, especially after someone has a good race, is they feel super motivated and they go out and start training hard again immediately for the next goal,” says Cucuzzella. “This can create overreaching and overtraining really quick as your brain is kind of wired on adrenaline. But the bill will come due. So respect the distance and take some light recovery days, even weeks, depending on how hard the effort was and how sore you are.”

Browning encourages his athletes to take a full 10 days off of running after a marathon. He knows that amount of time can be tough, but says it’s so important because your body is so worn down. “For many people, running is a safe space,” he says. “And I respect that. But you have to recognize that post-event, your risk of injury is still high.”

Browning says that he believes motion is lotion and active marathon recovery like walking, swimming, and cycling is fine in moderation. Listen to your body during this time to make sure that you don’t overdo it.

Don’t Overdo Recovery

There are a lot of gimmicks out there that promise faster recovery. Cucuzzella says it’s not that complicated. Hydrate, fuel, rest, and try to get a good night’s sleep. Everything else, he says, are accessories.

Some miracle cures might actually do more harm than good. For example, those walk-in IV centers that promise optimal hydration…maybe skip those. At the very best, you’re just infused with vitamins that you’ll likely pee out.

“I would not do IV fluid after a marathon unless you know what your blood electrolytes are,” Cucuzzella. “After a running event, there is a potential condition called dilutional hyponatremia, and if given the wrong solution, this could cause harm. We no longer give IV fluid in medical tents without knowing what the serum sodium is.”

A good rule of thumb? Leave the medical stuff to the medical professionals.

Do Recognize Your Achievement

When you reach the finish line of your goal marathon, you have to internalize the moment. It’s not just the end of the race; it’s the end of an incredible training cycle where you sacrificed your time and body for a momentous achievement.

“No matter how many you’ve run, it’s always an accomplishment to finish,” says Browning. He often sees athletes not properly honoring their achievements in the marathon recovery process. “I’m a big advocate of taking time to celebrate and not just jumping back into regular life.”

There are a few ways to commemorate the marathon. First, both Browning and Cucuzzella say to treat yourself to a big meal—and don’t hold back. “This is time for celebration not for any strategic nutrition plan,” says Cucuzzella.

And if you’re feeling like that post-race beer, he says it won’t hurt to indulge yourself. “As long as you are not driving, enjoy a drink if that is something to help you celebrate and relax.”

The next day, if you’re able to, schedule some much-deserved time off work. Browning says your productivity is probably going to suffer anyway, so it’s best to take the day off and continue the celebration.

Finally, Cucuzzella says, one great way to celebrate your accomplishment is to express gratitude to all the people who helped you during training and the race—including yourself.

“I would thank every single person who supported you to accomplish your goal,” he says. “I would be grateful for the health and fortitude to be able to accomplish your goal.”