Recovering from ultra-distance races requires a multi-part approach. Here’s a guide for an optimal nutritional recovery process.
Completing an ultra-distance race is a huge accomplishment. From all the hours of training put in to get there, to making it through hours and maybe even days of running to accomplish the event, your body has been through a lot to say the least. Nutrition plays a huge role in the entire process of getting to the start and finish line, but it is also an extremely important part of the recovery process, even though the physical work of race day may be done.
After an effort like an ultra, your body has a lot of work to do. No matter the distance, refueling should be at the forefront of your post-race mind. You need to replenish carbohydrate stores, repair muscle damage, and replace fluid and electrolytes lost during the event itself. Proper recovery nutrition not only supports these immediate processes, but helps prepare your body to return to healthy training.
However, it’s not always as straightforward as just eating a big meal after your race. Food may be the last thing on your mind after endless hours of downing sweet sports nutrition products. You might feel nauseated, have no appetite, or be completely overwhelmed by the thought of eating, which makes recovery fueling a little bit trickier. Let’s dive into how to appropriately refuel after your ultra.
Key Steps to Recovering from Ultras
Start Consuming Calories as Soon as You Can
As soon as the race finishes, recovery begins. In the immediate hours after finishing an ultra, the number one priority is taking in calories. Think of recovery nutrition as a pyramid: total energy intake sits at the bottom, supporting everything else. Wherever this energy can come from and whatever sounds good, that is a great place to start—for example, finish-line pizza, hamburgers, pasta, tacos, a hearty sandwich or ice cream.
Once you have started getting some calories in, you can think more specifically about the nutrients that directly support recovery, which are primarily carbohydrates and protein. The good news is that a lot of finish-line meals have a good combination of carbs and protein anyway.
Carbohydrates replenish glycogen, which is the stored form of glucose that fuels exercise. Protein provides the building blocks needed to repair and rebuild muscle tissue after the stress of running for hours or even days. Aim to get in around 20-30 grams of protein and 60-90 grams of carbs as an initial recovery target within 60 minutes after your race (or long run or workout).
Sometimes it is easier said than done to get in adequate calories after such a huge effort, and you really might not have an appetite or feel great in general. In this case, since getting in nutrition is still a priority, try some liquid calories. Chocolate milk or a protein shake paired with a sports drink or ginger ale are some options that may be easier to get down if you don’t feel like eating.
Chris Myers, a professional trail runner in Boulder, says he “usually prioritizes getting in a recovery drink and fluid and electrolytes immediately after the race. I usually have an appetite after I race, but it still takes my stomach a while to recover and feel ready to eat solid food.”
This is a pretty common scenario, and your recovery nutrition doesn’t have to be perfect. However, it will serve you best in the long term to try and get in some calories as soon as you can post-race, even if you have to start small and build from there.
Prioritize Nutrition in the Days After the Race
Even once you have gotten in your immediate nutrition, the recovery still continues. Recovering from ultra-distance races can take days to weeks, and sometimes longer, depending on the duration and effort of the race as well as your individual response.
Even in the days following the race when you are likely not running yet, your energy needs are still increased due to the additional energy needed to repair muscle damage, restore glycogen, and recover from the immense amount of physical stress your body underwent. Don’t assume that taking some time off running means immediately reducing your food intake.
“Anywhere between a few hours after the race to the next day, I’m usually pretty hungry and try to resume eating normally again, which if you know me, is a lot of food”, Myers says. “I do remember both times I raced Western States, I woke up in the middle of the night super hungry and found myself in the kitchen at 2 a.m. to find snacks to hold me over until breakfast.”
In the days after your race, your hunger cues may be elevated, so make sure to listen to these and eat when you do feel hungry. Try adopting a consistent, regular eating pattern, aiming to still eat three balanced meals and additional snacks throughout the day, and eating even more as your hunger dictates.
If you still find yourself without much of an appetite, it is even more important to eat consistent meals and snacks throughout the day to help ensure you are getting in adequate nutrition. The days and weeks post race are an important time to prioritize proper fueling so you don’t set yourself back by underfueling during the recovery process. This isn’t the time to cut back on your food intake.
Don’t Forget Micronutrients
The main focus of recovery nutrition is on replenishing calories, specifically carbs and protein, but micronutrients play a big role in recovery as well. Vitamins and minerals don’t provide your body with energy, but they do support the background work involved in tissue repair, oxygen transport, immune function, and bone health, all of which are necessary components of recovery. You may even be craving foods that are high in micronutrients after all the carb loading you have hopefully been doing.
Some key micronutrients during recovery include iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C. Adding berries, leafy greens, citrus fruits, bell peppers, and other colorful fruits and vegetables to your meals is an easy way to get in micronutrients from your meals. Focusing on having a varied diet that includes plenty of plants and a diversity of whole foods is a good way to help ensure you are getting adequate micronutrients.
Some easy add-ins include adding nuts and seeds to your oatmeal or yogurt, or making a smoothie every afternoon with a variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. Try to prioritize getting micronutrients from food sources instead of buying random pills and powders and random supplements.
Don’t Neglect Hydration, Either
There are three “Rs” of recovery, and so far we have covered the first two: replenish with carbohydrates and repair with protein. The third is to rehydrate with fluid and electrolytes. After running an ultra, you may have lost substantial amounts of fluid and sodium through sweat, so it is important to carefully rehydrate after your race to replace fluid losses without overdoing it. If you know how much body weight you lost during the race, aim to drink 20-24 ounces of fluid per pound of weight lost over the next several hours. If you don’t know your sweat losses, start by drinking according to thirst and continue to consume fluids regularly over the next several hours.
Since hydration and electrolyte losses are so individual, there are no single fluid or electrolyte recommendations that work for everyone. Hydration needs vary based on weather, race duration, individual sweat rate and sodium concentration, and how much you actually consumed during the race. In general, aim to drink fluids alongside meals and snacks and include electrolytes in these fluids, particularly sodium.
Sodium is the primary electrolyte lost through sweat, and replacing it through food and fluids helps restore your fluid balance. Having a sports drink, adding an electrolyte powder to your water, or eating salty snacks all contribute to replenishing your sodium losses. If you are a salty sweater or raced in hot conditions, you may need a bit more sodium after your race.
How Do I Know When I am Recovered?
Recovery from an ultra takes time, and there is really no way to rush the process. Even once your muscle soreness improves and you may feel ready to get back to training, it doesn’t necessarily mean every physiological system is ready to jump back into it quite yet. Muscle, connective tissue, immune system, and overall energy stores may recover on different timelines.
This timeline is also different for everyone. If this is your first ultra, it will likely take you longer to recover than if you are a seasoned ultrarunner. Pay attention to your energy levels, appetite, sleep, mood, and muscle soreness, and be careful about doing too much too soon even if you feel eager to get back at it. Your nutrition is a key part of the recovery process that you can control.
Eating enough, focusing on carbs, protein, fluid and electrolytes, and micronutrients will give your body the best opportunity to return to running healthy, happy, and energized again. Times are changing in the ultrarunning world, and this sport is impossible without appropriate fueling.
RELATED: How Jane Maus Lowered the Women’s FKT on Colorado’s Longs Peak
- The Race is Over, Now What? Your Nutrition Guide to Recovering from Ultra-Distance Trail Races
- What Should I Eat? Solving Real-Life Fueling Dilemmas
- Avoid These 5 Common Fueling and Hydration Mistakes
- A Practical Guide to Hydration for Trail Runners
