You Ran the Marathon! Now Let’s Talk About Your Legs

First things first: congratulations.

If you laced up yesterday for the 50th anniversary of the five-borough TCS New York City Marathon, you covered 26.2 miles through Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, and finished in Central Park. That is a big deal. Maybe you ran it for a personal best, for a charity, for the sheer stubbornness of it, or because you promised yourself you would after having a baby. Maybe you ran it while holding down a full-time job and squeezing in training between Zoom calls. However you got to that finish line, we are cheering for you.

And to everyone who was out on the course handing out orange slices, holding signs, or ringing cowbells on First Avenue: you are the real MVPs. (Your cowbell was heard. Probably by everyone.)

Now, if you are reading this while descending the stairs sideways or backwards, you are in good company. Today is a great day to talk about what your body just went through, what is normal, and what is worth paying attention to.

Sore vs. Something Else

After a marathon, almost everyone is sore. Tight quads, achy calves, and a very specific waddle are all part of the experience. Typical post-race soreness tends to be symmetrical, improves day by day, and eases with gentle movement, hydration, food, and sleep.

That last one is the one we want to spend the most time on.

Common Marathon-Related Injuries

The marathon is a lot of repetitive impact. Over 26.2 miles, each leg strikes the ground tens of thousands of times, and training builds up even more of that load. Here are the usual suspects we see in the weeks after a big race, and in the months leading up to one.

The Real Problem Isn’t the Injury. It’s the Loop.

Here is the part we really want to emphasize.

Many runners deal with the same issue over and over. You get shin splints, take a week off, feel fine, ramp back up, and there they are again. Rest is not a bad strategy, but on its own it only answers the question “does it hurt right now?” It does not answer “why did it start?”

Shin splints are a perfect example. The pain is in the shin, but the cause is rarely only in the shin. Contributing factors can include:

If you only treat the sore spot, you are managing a symptom. If you find the pattern behind it, you can actually fix the problem, and that is when you stop getting the same injury in the same place every season.

What Physical Therapy Can Actually Do

We promise this is not a sales pitch. Plenty of running aches get better with smart rest and a gradual return. But if you are stuck in a cycle or just not sure what is going on, here is what a good PT evaluation looks like:

The goal is not to take running away from you. It is to help you keep it.

A Note for Our Postpartum Runners

If you trained for this race (or any race) after having a baby, give yourself a standing ovation. Bodies that have carried and delivered a child are doing remarkable things, and getting back to running is a real milestone.

It is also normal to want a little extra support along the way. Core and pelvic floor function, hip strength, and how your body handles impact all play a role in staying comfortable and injury-free. Leaking, heaviness, or pressure when you run, or pain in the hips and lower back, are common, but they are not something you have to simply put up with. Those are exactly the things we like to help with.

For the Desk-Bound (Yes, That Includes the Kitchen Table)

Whether your office is a Midtown high-rise or a laptop on the couch, sitting for most of the day can leave hips tight and glutes sleepy, and then we ask them to carry us through a marathon. A few small habits help:

• Stand up and move for a couple of minutes every hour
• Do a few glute bridges or calf raises between meetings
• Walk during phone calls when you can
• Keep up with strength training twice a week, not just running

It is not glamorous, but it is the kind of boring that keeps runners healthy.

Your Recovery Week, Simplified

For the next week or two, think “gentle and consistent”:

Already Thinking About the Next One?

We know. The post-race high is a powerful thing, and half of you have already opened a tab for next year’s drawing. That is great. The best time to set yourself up for the next training cycle is right now, while your body is recovering and you can still remember exactly where it complained on mile 20.

If something is nagging you, we are always happy to take a look. And if you are all good, we are still happy to hear about your race. We love a finish line story.

Congratulations again, runners. Go enjoy a very large brunch.