Ultimate Guide To Ironman Recovery - Nutrition Tips & More
If you're looking for post ironman recovery tips, that means you've completed (or are about to!) an ironman triathlon, one of the toughest endurance event out there- congratulations! It's such an amazing achievement to get across the finish line, and now it's super important to get the recovery process right.
In this blog post we’ll go over 4 key strategies to help you fine-tune your recovery. Maybe this was your first ironman and you just want to recover and soak up the race itself, or maybe you're a professional triathlete, ready to get back to training or have your next race coming up - let’s get you recovering properly.
These tips are best implemented in the hour or two after the big event. Some preparation in advance can go a long way. I’ll even give you my favourite combination post-race ironman nutrition later on.
What to eat after an ironman
After an ironman race, refuelling is one of the first things you should be focusing on. You will have burnt through an enormous amount of calories and be in a big calorie deficit, no matter how much you fuelled during the race.
The first thing you need to do is get your energy stores back up. In my opinion the best post triathlon recovery food is carbohydrates and protein, and here, the simpler the better because they’ll be easier to digest! Your body has a store of carbohydrates - your glycogen stores.
You will have burnt through these during the race, so this is what you need to start replenishing immediately. This will not only be physiologically beneficial, but you’ll feel better too.
Directly after the race, you probably won't want to eat a big bowl of pasta, so something like a smoothie is a great way to get those carbs down you.
For me the best triathlon recovery drink is super simple; I make my own ‘does-it-all’ recovery electrolyte protein shake - so I use about 70g of carbs from an energy powder with electrolytes in it and about 30g worth of protein in a powdered form. I add about 1g of table salt as well to it and it makes it a super easy, super simple recovery drink.
As soon as I finish a triathlon I drink that mix to help me get back on track.
If you just want to use whole food products, a good option is: 30-50g of oats, 1 banana, 1 tbsp honey, 500mls of semi-skimmed milk and 25g semi-skimmed milk powder, 1g of table salt.
The aim here is 1g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight.
Once enough time has passed for your stomach to be ready for solid foods (a couple of hours, but you will be able to gauge your body's ability), it’s still best to stick with simpler carbs. I tend to avoid going for complex, slow releasing carbs at this point because the likelihood is you won’t feel up to it. Instead, you can go for things like white breads or grains as these are the perfect base for post-race recovery meals.
You will also want to consume 20-30g protein in your immediate post race meal, for muscle repair purposes. In the first week after the ironman, keep consuming plenty of protein again to allow for muscle recovery and heal up from any muscle damage. I would recommend consuming 1.4 to 2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
Hydration after an ironman
You lose a lot of water through sweat during and after long-distance races. This means that it is important to focus on rehydration in your recovery period.
I advise against drinking plain water - for recovery, it’s best to drink water with a source of sodium in it. This might mean using something like rehydration tablets during the hours after the race.
My recommendation is to drink 500ml of fluid per hour containing 500mg of sodium, for at least 3 hours after your race. You may need to continue consuming that sort of amount of fluid and sodium for another couple of hours, but you can see how you feel and tailor it to your needs.
In the following days you can drink water to thirst.
How hot it is and how hard your race is will dictate how much fluid you need to replace, as well as how much sodium you sweat.
So a quick note on alcohol after a race - good or bad? The famous post-race beer. Full of carbs so they're good right? Well I would say no not really due to dehydration link.
Alcohol makes us pee, and if we’re already dehydrated then it’s likely you are actually just going to end up dehydrating yourself further. So, first things first in the hours after your race - get your hydration back on track. Then focus on the beer ;)
How to recover physically
Your ironman nutrition plan is of course important, but your plan for rest and recuperation is also a key part of your recovery plan.
The first thing to think about is sleep! Essentially… Get lots of it!
This is personal, but aim for at least 7 hours a night in the triathlon recovery week. Your entire body will be actively repairing itself as you sleep, so make sure that you give it that time.
You should take some total rest days after the big race too. You will have been through a period of intense training and heavy physical activity, so usually suggest very low intensity movement for a few days as active recovery.
If you do want to do a training session, sticking to Zone 1 is a good thing to do. Some people like to use a foam roller to enhance recovery by stimulating blood flow to your muscles, releasing tensions and removing waste products.
I generally advise against doing any proper training for 2-3 weeks after your ironman. This is the typical recovery time for most athletes. The temptation to train will be strong - it's hard to sit still after you've been so active in the run up to the race.
But trust me, taking it easy is the best thing you can do for your body. You'll recover better and give your body time to heal. Then you can start thinking about your next race, and even your next season if you want to.I’ve seen way too many athletes try to get back in the game too quickly, especially when they see how quickly pros do it.
Don’t fall into that trap.
How to recover mentally
Post ironman depression and post ironman fatigue affect a lot of people!
It makes sense; you've been working for the event for a long time, finishing it is a huge rush, and once it's over, it can feel like there's a big hole where your race goals were.
Not to mention the fact that you will be physically exhausted after what is a lot of hard work. This physical exhaustion can make you more emotional too.
Don't let this slump scare you if it happens; it's totally natural and it will pass! Focus on spending time with friends and family doing activities you like, reflect on your training period and race, what went well and what you want to work on for next time.
You'll soon get back into the rhythm of normal life and the next training cycle will come around quicker than you think, and your body and your mind will be glad for the downtime in the recovery period.
Those are all my top tips for what to do after an ironman. Follow this advice and it will help your ironman recovery to go as smoothly as possible.
