I am sure you will be doing some of these predictable actions once you cross the finish line of your marathon race:

Crying. You will be crying because of the pain and soreness of your legs; you are crying because that is how you express happiness for finishing the marathon after months of training and your tears are the “tears of joy”; or you are crying because you could have done the race at a faster time; or you are crying because you survived and finished the race.

Drinking anything, from water to sports drinks to beer!

Eating anything you can see after the finish line.

Laughing or Smiling for the Cameras (courtesy of Marathon Photos)

Lying down and taking a nap as if you want to be brought to the hospital immediately

Promise to yourself never run again a marathon distance

Throwing Up

Removing your wet shoes and socks to find out if you have blisters

Exchange stories to your running mates while your sweat is dripping

Text your friends and relatives in the Philippines

Look for running mates and friends for photo-ops with the Finish Line as the background

Go back to the Hotel Room to Post Your Race Report in Your Blog

Go back to your hotel room, take a shower and sleep

Meet with running mates and friends in a restaurant and eat as if it is your last meal.

To have a faster and better recovery, the following are the recommended things to do after crossing the Finish Line:

1) Walk as soon as you cross the Finish Line. Get your medal and/or certificate of finish; grab some bottled water and sports drinks and GU sports gel.

2) Rehydrate immediately by drinking as much water and sports drinks as you can. Your gauge or indicator of how much would you drink is approximately the loss of body weight after the race. If the color of your urine is yellowish, it means you need more water. Continue rehydrating until such time that your urine is almost colorless. Continue moving or walking while rehydrating.

3) Refuel immediately by eating food rich in carbohydrate like bagel, bread, fresh fruits, chocolates, bananas, pretzels, and other foods available after the finish line. You can take also some GU sports gel for your muscle recovery. Continue moving or walking while refueling or eating. Such walking should last from 15-20 minutes.

4) Change your wet running kit to warm clothes to prevent your wet attire from drying with your body.

5) Remove your shoes and socks and check for blisters and toenails. Have your blisters or any foot injury treated immediately by medical personnel at the finish area. Use a more comfortable sandals to relieve your feet from your running shoes. Still keep on moving and walking.

6) Do some stretching to loosen your leg muscles and body. If there is free massage at the finish line area, take advantage of this offer in order to loosen some more of your tired muscles. After stretching and massage, look for your friends and hang around with them and celebrate. You can now txt or call your friends while stretching or talking to your friends. If you plan to meet with your running mates and friends in one of the restaurants to have more refueling and rehydrating, you can do it immediately after your stretching and/or massage

7) Once you reach your hotel room or home, force yourself to have a shower. Experience-wise, a cold shower or bath would be better than a hot shower. Studies show that a cold shower will prevent/control “bleeding caused by micro-tears” in our muscles after heavy workouts/strenuous activities  like running a marathon distance. After a cold shower, wrap your body with the hotel’s bathrobe or wear something that is made of cotton.

8) Elevate your legs if you decide to take a nap or sleep after your shower. While blogging (if you are using your laptop or notebook or blackberry), you can still elevate your legs.

9) After 4-6 hours of sleep or rest, you can do a “shake-out run/shake-out walk” which is a short run/walk that you take the afternoon or evening after a morning race. Run or walk anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes and no more than that.

10) Continue refueling and rehydrating during your dinner. Sleep at least 8 hours on the night after the marathon race. If you have a hard time getting to sleep, get the services of a professional masseur.

11) On the following day after the marathon, jog at least 30 minutes for your “active recovery”. This will accelerate the time of recovery for your tired leg muscles.

12) If you are presently undergoing the “speed training” of Team Bald Runner at the ULTRA Oval Track, report to your coaches for next Tuesday’s speed workout.

Note: If you decide to run your next marathon race in the future and want to improve your finish time, please visit www.teambaldrunner.wordpress.com and register your name, age, and e-mail address in the comments section to become a member of Team Bald Runner and our coaches will provide you with your next marathon training program.