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November 2025 FLX PT NEWSLETTER #17 First, A Note of GratitudeI hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving. I want to start by saying thank you. To every patient, athlete, runner, and listener who checks in with me each month, you are the reason I get to do what I love. I am truly grateful for the trust you place in me with your care. It is an honor to walk alongside you on your fitness and running journey, whether you’re actively coming into the clinic or simply following along from afar. I genuinely care about each and every one of you, your progress, your setbacks, your goals, and your wins. What makes this work meaningful isn’t just the injuries I treat, or the training plans I built, it’s the relationships we create. Ithaca is such a special community, and I feel lucky every day to be part of it. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your story.
And now, A Note of “Do as I say, not at as do”.…
I regretfully write this month’s newsletter in response to my own training. Fall racing season can be full of adrenaline, goal chasing, crisp weather, and sometimes PRs. When everything comes together on race day, there’s nothing quite like that post-race high. But what we do after the race matters just as much as what we did to get there. And reluctantly, I have to admit this fall I ignored my own advice and went against my body’s internal messages. I recently ran the Corning Wineglass Half Marathon and had the best race! Everything clicked, I ran a 4-minute PR, had an absolute blast, and felt strong the week following. And like many runners, I got caught in that “I feel invincible” wave. I know my body. I’m prone to overuse injuries. I teach athletes all day long about respecting the recovery window. I even promised myself I’d take a full two weeks of cross-training and gentle movement. But that post-race high is powerful. I ended up doing two hard track workouts within those first two weeks.
And guess what? By week four, lower tibial/shin pain hit hard. Nothing dramatic, just that familiar whisper of “Hey, you pushed too soon,” slowly turning into a shout. And now I’m digging myself out of a hole I could have avoided. What to Do Instead: A Simple Post-Race Recovery GuideAfter a big race, whether it’s a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or a full, the body enters a period of cellular repair. Muscles, tendons, fascia, and even your immune and endocrine systems need time to down-shift from weeks of stress ⁽¹ ² ³⁾. This recovery window is not optional. The distance you raced determines how long your tissues stay in that vulnerable phase⁽¹ ² ³⁾: 5K: 2-3 days of reduced loading 10K: 3–5 days of reduced loading Half Marathon: 10–14 days of true recovery (cross-training, easy movement, intentional rest) Marathon: 2–4 weeks before normal training should resume
Even when we feel great, tissues can still be healing below the surface. So, here’s a general guideline for the longer races- Half and Full MarathonDays 1–3Walk, gentle mobility, light stretching Prioritize sleep, protein, hydration, carbs Zero running
Days 4–10 Easy cycling, swimming, walking, light strength Focus on return to normal sleep and nutrition No workouts, strides, or speed yet. Shorter easy paced jogs if completed a half marathon.
Days 10–14 Weeks 3–4 Gradually rebuild volume Add strides or light progression runs Hold off on full workouts until the body says “yes,” not just the brain
Each body is different, but the principle stays the same: Races break the body down. Recovery builds it back stronger. Why This Matters for YouThis is your friendly reminder, from your running PT who just made the same mistake you might be tempted to make…that recovery is training. You earned your PR.
You earned your finish line moment.
And you earn your rest just as much. Your tissues need time to rebuild. Your nervous system needs time to regulate. Your risk of tendinopathy, bone stress, and soft-tissue overuse skyrockets when you jump back in too quickly. With you every step of the way, Amanda Robertson As always, please keep in touch via: Instagram at @flx_physical_therapy Book a Physical Therapy Appointment here Website: www.flxphysicaltherapy.com Citations: Bernat-Adell, María D.1; Collado-Boira, Eladio J.1; Moles-Julio, Pilar1; Panizo-González, Nayara2; Martínez-Navarro, Ignacio3; Hernando-Fuster, Bárbara4; Hernando-Domingo, Carlos5. Recovery of Inflammation, Cardiac, and Muscle Damage Biomarkers After Running a Marathon. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 35(3):p 626-632, March 2021. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003167 Bester R, Stander Z, Mason S, Keane KM, Howatson G, Clifford T, Stevenson EJ, Loots DT. The metabolic recovery of marathon runners: an untargeted 1H-NMR metabolomics perspective. Front Physiol. 2023 May 4;14:1117687. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1117687. PMID: 37215177; PMCID: PMC10192615. Martínez-Navarro I, Collado E, Hernando C, Hernando B, Hernando C. Inflammation, muscle damage and postrace physical activity following a mountain ultramarathon. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2021 Dec;61(12):1668-1674. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.21.11977-2. Epub 2021 Feb 8. PMID: 33555667.
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