From compression boots to massage balm: The post-marathon recovery gear every runner needs

Shopping | ES Best Home | Health & Fitness | RunningFrom compression boots to massage balm: The post-marathon recovery gear every runner needsRecovery isn’t optional after 26.2 miles. The Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.PexelsGeorgie Darling2 minutes agoSign up for our free weekly newsletter for hot deals, best buys and expert reviewsSign upI would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.There’s a moment, somewhere between crossing the finish line and reaching for a celebratory drink, where most runners make the same mistake: they move straight past recovery. According to Pamela Nisevich Bede, Global Nutritionist at Abbott’s Lingo, that’s the exact moment your body needs attention most.“The first hour post-marathon represents a unique metabolic window,” she explains - one where your body is “exceptionally receptive to nutrients” and primed for repair. In other words, what you do in that short window can shape how you feel not just later that day, but for the next several.Read MoreInspired by the London Marathon? 11 running essentials for beginners, from the first mile to The MallI tried Lidl’s new carbon plate running trainers to see if the £40 kicks are actually any goodBest running shoe brands: Top picks from New Balance to AdidasThe priority? Three things: “restore muscle tissue, normalise glucose availability and rehydrate effectively.” It sounds simple, but the reality is that most runners miss at least one. Skipping food altogether, delaying refuelling or heading straight for a pint can slow glycogen replenishment, prolong fatigue and make muscle soreness significantly worse.Instead, Bede recommends thinking in ratios. A 4:1 balance of carbohydrates to protein helps “restock spent glycogen stores and repair muscles”, while fluids (ideally with electrolytes) are essential to reverse the dehydratio...