Exercise & FitnessMarathon Running Disrupts Some Recovery Measures More Than Trail Running
A marathon may demand more recovery than a hilly trail run matched for effort, according to a study of 41 trained runners. Participants completed a treadmill marathon, a treadmill trail run, or an outdoor trail run. Both trail runs covered 29 kilometers with substantial climbing and descending. After the marathon, runners showed larger declines in their ability to fully activate their thigh muscles, reduced jumping performance, and greater increases in blood markers of muscle damage. Thigh activation, jumping performance, and soreness also took longer to recover. However, maximum thigh strength and calf muscle fatigue measures did not differ between groups. The findings support tailoring recovery to the event and individual rather than assuming trails always cause greater fatigue. This small study does not establish an ideal recovery schedule, and this summary is based only on the abstract.
