{"id":944,"date":"2025-04-26T15:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T15:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/?p=944"},"modified":"2025-05-01T19:36:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T19:36:32","slug":"this-is-what-running-26-miles-actually-does-to-your-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/26\/this-is-what-running-26-miles-actually-does-to-your-body\/","title":{"rendered":"This is what running 26 miles actually does to your body"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend thousands of people will be pounding the pavement in London<\/a>, as the London marathon<\/a> takes place.<\/p>\n

The runners<\/a> will be undertaking the 26.2 mile route, and whether they\u2019re an elite athlete or a novice, there\u2019s no denying that it will have a major impact on their bodies. <\/a><\/p>\n

Even with all the necessary training<\/a> and all the right gear, even the fittest of individuals will notice considerable changes to their body when running such a distance.<\/p>\n

Obviously, it goes without saying that running a marathon is a very personal experience and a variety of things will affect your run \u2013 such as stress, injuries and training. But, on the whole, there are a few different things that will happen to your body during it, and afterwards.<\/p>\n

From endorphin surges to back \u2018bounces\u2019, experts share some of the things to expect when you run 26 miles.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Tired\t<\/div>
Pounding the pavement for 26.2 miles will have an impact on your body (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Body enters overdrive mode<\/h2>\n

When running a marathon, your body goes into overdrive, uses up energy stores, breaks down muscle, and loses fluid and electrolytes.<\/p>\n

Physiotherapist Sammy Margo, who works with Deep Freeze and Deep Heat, explains: \u2018The body goes into overdrive, uses up glycogen (energy) stores in the liver, breaks down muscle and loses fluid and electrolytes \u2013 all of which contribute to fatigue and a sense of grogginess and tiredness after the run.\u2019<\/p>\n

Muscles become inflamed<\/h2>\n

Obviously, most people don\u2019t run 26 miles every day \u2013 so it\u2019s a bit of a shock to our muscles.<\/p>\n

Sammy says: \u2018Muscles become inflamed and sore \u2013 particularly the calves and thighs \u2013 and runners may develop cramp.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Biomarkers of muscle damage \u2013 such as lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase \u2013 increase during the run, peaking after the end of the marathon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018These enzymes take around a week to fall back to normal levels.\u2019<\/p>\n

She says warming up is essential to reduce the risk of sore muscles, particularly delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Sportsman\t<\/div>
Proper stretching and warm ups are essential (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Performance Physique<\/a>\u2019s Head Coach, Arj Thiruchelvam, also adds that marathons cause substantial muscular damage \u2013 and this is even more noticeable if runners lack sufficient carbohydrate fuelling.<\/p>\n

He says: \u2018Very often we consider the impacts are limited to the visual (blistering, nail issues or swollen feet) but many runners also suffer joint discomfort post-race to go along with their muscular soreness. <\/p>\n

\u2018These sensations are not the limit and that is why recovery is so vital.\u2019<\/p>\n

Cramps and joint discomfort are common<\/h2>\n

From over-contraction and overuse of muscles to a lack of sodium, there are numerous reasons why runners experience the notorious \u2018cramp\u2019.<\/p>\n

Kimiko Ninomiya, the founder of women\u2019s running collective Hot Boys Athletics<\/a>, is running today \u2013 her sixth marathon \u2013 and she expects a few cramps and aches to happen.<\/p>\n

She explains: \u2018This time around, I like to think I\u2019ve properly prepared and I\u2019ve been consistent about all my training (from everything I\u2019ve tracked on Strava, you\u2019d say I\u2019m ready). But I\u2019m prepared for the race to take everything out of me. I\u2019m expecting my hamstring to cramp up, ankles and knees to ache, back pain, a headache \u2013 literally all the worst things I\u2019ve ever experienced combined into one race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m expecting to hobble from the finish line, like Bambi, while simultaneously feeling a wave of euphoria wash over me for having just finished such a hard effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018In the days following a hard race, my legs are always very stiff but it\u2019s important to try to get moving, whether it\u2019s tracking a short and easy run on Strava or going for a long walk around the city (my favourite is to go to an art gallery).\u2019<\/p>\n

Feeling on top of the world \u2013 followed by post-run blues<\/h2>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"Marathon\t<\/div>
Get ready for \u2018feel good\u2019 endorphins (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Runner\u2019s high\u2019 <\/a>is a real thing \u2013 and it\u2019s all down to endorphins.<\/p>\n

Sammy continues: \u2018Running this distance over several hours also increases positive neurotransmitters, like norepinephrine, and \u201cfeel good\u201d endorphins \u2013 which keeps you alert and serotonin, which improves mood.\u2019<\/p>\n

But, in a similar way to a workout class, this effect does wear off shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

Kimiko says: \u2018Beyond the very physical toll, there\u2019s also the chemical drop-off that happens, when your serotonin levels switch off that my friends and I call \u201cmarathon melancholy\u201d, where you feel quite sad\/down, so it\u2019s important to give yourself grace and try to surround yourself with people or things that lift you up.\u2019<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll get (temporarily) shorter<\/h2>\n

According to the Journal of International Medical Research<\/a>, you\u2019re expected to lose almost half an inch in height during a marathon.<\/p>\n

This loss in height is a result of the back muscles tensing under strenuous conditions and fluid loss between the intervertebral disks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, worry not, this is only temporary and you\u2019ll be back to full height when fluid levels are replaced.<\/p>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Have you ever experienced \u2018marathon melancholy\u2019 after a long run?<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stress on knees, hips and ankles<\/h2>\n<p>Even when you\u2019ve trained, your body still goes through a tremendous amount of stress while running.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benlombardphysiotherapy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Physiotherapist Ben Lombard <\/a>says: \u2018The muscles in your hips, knees, ankles and spine are constantly loaded with each step, which is a great way to strengthen them \u2013 but if loaded too much too soon you can easily create overload injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018These commonly include muscle sprains, tendon injuries, or even ligament sprains and bone stress injuries.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Ben says to help lessen the load on your joints, it all comes down to training and preparation.<\/p>\n<p>He explains: \u2018To run 26.2 miles, you should condition your body appropriately with a carefully considered training plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This should include both running and strength and conditioning sessions. Your runs should get progressively longer, and ideally you will do some shorter faster intervals, some race-paced runs, and some hills, too.\u2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strain on your spine<\/h2>\n<p>While you might think your knees and ankles get the worst of it when running 26 miles, Michael Fatica \u2013 a consultant osteopath for <a href=\"https:\/\/backinshapeprogram.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Back in Shape Program<\/a> \u2013 says it\u2019s actually our backs that take the full impact.<\/p>\n<p>He explains: \u2018The action of running causes a repetitive impact on the load bearing structures of the lower back \u2013 primarily the discs. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018When running, the main force is one of impact going through the body, the joints of the lower limbs, ankles, knees and hips and the into the spine. When we think of the impact on our lower back \u2013 even with good posture \u2013 the average marathon consists of somewhere between 55,000 and 65,000 steps.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Think of these steps as tiny impacts through the spine for the duration of the event. From the outset in the early part of the race, you\u2019re likely soft on your feet, posture tall and efficient. As time wears on and the number of steps climbs, more and more of these impacts will become less efficiently handled by our bodies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018At the same time, your postural muscles will be having to manage these many \u201cbounces\u201d up and down during the entirety of the event.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>As a result, runners might experience fatigue and discomfort in the lower back at the end of the gruelling run.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>This article was first published on September 25, 2023.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk\">MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This weekend thousands of people will be pounding the pavement in London, as the London marathon takes place. The runners will be undertaking the 26.2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=944"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":950,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944\/revisions\/950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.troop956.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}