recovery time after 100 milers

Bret Runner  - 2 weeks??!  Hope your kidneys are OK and that you get back to proper running soon but you'll not have to overdo it again in future!  The best way to prevent a reoccurrence, I've been told, is to be sure to replace electrolytes - something I haven't bothered with much but now I'm going to have to seriously look into.

What matters is what state you are in after the 100. This probably is more important then any set time for recovery. If you are in a good state then you can get back into running again sooner. If you can ,try to get in a short recovery run within a few days of the ultra. This will help flush out any chemical imbalance in your body. Don,t try to run at any pace and don,t even think of going up hills. You may feel ok on the flat but hills will reveal the true state of your body.

T Rex - I had complete Kidney failure & had to have 32 bags of saline before my kidneys kick started again. The doctors could not say if the condition was as a result of a race I was in or if it has been building up over time (not enough research has been done with ultra runners).

The irony is during the race my hydration and electrolyte replacement was right on the money, so my conclusion is this had been building for a while. If this had been my first 100mile race I would understand but I have several 100+ miles under my belt.

It really makes you think, I had this kind of "I am bullet proof " perception and I think a lot of Ultra runners have the same sort of attitude which can be dangerous. Especially when used in a race situation where you have the attitude of I will finish this race regardless, I know I have been there and done it. I guess I am going to be a lot more cautious now, the danger in someways is could it make me over cautious though, I guess time will tell.

Off the original topic I know, but having just read another similar account in Running Tales 3 I dug out the following short article that others might find useful

running rhabdomyolosis