Post-race Recovery

I write a lot about my training and my races but I don't write so much about kit and nutrition so I thought I'd start adding in a few of these types of posts to spice things up a bit.

As I've got a lot of races coming up, and it does seem to be race season proper now, I decided that I'd start with my post-race routine and recovery strategies and suggestions. Everyone approaches this slightly differently and what works for one person might not work for someone else, particularly in terms of what products we use, but hopefully this will be interesting and perhaps useful if you're starting out or moving to a different distance.

5km
When I started out running I would knock back a bottle of lucozade sport and scoff a banana after every parkrun, but these days I rarely feel the need to eat or drink anything special after a race of this distance. Your body is perfectly capable of fuelling itself over this sort of distance and won't need much help to recover afterwards. If you sweat a lot or it's been particularly hot then by all means, drink some sports drink (lucozade lite is a good option), but just some water or squash will work just as well and be lighter on the calorie count. In terms of food, a banana or a small flapjack is a good option but it's very easy to over estimate how much energy you expend on a run when you start out so take it easy. A 5k will burn around 300 calories. That's a small piece of cake.
Food: A nakd bar or banana if I feel I need it, often I have nothing until my normal meal time
Drink: 500ml water, sipped
Activity: Gentle stretch out. Up and running again the next day.

10km
I've started to develop a bad habit of having an ice cream after my middle distance races. It's probably not advisable but I like it :) I find I do need to eat after a 10k, even if it's something small. Sometimes bananas or fun size chocolates like milky ways are handed out after events and they're perfect but I usually pack something of similar size in case, something of around 100-150 calories, to tide me over until normal meal time. You burnt about 600 calories over 10k but don't be tempted to eat 600 calories there and then, your stomach will grumble. Better to have something small afterwards and just eat a little more at the next meal. I still steer away from sports drinks at this distance but coconut water makes a nice alternative to plain water.
Food: Banana, nakd bar, bounce ball, fun size chocolate bar or a 99 ice cream
Drink: 500ml water or a small carton of vitacoco
Activity: Moderate stretching. Up and running again the next day.

Half Marathon
I get pretty hungry and cold after a half marathon, unless it's a very warm day. I get cold very quickly so layers for afterwards are essential. Sometimes I'll take a whole change of clothes for after the race as I've found that damp clothing saps my heat and I struggle to get warm again. You burn serious calories in a half marathon so it's essential you refuel properly. I'll drink water on the way round the course at water stations if I feel I need it and use 1 or 2 Nectar Fuel gels (as my preferred brand). I find the For Goodness Shakes drinks get into my system really quickly and stop me getting sudden energy crashes.
Food: Banana, cheese and pickle sandwich (sometimes I crave savoury) OR Clif bar. Eat a proper meal within 2-3 hours
Drink: 500ml For Goodness Shakes chocolate drink as soon as possible, water as needed
Activity: Change into dry warm clothes or add warm layers. Lots of stretching over the next 6 hours. Hot bath to warm up and soothe muscles. Foot scrub and moisturise. Rest for the afternoon (assuming it's a morning event). Short run after 1-2 days (although I did once run 8 miles the day after because I felt up to it).

Marathon
I only have one marathon in the bag (so far) but I use this strategy on almost all of my longer runs. I'll take on water and 4-5 gels during the race, about one every hour.
Food: Sandwich (I'm sick of sweet after all the gels), crisps (for salt), banana or Clif bar if I fancy it, if I know I'm not going to get a proper meal within 2 hours. Proper meal within 2 hours.
Drink: 500ml For Goodness Shakes chocolate drink as soon as possible, water as needed, bubbly as a treat :)
Activity: Change into dry warm clothes or add warm layers. Lots of stretching over the next 12 hours. Hot bath to warm up and soothe muscles. Foot scrub and moisturise. Rest as much as possible. Massage the next day. Short run after 5-7 days.

How does that compare to what you do after a race? What are your preferred brands? If you are approaching one of these distances for the first time does that help you approach your own post-race recovery?