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[[File:NC24 Recovery.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Recovering from a 24 hour race. Notice the hoodie and warm blanket, the comfortable slippers, the drink, and most importantly, someone to keep me upright.]]
What you do in the hours and days after a race will influence your comfort and future performance. These guidelines are focused on longer races, such as marathon and ultramarathons, but they apply to a lesser extent to slower half marathons. This advice applies to those simply recovering from a race, but also to those [[Racing 2 Marathons]], doing [[Back to Back Marathons]], and those [[Running Frequent Marathons]].
=Serious Problems=
While rare, it is possible to have serious medical issues after a race. If you have any concerns or doubts, talk to the medical staff after the race or go to an emergency medical center. If you do seek medical help, let the medical staff know you've run an endurance race, and mention that they should check your blood electrolyte levels before giving you an IV of normal saline as you may have [[Hyponatremia]]. Also let them know if you've taken any [[NSAIDs and Running| NSAIDs]].
* Put on extra clothes or change before you become chilled. If you're tired after a race and become chilled, it can be hard to warm up again.
* If you're feeling okay, drink a [[Protein]]/carbohydrate drink, aiming for 100 grams of [[Protein]].
* If you feel nauseous, then you could try some sipping some ginger ale, chewing on a bit of cucumber, sucking on a mint, nibbling on a plain cracker, or just wait for it to pass. If you need to vomit, then doing so may help, but often [[Nausea|nausea ]] is independent of the need to vomit.
* If you're dehydrated, drink to thirst, but be careful if your hands are swollen or you've not urinated in a while, as you might have [[Hyponatremia]]. If you suspect [[Hyponatremia]], it's probably best to avoid drinking and to seek medical advice.
* If you have blisters, don't [[Popping Blisters| burst them]] unless you can't walk without them spreading.