How Professionals Reset Their Bodies After the Summer Racing Season

As October begins and the major summer running events come to an end, including our Subotica Half Marathon, the running community enters a completely new phase. Throughout this month, our portal will feature a special four-part series dedicated to the transition period — how to make smart use of autumn and winter for recovery, maintaining fitness and preparing for the challenges of spring, whether you are a recreational runner or an experienced competitor.

The first step on that journey is understanding what top athletes do as soon as they cross the finish line: a smart and carefully planned reset of the body.

While recreational runners often make the mistake of continuing with hard training immediately after a race out of sheer enthusiasm, professional runners and athletes follow what is known as periodization. After months of exertion, the joints, tendons and central nervous system require rest.

That is why, during the first two to three weeks of October, top runners consciously reduce their mileage to a minimum or take a complete break. Instead of running, this period is dominated by light “active recovery,” which includes swimming, cycling or easy, long walks. The goal is not to maintain fitness at all costs, but to completely eliminate micro-injuries in the muscles and achieve mental recovery.

October weather can be unpredictable, with cool mornings and moderately warm afternoons. At this stage, professionals pay particular attention to preventing colds and strengthening immunity, primarily through smart clothing choices. The basic layer should be a long-sleeved shirt made of synthetic, quick-drying materials that wick sweat away from the skin, while cotton should be avoided altogether. A lightweight windbreaker with good ventilation on the back is always useful and ideal for cooler morning walks or easy training sessions. When it comes to changing footwear, autumn is the right time to replace the running shoes in which you completed the half marathon with new, more stable models featuring good traction for wet asphalt and autumn leaves.

When training volume is sharply reduced, the body’s energy requirements also change. If you continue eating the same amount of carbohydrates as during race preparation, the excess energy will quickly turn into unwanted body mass. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on reducing carbohydrate intake. Fast sugars, gels and large pasta meals that were used to replenish muscle glycogen before the race are eliminated. The focus shifts to protein and recovery, with an increased intake of high-quality protein sources — lean meat, fish, eggs and legumes — which help rebuild muscle fibers. So-called “anti-inflammatory foods” are also introduced. Foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, such as berries, green vegetables, walnuts and olive oil, are added to the diet to help accelerate the body’s healing processes.

The most important lesson we can learn from professionals in October is patience. Rest is not a waste of time, but a crucial part of progress. If you give your body the opportunity to fully recover and recharge during this phase, you will create the perfect foundation for the autumn base-building phase, which we will discuss in the next installment of our series.