June is in full swing and we are excited to be here! If you’re on the Fargo Marathon recovery path, keep it up. This edition might give you some insights into how your feeling after a big effort and a few days of recovery!

Stick with it, folks. See ya out there!

Go hit the Social Sauna at Endura Thermal Spa on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!

Sounds like prices will increase soon! Contact Kim and Trent for more details.

February 14th-21st, 2027
Caribbean Run For Fun Cruise

⚠️ 8 balcony cabins remaining at current price.

August 23rd-30th, 2027
Alaska Run for Fun Cruise

⚠️ 6 cabins remaining at largest savings.

🚨🚨 Flyers and Price Sheets / Details here.

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Brought to you by Lindsay! A fabulous race pacer, writer and community member! And our esteemed contributing author here at Runday.

Lindsay brings a thoughtful, practical approach to life, running, wellness, and real-life training. The kind that meets you where you’re at and helps you keep showing up. We’re thrilled to have her sharing her insights with the community.

By: Lindsay Paulson

Strive for discomfort

We’ve all heard it. “Push through the pain,” or, “No pain, no gain.”

While statements like this are rooted in a positive idea - get tough, do the work - they’re not quite right. Because pain doesn’t make you stronger. Pain is a warning sign. It slows you down, halts progress, may even sideline you.

What should we be striving for? Discomfort. That feeling when you don’t want to or don’t think you can, when it feels too hard or you feel like giving up, that’s discomfort. And that’s what you push through; that’s when growth and gains come.

It’s not catchy and it doesn’t rhyme, but discomfort - not pain - is the real goal. So get going and get uncomfortable!

By: Dr. Lizette Sunde, PT,

A researched-backed approach to your rehab, recovery and wellness.

Runner Question: I’ve run the Fargo Marathon! It’s easily the hardest thing I’ve ever trained for in my life. What can I do now and is there something that will make me heal quicker?

Dr. Sunde: Hey runner! And to all the runners who’ve locally completed the Fargo marathon races, congratulations! It’s mind blowing what our bodies undergo after working so hard for so long. After running a marathon, your body starts recovering right away, but different parts of your body heal at different speeds. You may be able to go for an easy jog again after about 2 days (48 hours) if you feel good, but your muscles are still repairing themselves for much longer, so keep it light.

Creatine Kinase (CK)
What it is: Think of CK as a "muscle damage alarm." When muscles get stressed or tiny tears happen during exercise, CK leaks into your blood. This usually goes up the most 1–2 days after the race and usually goes back to normal in about 6 days

Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)
What it is: This is another signal that your body tissues and muscles are healing from stress or damage.  Stays high longer but is usually back to normal in about 8 days

Troponin T
What it is: A heart stress marker. Running a marathon makes your heart work really hard, so this number can temporarily go up but is usually back to normal in about 4 days

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
What it is: This is an inflammation marker. Think of it as your body's "swelling and repair signal."  It can stay high for 8 days or more

Metabolic Recovery
What it is: This means how quickly your body gets back to normal with things like energy use and fuel storage.  It usually recovers in 1–2 days

Muscle Fiber Repair
What it is: Your muscle fibers are the tiny "strings" that make up your muscles. A marathon creates lots of tiny stress and tears in them.  Complete healing can take up to 8 weeks

SO, just because your legs stop yelling at you doesn't mean they've finished rebuilding.🏃‍♀️ 

We have evidence that tells us sitting and waiting for full recovery isn't the best plan of action either (although your legs are telling you otherwise). 

Days 1–2 after a marathon should be rest or very light walking only, as this is the time of peak muscle damage and soreness period. 

Days 2–3 onward should be light-intensity running, this appears safe and may accelerate neuromuscular recovery compared to elliptical and rest.  Randomized control trials are the best in evidence so check out the study!

~1 week most blood biomarkers of muscle and cardiac damage normalize. 

2–4 weeks is a common expert recommendation for gradual return to full training volume, though high-quality evidence for this specific timeframe is limited.

Up to 8 weeks for full structural muscle fiber repair. Finally!

What does the evidence say about post-marathon recovery modalities?

The strongest evidence supports massage and cold water immersion as the most effective modalities for feeling better, fatigue, reducing muscle soreness and inflammation. Take note that these studies were not all completed on post-marathon athletes but instead, on athletes who had these traits. 

Nutritional strategies like adequate carbs, protein, and polyphenol-rich foods like tart cherry juice along with sufficient sleep form the essential foundation for recovery. Compression garments offer modest additional benefit with essentially no downside risk.

So to sum it up…eat well, sleep well, call your favorite massage therapist and I’ll see you at the next beer run in 2-4 weeks.

Happy Running!

Dr. Sunde, PT

Celebrate Independence Day with a fun and meaningful event that supports local veterans. 🦅

📅 July 4th, 2026
⏰ 8 AM
📍Bonanzaville USA, West Fargo

👉 SIGN UP NOW!

🚨🚨 Last chance for a mid week running party with friends! See you in 56 hours!

ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 11PM TONIGHT (Tuesday Evening)!

ONSITE REGISTRATION OPENS AT 5PM ON THURSDAY (Race Day)!

📅 Thursday, June 11, 2026
⏰ Race Starts at 7:00 PM
📍Swing Barrel Brewing Co.

👉 SIGN UP NOW!

How often do you stretch or mobility train?

🧘 Every day — 19%
👍 A few times a week — 33%
😬 Rarely — 26%
🤣 What's stretching? — 22%

To the daily stretchers: we're impressed.

To the "few times a week" crowd: you're the responsible adults in the room.

To the "rarely" crowd: at least you're honest.

And to the "What's stretching?" crew... no complaining about your hip flexors in next week's Ask Dr. Sunde section. 😆

Rock on, folks!

Will we see you at the Short Shorts 5k?!

Jeremy & James

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