Believe it or not, getting over muscle soreness after a marathon is not about complete rest. In fact, research has shown that recovery is quickest in those athletes who engage in an active recovery. What this means is that the runner is engaging in very low intensity exercise to enhance blood flow with minimal impact to the body which has been recently stressed. A pool is the ideal environment for this because the pressure of the water boosts bloodflow and the buoancy effect unloads the compression effect of bodyweight. After a brief warm up, like a bout of walking in the pool, or gentle swimming, try some stretching to keep the muscles moving and soft tissue mobile.
Think of stretching in the recovery period as more about recovery than actually having a lengthening effect on the muscles. The goal would be to keep things moving versus making the muscles longer. As a result, a good place to start is on active stretching versus passive stretching. What I mean by this is that runner is taking their legs actively through a range of motion which helps to 'stretch' the legs. Starting with the ankle area, a good example is the seated heel raises and toe lifts, collectively ankle pumping. Pretty simple : from a seated position the runner is raising up onto their toes by lifting their heels off the ground, followed by rocking back onto their heels and lifting the toes off the floor. The pumping effect of this exercise helps to improve blood flow and gently take the ankle through a range of motion that lengthens the muscles. Another good active stretch is performed with the runner on theor back. One leg is flexed up bringing the knee toward the chest. At this point the knee is graps and a gentle amount of overpressure is applied. You can alternate legs x 10 reps. This will keep the posterior hip muscles mobile.
Another example of an active stretch which can be done with a rope is the active assisted hamstring stretch.The rope loop is placed around the bottom of the foot.
With the runner lying on their back, the hip is flexed such that the thigh bone is perpendicular to the ground. The runner then tightens their quads such that the knee straightens placing a stretch on the hamstrings. Hold 20 seconds and repeat on both sides. What is great about this stretch, along with others with the rope, is that when the quad contracts, it inhibits the muscle opposite to it, the hamstring. This is called reciprocal inhibition.
The rope can be used to stretch the quads while the runner is on their stomach.
It can also be used to stretch the leg actively out to the side, hitting the adductors. 
Another useful tool in recovery is a foamroller. These devices can be found in most gyms and running stores(www.runpacers.com). They are an inexpensive tool which is essentially using the runner's bodyweight to compress the muscle tissue. The compression of the muscle tissue can help to enhance mobility of the tissue in a variety of planes. For the runner, two of my favorite uses of the roller are on the iliotibial band
and the quads
. Both areas take moderate stress with running so the roller can be surprisingly helpful. No special techniques here. I typically recommend rolling back and forth over the involved tissue 10 times. Other target areas include the glutes, the hamstrings, and the calf muscles, pictured below.
Another example of an active stretch which can be done with a rope is the active assisted hamstring stretch.The rope loop is placed around the bottom of the foot.
With the runner lying on their back, the hip is flexed such that the thigh bone is perpendicular to the ground. The runner then tightens their quads such that the knee straightens placing a stretch on the hamstrings. Hold 20 seconds and repeat on both sides. What is great about this stretch, along with others with the rope, is that when the quad contracts, it inhibits the muscle opposite to it, the hamstring. This is called reciprocal inhibition.The rope can be used to stretch the quads while the runner is on their stomach.
It can also be used to stretch the leg actively out to the side, hitting the adductors. Another useful tool in recovery is a foamroller. These devices can be found in most gyms and running stores(www.runpacers.com). They are an inexpensive tool which is essentially using the runner's bodyweight to compress the muscle tissue. The compression of the muscle tissue can help to enhance mobility of the tissue in a variety of planes. For the runner, two of my favorite uses of the roller are on the iliotibial band
and the quads
. Both areas take moderate stress with running so the roller can be surprisingly helpful. No special techniques here. I typically recommend rolling back and forth over the involved tissue 10 times. Other target areas include the glutes, the hamstrings, and the calf muscles, pictured below. Be in touch with questions.....
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