A key element is the timing of your carbohydrate injections. A period exists after intense or long endurance exercise where muscles are most hungry for glycogen restoration. This window can quickly close, though, as you hunt for family members following a race, or stretch, or shower and redress before scurrying back to your desk. Furthermore, since exercise tends to elevate your body temperature, which in turn can depress your appetite, you can't rely on hunger cues to prompt proper refueling. Obviously, soft drinks aren't the ideal daily recovery fluid, as they lack nutritional value, but they'll do in a pinch.
Beer is a poor refueling agent.
At postrace celebrations, be sure to reload first with juice, soda, or a sports drink. The key is to find a drink that agrees with your stomach and taste buds and then begin consuming it immediately. Be prepared away from home by keeping powdered sport drink mixes or small containers of fruit juice on hand. If you are hitting the trails or going to the track, be sure to bring your recovery drink along. The best recovery plan also includes eating as soon as possible.