After the Race
| November 17, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
Post-marathon Blues — that feeling of loss, complete lack of motivation, and even mild depression after a big race (such as a marathon). A crazy condition that seems to make no sense, because instead of celebrating your awesome accomplishment, you actually feel somewhat let-down, and find yourself with a huge empty void where your excitement used to be.
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This feeling is actually very common among runners after a marathon. You spend months preparing for the race — you eat, sleep, and breath marathon training. You obsess over every detail; visualize yourself running the race countless times. And then, after one climactic day, it’s over. Regardless of how you did on race day, the fact remains: that goal you’ve been working toward for so long has been accomplished. As an article on Active.com so aptly puts it:
We have been taught that the attainment of the goal is the reward. Now the goal is attained and you are puzzled by your unanticipated unhappiness. The goal has turned out to be an illusion. The joy was in the dream and the process of moving towards your goal, in mobilizing your physical and mental potentials to their fullest. Once the goal was accomplished, the dream died. The joy ended. And now it’s time to regroup and start over again. (Jack Lesyk, PhD — emphasis added)
Sounds depressing, right? If you’re not a runner, you may now be questioning even more why people put themselves through these things. Between the taper craziness, the pain of the actual race, and now this post-race mini-depression, it doesn’t seem like much fun, does it? 
I don’t mean to be painting such an awful picture of marathons. While there are also indescribable feelings of joy and accomplishment that go along with them, that’s a topic for another post. My point in all this is to show that these post-race blues are quite real. And after the Cape Cod Marathon, I was hit with them, hard.
At first I thought I was just being too hard on myself about the way that I raced. And then I thought that these blues were coming from the fact that I felt sick on and off for a long time after the race. My appetite was weird, and I was nauseous and tired most of the time. While I still don’t completely understand all the reasons why I was sick (though I have my suspicions), last week I finally realized that I was deep down in the post-marathon blues. Even though I knew I should be happy with the fact that I ran a Boston Qualifying time, the truth was that I just felt disappointed.
Now before you go assuming I’m a crazy person who doesn’t appreciate her own accomplishments, let me clearly state that I was proud of what I did. But, believe it or not, being proud of something doesn’t necessarily lead to feelings of happiness.
So what’s a person suffering from a little post-marathon sadness to do?
Beating the Post-Race Blues
Acceptance
First of all, I think it’s important to realize that this feeling is normal. You’re not a crazy person for feeling a sense of loss. And the situation isn’t made better if you beat yourself up over the fact that you’re sad when you’re supposed to be happy (like I did!). Surprisingly, being annoyed with yourself because you don’t feel as joyful as you think you should be dosen’t suddenly make you happy!
Once you’ve accepted the fact that you’re in a slump, you can start thinking about getting out of it. After all, the first step in moving on from anything is acceptance, right?
Rest
Secondly, it is important to actually rest. Your body just went through a huge beating – it needs to recover! I think sometimes endurance athletes are too eager to jump right back into training for fear that they’ll lose their fitness. But unless you’re an elite athlete, I don’t think this is something most of us should worry about. When I ran in high school and college, our coaches would make us take a week of complete rest between each season before easing back into training. During that week, we weren’t allowed to do anything strenuous. Easy walks were allowed, but no cross training — and certainly no running.
I really enjoy this period of complete rest. Although I get a little antsy sometimes, I know it’s important for me to have at least one week that’s free of running and scheduled workouts. This gives me a much needed physical and mental break. And let’s face it — I want to be a runner for life, not just for a few good years. My dream is to be 85 years old and still going out for regular runs. In order to avoid burnout and serious injury, I have to take a little break from time to time. Running and I never completely break-up, but we do go through regular trial periods of separation.
Mix it Up
After my week of nothing, I’m usually anxious to start moving again. But I don’t want to push myself into running two quickly. Instead, I focus more on cross training. Whether it be longer walks with the pup or some quality time on the elliptical machine, I try to enjoy exercising just for the sake of moving. In between training cycles, I always try to focus more on other types of exercise that tend to fall to the wayside when marathon training. Like lifting (which I am now trying to add back in).
Have fun!
(Source)
For the first couple of weeks, I really don’t care too much about following a set plan. That means if I don’t feel like working out, I don’t. True confession: in the two weeks following my marathon, I ran a total of ONE time. That’s it. The girl who loves to run and can’t even go one day without talking about running simply didn’t feel like it. But seriously, when I plan to be in training for the course of an entire year, I think a couple of weeks of having a more relaxed approach to exercise won’t kill me…and actually makes me a stronger runner in the end.
Plan New Events to Look Forward to
Part of the let-down after a race comes from the fact that you no longer have this huge event to look forward to. To combat this, I try to plan other non-running related things to be excited about in the weeks after the race. For instance, last weekend I took a much-needed mini vacation to surprise my dad for his birthday. Not only did the anticipation and excitement of the surprise help me get through the weeks following CCM, but the change of scenery was hugely beneficial! Not to mention the fact that spending some quality time with my family is always restorative.
Set New Goals
After giving yourself a mini break, it’s important to start thinking about new goals. A post-race slump is okay for a few weeks, but you don’t want to be stuck there forever!
The time away with my family was just what I needed to break through my feelings of apathy. I came back feeling newly excited about training, and yesterday I pushed myself through a hard workout for the first time since my marathon. It felt wonderful. I’m still not ready to get back into full-blown training mode, but I am ready to set new short-term and long-term training goals.
Short-term: My plan for the next several weeks is to concentrate on running for fun and fitting in more cross-training, particularly strength training. I did The Core yesterday for the first time in months, and realized just how out of lifting-shape I am. I plan on doing this workout twice a week.
Long-term: But I can’t be content with cross-training forever. I already have big plans for races this spring, including a half marathon, a full, and another relay. I won’t start actually training for these until December, so have a few more weeks to finalize my new training schedule. Stay tuned for more race announcements in the coming weeks!
As with anything, there’s no magic answer for beating feelings of post-race blues. But if you prepare for them and remind yourself that it’s only temporary, you can help make the slump a little easier on yourself.
If you’re a runner who has gone through this, what are your tricks for keeping the negative feelings at bay and getting yourself out of the funk?
And if you’re a super star who has never felt any sort of post-race sadness, please let me know your secrets!
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For a good article about recovery, see this one from the December issue of Runner’s World: The Kick-Back Plan
I recently learned a thing or two about the post-race blues.
1 – They stink!
2 – They have a purpose. Those feelings of sadness force us to slow down, curl up in bed a little longer, and prevent us from doing too much too soon.
3 – Planning fun new events helps.
I can’t wait for spring! And races!
PS – I just realized that I have not seen you since that marathon day. We must fix this ASAP. Talk soon!
Becky´s last post ..Go Up The Big Hill
These are great points, especially that it has a purpose. I think you said it better than me – and certainly more succinctly.
And I can’t believe it’s been so long. This is awful, and must be fixed soon!
so, after my marathon in june (san diego rnr) i don’t think i experienced much of the blues. the only thing i can think of is that i knew going into the race that if i was able to hit my sub-4 goal, then i would rest, recover, and start training in hopes of getting a BQ in october. my post-race goal was already set pre-race.
the weird thing is that after getting my BQ, i had (may still have a little lingering) a serious case of post-marathon blues. i should be rev’d up by meeting my goal and the idea of training for the most historic race around….maybe i’m burnt out. i don’t know…
the dawn´s last post ..GR marathon- mile-by-mile
I totally know how you feel! After I BQ’d for the first time, I was immediately stoked…but then fell into a little slump, even though I technically had another goal — running Boston. I think maybe part of that comes from all the time, energy, and emotion that goes into trying to qualify. It’s a crazy roller-coaster! So then I think once you do it, it can leave you feeling a little empty. Plus, it sounds like you had a tough schedule (trying to go sub-4 in June then turning around and qualifying in the fall), so maybe you are a little burnt out. Hopefully you’re getting good rest now and will start getting excited once training starts back up.
I’m still in the “Get excited you just ran 5-miles!” phase, so it’s good to know that there are let downs at the end. I’ve never even heard about this until right now, so thanks for sharing!
hbobier´s last post ..Im a Baker!
After my first marathon (Marine Corps in 2006), I didn’t have the thoughts running through my head that I thought I would…I thought I would feel really accomplished and be so excited that I just ran a marathon, but it was more like…”that’s it??” I wanted to qualify for Boston but didn’t (I had marching band for six hours the day before…that was my 11 minute difference, I like to believe), and I wasn’t totally let down about it. I never really doubted that I could finish the distance, so I wasn’t like “omg I DID IT!!” Then I vomited like crazy starting an hour after I finished, so that didn’t help. Anyway, the point is that finishing a marathon is NEVER what I expect it to be. I was happy when I finally qualified for Boston and then when I ran Boston. This past marathon was probably the happiest I’ve ever been…PR, great race. I didn’t feel sad after it because so many people were excited for me that it was impossible to be sad. Everyone was like “how did it go?” And I was like “it went really well!” and then someone next to me would be like, “SHE RAN 3:22 OMG IT WAS SO GOOD.” haha. Hard not to be happy about that.
Longest comment ever…anyway. My best way to fight off post-marathon blues is to start thinking about my next marathon/race. I love the training part of running marathons, so I get excited about picking a marathon and setting up my training. Hard to be sad when you have another one (or two?) in sight!
Susan – Nurse on the Run´s last post ..to jersey via the GW bridge
Haha, I think my theme makes comments look especially long. One of these days I’ll figure out how to change the spacing.
Anyway, I agree that finishing a marathon is never quite what you expect. …though at this point, I don’t even know WHAT I’m expecting! Balloons, streamers, and a marching band to celebrate my performance?? Honestly, sometimes I think it’s a little anti-climactic (side note: after my first marathon, I drove back to my parent’s and helped them move into their new house. Talk about a depressing lack of fanfare, haha). I think I actually get more excited about the training part and planning out everything, like you said. That’s why these darn things are so addicting!
Also, I bet marching band the day before your first marathon totally accounted for those 11 minutes — if not more! I can’t even imagine doing that.
A part of me feels like marathon training is a lot like planning a wedding in that sense. A lot of work and then its over before you know it and there is a feeling of sadness.
On the other hand, being injured “helped” me with the post-race blues because I was sad about that instead about not having a goal. But also it was helpful that I had already signed up for a half that will begin training in the very near future, so I was ready for a break from a strict schedule.
Liz´s last post ..My First Trail Run
That’s such a great analogy! Though I’ve never actually planned a wedding, I can imagine it would feel very similar. Guess that’s why it’s important to not get too caught up in that one day (both with the wedding and marathoning).
I love this post. Wow, what a shocker
(PS, I read this a few days ago and couldn’t comment from my blackberry. Any idea why that is?)
The post-race blues blow! For me- and my husband- we keep thinking about the “what ifs” which make it worse. What if I realized I was lactose intolerant earlier in my training? What if he didn’t eat so much on the bike? Ahh, it’s driving us crazy!
At first, I wanted to race again ASAP. But now that I’m getting back into cross-training, I really appreciate the time off. And knowing that my spring racing schedule is just around the corner helps too
Jen´s last post ..Tummy turmoil- solved And other questions answered
I love your positive message about acceptance of your post-race blues and allowing yourself rest, which is so important! I remember after important XC meets in high school (usually a state meet), I would feel a sense of letdown because I’d been working on my fitness all season, and then in some 20-odd minutes, it was all over. I hadn’t yet begun to think about the next season – instead, I was in some kind of “running limbo” and that made me feel a little depressed. I think having your tips back then would have helped so much (and prevented me from trying to jump back in so quickly), so thank you for sharing your expertise now! Are you feeling 100% now?
This is terrific. You acknowledge the fact that you have to be proud of your achievements, but you have a healthy hunger to do something else. I think these are fantastic tips!
Nichole´s last post ..Control is 50 of a Relationship- Influence is 100
I compare running a marathon with having a baby. You plan for 9 months for this event. You prepare your body, talk about it with anyone and everyone, people around you are excited for you, interested, impressed, and a bit envious. It is a selfish time when you can concentrate on you and what your body needs. The actual running of the marathon is as difficult as labor pains, it is you all the way. Yes, your family cheers for you, is there for you on the sidelines like a husband coach in the delivery room, but it is totally you the whole way, getting it done. Then, it is finished! You have completed the marathon, people cheer, you get gifts (t-shirt and medal), you are pampered with praise and food, and you feel elated. You go back home and are back into your life. Next thing you know the hormones kick in, making you feel unbalanced and out of sinc, you are left to care for your aching body. People go home and on with their lives. The post-partum marathon blues set in. I tell men if you want to know what it feels like to have a baby, run a marathon!
I love this! I should’ve had you write the post!!
Obviously I’ve never given birth, but I can see how the two things would be extremely similar. Although hopefully with a baby it never feels anti-climactic….
So take-home message – if I run enough marathons, by the time I get around to actually giving birth I’ll be a pro??
i feel the same way now. i ran my 1st FM last January 8. and after a week now i feel so empty. like i dont have anywhere to go now that i have completed my goal.