Post-marathon blues, anyone?
A few days ago, I would have said it’s not possible for me to be bummed after NYCM – the high lasted for days. Even Friday, I was walking to and from work with a smile on my face just thinking about what happened just a block away on the now normal-looking streets of Manhattan.
race photo recap (thank you, Marathonfoto.com, and sorry I am too poor to buy these)
The race was a perfect exclamation point on a good, long training cycle. But one thing I didn’t do at all during the last few months is think about what’s after November 3. Partly on purpose – I needed and wanted a break. And for a few days, it was glorious. People were still congratulating me on the race and I had some lingering soreness that was more than enough reason to rest up. Then it started to feel strange. No 5:15 a.m. wake-up calls? No Tuesday workouts with Betsy? I don’t “need” to go to bed at 9:00 p.m.? Is this how the other half lives? It was kind of like going from 60 to 0 in a day.
I started to think a little bit about “what’s next” and registered for a few races – one in December, one in January. Having even a teeny bit of plan made me feel slightly better (type A+, anyone?). Then Saturday morning came along, and I did what I usually do on Saturday mornings – laced up my running shoes and headed to the park. I didn’t feel sore anymore, but pretty darn slow and sluggish. Some aches and pains surfaced during the run, and even though the bridle path is gorgeous this time of year I just wasn’t feeling it. I came home in less than 5 miles – also fairly unheard of in the past few months, especially on Saturdays. I think it was too soon, said a little voice in my head. Despite the beauty that is fall in Central Park, it just didn’t feel fun. Oh god, am I burnt out? Is this what it feels like? It was a weird, frustrating feeling and I convinced myself not to think about running for the rest of the weekend.
view of the park from work
I still work at a running store on Sundays, and as it turns out it’s kind of hard to not think about running when you’re surrounded by it and have to talk about it. I got to work a little cranky, but as the day went on, I recapped my race experience to co-workers, talked with fellow runners (from newbies to veteran marathoners) and started to feel more like myself. Oh yeah. This is why I like running so much. Then I met Betsy for some guac and beer and just having my running buddy nearby made me want to get back out there and try again. So this morning I laced up my shoes and headed to the bridle path. I was still pretty slow and sluggish, but there was a slight pep in my step and being out there was just enjoyable. I know only a day or so had passed, but this time I felt ready to be back out there. Probably just as much in my head and heart as in my legs.
I’m convinced the feeling I had on Saturday wasn’t so much burnout, but more just sadness that IT was over. This training cycle, my goal race that wasn’t, and one of the best days of the whole year in NYC. But what I slowly realized again on Sunday (and this morning!) was that it doesn’t stop there. IT isn’t really over – it keeps going on in the form of the Next Big Race or Goal. And that’s reason number 2358235 why I love running.
I’m curious – anyone else get the post-marathon blues? how much time to you take off after big races? I’m still planning on taking it super easy this week, and then devising my plan for spring marathon domination…