Post Marathon Blues

What I felt like the 48 hours following the marathon.

I was on cloud 9. Loving life, proud of my accomplishment, bragging, rewarding myself for my Boston Qualifier.  I was excited when anyone asked me how the marathon went. I’m pretty sure I squealed a few times, or at least I did in my head. I was at a good place not worrying about my next race, not worrying about a taper. All I was focused on was being proud of my accomplishment. And recovering. I knew I needed a few days to let my body heal. I let myself eat bad food and be a normal person for a few days.

What I felt like a few days after the marathon.

Then a few days passed.  And I found myself missing my training schedule. Missing the daily accomplishments as I crossed runs off my list.  I was missing looking forward to a race and getting anxious/nervous about it.  To most non-runners, they think I’m crazy. Maybe I am, but I actually missed being in training.  I couldn’t just jump back in because I had injuries that needed to heal. I had to let myself recover or I’d be injured for a while and really out of commission.  My body needed to rest. And I knew if I tried to push it, I’d just end up disappointed in my workouts.

At almost 2 weeks since my Boston Qualifier Marathon, I decided I need to let myself be OK with not training year round and that taking a break is normal.  I’d typically jump right back into training for my upcoming race in May (half marathon).  This time however, I decided to make it a fun run. I’m not going for a PR or to win any race categories. I deserve to run a few races a year that let me enjoy the run. So that is how I plan to cope with the post marathon blues: to let myself enjoy running and take it easy this summer and not let running overpower my life. I’m looking forward to a fun run. And will try to make the most of my free time by doing more yoga, pilates, and spin.