16 - Anticipating Post-Marathon Blues

Last year after racing the California International Marathon, something weird happened. I remember for almost the entire next week, I was feeling really down. I recall feeling unmotivated, not wanting to really do anything. I was also really confused. Why was I feeling this way? I just did something that I had spent months training for, and it was something I was anticipating for the entire year before (I had registered for it the day after running CIM 2021). And I came out with a big PR of 19 minutes!

I did some googling and learned of something called the Post-Marathon Blues. Also called Post-Race Depression, or some variation of the sort. It’s characterized very much by what I described above. Feeling like it’s hard to get out of bed or get out the door after a race. Running suddenly feels unappealing. Socializing doesn’t seem that fun either. You might find yourself reaching for the next big goal or something to look forward to. A week after CIM 2022, I balled up all those feelings of loss and confusion and ended up going on a 31 mile walk!

I’m not too keen on the psychological mechanisms at play here. The common explanation I’ve read online is that it’s a result of getting past a big milestone and then adjusting to a lifestyle without that milestone in sight. It’s a low after high. You’ve lost your guidepost. For months, lifestyle was governed by marathon training. Early mornings, long training hours, a conscious diet, minimal late nights, lots of No’s to social plans and invitations. It’s a good bit to sacrifice, but it’s all in preparation for the marathon. It’s worth it!

And then it’s over. Maybe you hit your A goal, maybe you scrape by with your C goal. Maybe it’s a terrible day and you don’t hit any of your goals, but you finished and that’s a huge accomplishment in its own right. And you know that. But knowing’s different from feeling. Once you return from the race, the training plan that was the backbone of your day-to-day routine is now behind you. Gone. That anticipation and motivation that were fixed solid in your mind for months on end have vanished. Without those pillars that held up your lifestyle, you start to feel lost, unmotivated, confused. Those post-race blues sneak up, and they can take hold for up to several weeks.

It’s funny. After the marathon (if there are no races in the immediate future), all those lifestyle decisions/restrictions are lifted. The world opens up! But at least after CIM 2022, I wanted to be shut in more than I was while I was training. Today I feel pretty good. Eugene Marathon was yesterday, and I’m feeling just a little bit tired, naturally. I have some confidence that the blues won’t hit as hard this time, if at all. I ran a great race and hit my goal. I didn’t hit the wall, I faced the right amount of challenge, and I ran a race that I’m truly proud of. Nevertheless, I do want to be vigilant and prepared for the post-marathon blues, should they decide to come.

My driving motivation here comes through fully appreciating that I’ve made a big accomplishment in having run the race and that life and options truly do open up a bit since I’m not diving right into the next training plan. (My next marathon is CIM 2023 in early December, and dedicated prep for that will start in early August.) This is a good time for me to reframe and reimagine my life and my running for the immediate future. There’s a lot of things I’ve said “No” to and a lot of my own interests and hobbies that I put on the back burner during training. The following list is not exhaustive, but it’s here to state some intention now and to serve as a reminder for when/if future Nico starts to feel lost.

Things to put some attention to:

• Eugene Marathon Race Report - I want to deeply reflect on this race and my prep for it, and what it may mean for my future marathoning.
• Nico Run Club Blog - It’s been a lot of fun getting this blog started. A lot of my recent posts were Training Week Recaps that I think were at least partly intentional in making sure I was aligned with marathon training. Now that training’s over, I still want to keep up the same TWR practice but also use the time and space to explore broader topics around running: looking at my shoe collection and how I choose a shoe for a run; using running as a means to explore while traveling; idk, stuff like that!
• Trail Running and more varied running routes - during a marathon prep block, I tend to be more contained and choosy with my running routes. I shy away from trails because they can be too demanding/difficult or not in line with pace goals I’m trying to hit in a workout. This in-between time will be good for rediscovering the trails.
• Ultramarathon - my early promise to myself was one ultramarathon a year. I am a little cautious around this one since I don’t want to just do it out of the blue and find myself injured.
• Gym / more rounded strength training - I had a more whole body approach at the start of the year before making my workouts more marathon-specific. I wanna use this time to round out my body a bit and work on strengthening some weaknesses that could improve my running. More strength emphasis, mobility, power.
• Hiking? - I used to do that a lot! And that’s fun.
• Camping - Ditto.
• Traveling, in general
• MENTAL HEALTH CHECK - For at least the last month or two of my marathon training block, I was feeling overwhelmed and tired and unable to balance/handle my lifestyle. I want to reflect, see if I can built more resilience and self-soothing techniques, and make adjustments if needed. Start therapy again.
• Family and Friends - relationship building, keeping in touch, trips. I’ve been feeling thin here.
• Music - I’ve been in an on-again, off-for-even-longer relationship with my guitar. I want to touch my guitar a couple times and start to dabble with songwriting. And singing. Vocal lessons?? Also more continued intentional music listening and appreciation. I still have so many vinyl records unopened from my vinyl collecting phase.
• Reading - I have a lot of books I haven’t finished and even more that I’d like to read that are collecting dust.
• Painting, Drawing, Crafts - I miss doing watercolor and I also want to get better at drawing. I’ve got a little sketchbook that I carry around to help me develop that practice. Also I have a good backlog of craft projects I found on TikTok and saved. I’ve always wanted to try a pottery class.
• Personal Finance - the boring one. I used to be really into this actually! But once I set my initial framework a few years ago, I ran with it and haven’t gone back to reassess.

I’ll probably add more to this list as I think of more in the coming days. An affirmation to myself: this isn’t a checklist!—rather, it’s just some things to consider as I navigate this new open world. Also I forgot one huge thing before all this: REST. It’ll be good to take a good deep breath and savor it. I just remembered I wanted to do more of setting aside undedicated, open time.

Okay, that’s all for now! Here’s to living life!