Post Race Blues

So…….how was it? Was it amazing? Was it everything that you thought it would be and more?

But how are you feeling today? As flat as your flat runner photo?

Don’t worry if you’re feeling a bit low after your recent run, post-race blues is quite common but not something that is really talked about. The feelings that you might be experiencing after a big event can be quite overwhelming and often take us by surprise, there might be a huge hole in your life where the long training runs used to be, so when it suddenly vanishes and the euphoria of running your race has diminished you could be left feeling as flat as well, your flat runner image! 

Let your body recover. The trauma of racing can break down muscles, cause inflammation, and can generally make you go from feeling like a finely tuned running machine to chewed up and spat out smartie. Physical healing can take more than a couple weeks, your immune system could be low so you’ll be susceptible to picking up colds etc, be patient and don’t hurry back to running to get a quick endorphin rush.

Let your mind recover. There isn’t a specific clinical definition for post-race blues but there are plenty of anecdotal stories about runners experiencing feelings that are like other depressive episodes once they’ve reached a race goal and no longer have a structured training plan to follow.

If the race didn’t go as planned, if you didn’t make it to the start line or if you ran an amazing PB you can still suffer from post-race blues.  I really do think it’s important not to underestimate these feelings, they can leave you feeling drained, not only about your running but life in general. 

You might be experiencing a whole new level of tiredness, completely understanding what your gran meant by being “bone tired!” as you crawl into bed every night convincing yourself that you’ll run tomorrow, but even the thought of putting your sports bra on is making your breakout in a cold sweat! How on earth did you ever manage to fit running into your life!    

Know What’s Next

Try and think about what’s going to happen next , learn from your race, what went well, what didn’t.  Ask yourself if you’d have done anything different and is the race distance a distance that you’d like to try for again.  Try and plan for the next 4 weeks only giving yourself plenty of time to recover and enjoy running again, but don’t come back too hard too quickly.

Have some post-race goals that aren’t about racing

These can be goals that have nothing to do with running, enjoy the time off, decorate a room, stay out late or have a lie in!  You could volunteer at your local parkrun or enjoy a no pressure parkrun at a different location.  But don’t hide away.

Ge back out there and run

When we are consumed by the training plan that has taken over our lives for the last 4 months focusing on pace, energy gels, early morning runs or an extra lap before a session we can often forget the sheer joy of just getting out there and running.  Be pleased that you are able to run and I wouldn’t try to accomplish anything until you are ready.