1. I’m still tired. I was never really sore, but I’ve been sleeping soundly for 8-10 hours every night. When I’m awake, I’m still tired. I’m pretty sure this is just recovery from pushing myself, but since I didn’t really race the first four and even the fifth one was slower than my previous slowest half, I admit I’m a bit surprised. I’m sure a little bit is a mental issue too. I’m caught somewhere between the “OMG, I did it” high and the “I can’t believe it’s over” low. Sitting here with no real goals on the horizon feels weird after investing so much energy for 8 months!
2. I’m really slow. I went out for a run with my dad on Tuesday. We ran 3 miles at a 10:oo minute pace. For a short distance, that pace should have been easy. Instead, I nearly tossed my cookies on my parents’ front lawn. Perhaps my next goal should involve some speed work…
3. I’m feeling a bit soft and fluffy. Looking back at last week, I didn’t eat like crazy, but my body seems to have held onto every calorie it encountered. Add in two nights with Beer Geek’s family (where they spoiled us good with yummy food!), a night out with friends in Denver, and now a few days at my parents’ house and I’m pretty sure my scale will cry when I get home. I can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since I cooked any sort of meal! I can’t believe I actually miss my teeny tiny kitchen and it’s ridiculously old stove.
Basically, I’m feeling off track and lost.
How do you get back to where you want to be when you’ve finished a goal you’ve been working towards for a while? How do you get back on track when you’ve let most of your good habits slide for a while?
I just set some goals for this year and next as I was going through the same things after Rocky attempt. Its definitely normal..I took time to rest and recharge and just run with no plans for sometime. Getting back to things now! Enjoy the recovery time…you earned it!
MY favorite thing about this post is that I have been there and can relate to it.
Post-race blues is a real thing and I get it almost every time I finish a big race. No matter how well you do (and you kicked ass in your races), the “holy cow its over feeling” is harder to get over. The best thing you can do is have a project ready for when you are done. Whether it be another race to train for, or a home improvement project that you’ll have time to do now that you aren’t training as much, something anything to keep you busy and get the wheels in your head spinning.
You did an incredible thing, and should feel totally proud. Give yourself some time to unwind and then start thinking about what’s next. Is it another race in the future that you want to do? Is it something you have been putting off because of lack of time? Make a list of things you want to do in the future, and slowly start setting time frames and goals for each.
As for getting back on track after some time off, write everything down. Log your food for a while, and everything you do, it helps you hold yourself accountable. And talk to someone, confide in someone that you need some help getting back to where you want to or should be. You never have to do it alone, this took me a long time to see.
I think it is totally normal that you are feeling so off, for so many reasons! Listen to what your body wants right now…REST! Getting home and back into a routine will help, too, especially with the post-race letdown you have. Maybe start looking into a late spring race, too, to give you new focus and something to look forward to!
When I finished my big goal in 2012 (which was the first year I’d ever run and my goal was to participate in one race each month) I felt this sudden moment of “what the heck do I do with myself now?!” It occurred to me that reaching your goal doesn’t mean the journey is over. It just means you’re capable of being true to yourself. Instead of just basking in that moment of realization and accomplishment I knew I needed to set a new goal and get back to work. So this year my goal is (I’m sooooooo not in your running league LOL but I’m improving which is what counts, right?) to build back up to being able to run a full 5K (I lost the ability when I got out of the consistent running habit) and then train for and run a 10K by the end of the year.
I think when we get focused on new goals it automatically pulls us back on track with our healthy habits 🙂
This was such a major goal/accomplishment that feeling off afterwards would seem totally normal. Rest as much as your body needs – I’ll bet you’ll find your balance again soon.
I’m not surprised that you’re tired. You ran two and a half marathons in a week and your body needs some recovery time. Look after yourself for the next couple of weeks and no speed work until you’re feeling rested.