Post marathon blues?

So here we are, two weeks after the Trehern marathon. It seems to have gone by slowly. There has been so much information about how to train, the Internet is full of training plans. Although I have found very little info on recovery, and what little I have found is extremely vague. I was happy to hear that there was some info on "post marathon blues". This is something that I have experienced, but never really have heard people talk about. G told me she had found some info on it and I was so happy to think that I wasn't quite as insane as I had previously thought. Apparently this is some thing that has been documented, although not well. It seems that an after race plan is something that helps out in this area, a recovery time and future plans keep you moving through this 'down time'. It is interesting how everyone talks about the 'runners high' and no one really talks about the after effects of achieving a goal and getting to the 'now what?' phase of running.

Running is so varied form one person to another, it is so individual, it keeps us all learning about ourselves and our environment. Each run, training or race, is so different and ever changing that there are a variety of guide lines for how to train for different events, and they later become more narrow per runner, as to what works for that one specific person. There are so many ideas and schools of thought, which keeps it all interesting and I don't think I will ever get board trying new things. Although now, with trying a new distance I find comfort in the thought of something less varied, a training plan I can stick to, something concrete to follow, one that is specific to this new distance. Call it a starting point, a diving board, something to expand on in the future. We are looking at the last marathon as part of our training plan for the next adventure, Vulture Bait 50k. I am currently working in an after plan, especially knowing how I can feel 4-5 days after the high from completing a marathon. Not something I'm liking.

Experimenting with nutrition and distance has taken up a large part of running this year, each long run has brought out new snacks (Jeannie's chocolate cake was a nice touch back in Feb.) new ways to hydrate in different temperatures (water and Gatorade freeze well in -20C). Where are we going to feel exhausted? How far until we need to refuel? How are we going to refuel? We have discovered that the 'long run rounds' are great cookies for spring summer and fall, but get too frozen in the winter. The home-made protein bars are best in winter as they are better frozen, and get too soggy in the spring and summer when it is getting warmer out.

I guess the lesson is to plan what you can, then roll with what ever falls onto your path, and to always keep getting up. As I write this though I see Gail has a way more awesome post... so I'm gonna stop here and take her advice to keep motivated....

See you tomorrow morning.

Nicole