I ran a marathon in April and in some ways, it was a great motivation to run another marathon (Nice-Cannes in November) but in some ways it also almost ended my running "career." Not due to injury, but just because it was so hard for me to get back into running afterwards! It took me about 2 months, maybe even 2 and a half months to start to enjoy running again. Boiling hot summer weather didn't help, but I definitely had a case of the runner's blues. It feels good to be over it but thought I'd share in case anyone else is having a similar struggle.
Although I'm over it, this is what it felt like every time I went running when I had the runner's blues:
Although this guy has one up on me, since he at least managed to get a medal before collapsing!
I'll explain. I felt very down on myself and said things like, I think I'm a worse runner after doing the marathon. I blamed the marathon.
My marathon was in early April and since it was my first, I didn't know how long to wait to start running again or how long a break to take. So I just did my best and tried to listen to my body. I ended up taking about 6 weeks off with maybe only a short jog once a week.
In trying to listen to the old body, something it said to me was that it was hungry. Like really hungry and it deserved lots of indulgence that it usually didn't get to have. It mainly wanted tiramisu. Lots of dessert, wine, WAY too much post-marathon celebrating in the form of eating and drinking...
Feed me! I deserve it-- I ran a marathon like a month ago...
I also kept eating like I was still training for a marathon and was suddenly less active, so gained a few kilos which also had me feeling kind of down and like the least fit person on earth, despite having accomplished something that should have left me feeling great! The extra kilos are off now and I'm feeling fit and good now, but running was definitely a bit of a struggle for the months of May and June, I would say. It was only towards the end of July that I felt like myself again.
Here's why: I wasn't running consistently, but did some 10K races and saw my times deteriorate. No matter your level in running, running is hard work that requires constant maintenance. I think I forgot this. Luckily to compensate a little for running frustration, I did some sprint triathlons and saw an improvement between Versailles in mid-May and Dijon in early July, so that was reassuring. But it also meant that the problem was running and not overall fitness. I'm so slow and out of shape, I thought. And it didn't help that the super athlete I was dating at the time was fairly unencouraging about running.
I realised a few weeks ago that this was kind of all in my head. I wasn't training consistently, so of course I was going to be slower.
I had also stopped enjoying running and just felt performance frustration instead of enjoyment when I did it. So this made me not do it enough to have the kind of performance I wanted. Funny how those viscious little circles work...
All this changed a few weeks ago after a bit of an upheaval in my personal life and I just started running again for real, just for fun, for comfort, to feel in control in a world where you often aren't. Basically, all the reasons I started running in the first place years and years ago! Running to clear my head, to relax, relieve tension, to meditate and to feel better about myself in general (rather than frustrated that the watch said 10-min miles instead of 9!) I put myself on a schedule and I run a lot now-- 10-12K almost every day with a longer weekly run thrown in and I'm enjoying it again.
Happy runner. Ah, yes, hello, endorphins, I now remember how much I liked you!
What I wish someone had told me post-marathon is this:
- You won't want to run for awhile and you'll just want to drink wine and eat tiramisu, and that's ok-- but watch out for some weight gain. After checking with my female runner friends, post- marathon weight gain is fairly common (as is gaining some weight during marathon training)-- it's not that you're an out of shape freak!
- Swim or bike or do triathlons or yoga instead, but try to be somewhat active because you're suddenly eating a lot of dessert! These other sports are good for you but cannot replace running training. I think I kind of thought that swimming a few times a week was the equivalent of maintenance runs, and it's not. I also know to be a little less indulgent after marathon number 2 in November... I feel confident that the second time round, I'll be able to get back into serious running training more quickly.
- When you're ready to start training again, put yourself on a consistent schedule first and increase intensity slowly. I would also have also told myself to hold off on the 10K races, especially since I wasn't training for them properly and it just set up a cycle of frustration that discouraged me from running.
- Push a little harder. You will come back stronger after your 6-week break, BUT to get back to where you were, you WILL have to push yourself a little harder in training. I wish someone had said, you're still a good runner, stop being frustrated with yourself and just push a little harder. Stop comparing yourself to where you were at the height of your marathon training before and just focus on your training NOW. I also kind of remembered that it was fun to push yourself in training and it's, of course, the only way you'll improve.
- Be patient. Run to be good to yourself, not because you have to maintain a certain pace. A good run isn't only defined as one where you run at a great pace, just one you enjoy. Now it's cheesy, but I think positive things like, this is so good for my body, I'm so glad I'm making this time for my health, this run is clearing my head, or I think about my posture, footfalls, etc.
And now that I just try to do it a lot and do it consistently, a positive side effect is that I am finally starting to see 8s on the minutes per mile pace on the old Garmin again. :) This is encouraging and I finally feel like in terms of how I feel about running mentally, I'm back to where I was last summer where after I went running one day, I couldn't wait to run again the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment