Often within a day or two after a great race or personal running achievement, my mood will sink and remain there for a few days or weeks. Do you have any tips or thoughts regarding these post-race blues beyond the initiation and pursuit of new goals?
– Jason in Idaho
I totally feel you on this. It is perfectly normal for your mood to sink after you reach a goal or have completed this long build up that kept you busy for many weeks and months. Our brains experience a drop in endorphins and dopamine. If I pretend you meant “beyond the initiation of new running goals,” there are plenty of other goals we can turn our sights to in the meantime. Maybe that is getting on the bike, swimming or setting a strength-training goal. You can find some silver lining in having more time for friendships and family. Maybe you can say “yes” to a weekday trivia night instead of declining because you have to get up early to complete a workout.
Beyond that, it is important to rest. It’s not just our muscles that need to recover and repair. A perfect recovery activity is to start a yoga routine (if you don’t have one already.) Your body and mind will recover so much better if you are not completely sedentary. Slowing down by taking walks is also a great way to get that nature therapy without having to get a run in.
Lastly, I always find if I fuel my body with plenty of whole foods, including lots of veggies and fruits and proteins, my brain fog clears a lot faster. Additionally, hydrating a ton helps me feel better sooner. It’s easy to get stuck in a pattern of eating the processed foods we may want to treat ourselves to after a race but eventually, my body says, “Enough!” Plus, now I have more time for food prep without all the training that I was doing.
That being said, if you are feeling down for a lot longer than a few weeks there may be something deeper going on, and that’s okay. There are a lot of resources out there that can guide you to get help. Talking to friends and family can also be beneficial because, as we have learned, we probably aren’t the only ones experiencing these types of feelings.
Thank you for the question – I think this is very relatable, especially in the long winter months.
How do you manage rest days and knowing you should be out there training (i.e. fatigue management) especially when you have a Monday-Friday job that only allows (for) weekend long runs/adventures? – Joey
Know that rest days are part of your training. More often, we see that respected and experienced coaches are scheduling and emphasizing rest days as an integral part of training. They are as important as your speed workout and your long run. As someone who also has the Monday through Friday 9-5 grind, I will (or my coach will) plan around my life schedule. Weekends are always for long runs since I typically have the whole day. I do not think it’s a common theme for runners to do more than two long runs a week (and that is only if they are doing a back-to-back long run weekend). There are certain high mileage folks out there, but they get there with multiple daily runs that are shorter. That being said, rest days should be purposely scheduled and adhered to. You can always add in another activity like yoga or a walk if you feel the need to move. Or you can just
For your scheduled training, be purposeful, focused and flexible. Because life happens and listening to your body is number one. Give yourself credit for juggling family and work responsibilities, and training for a goal. Forced rest due to injury is no fun. Think longevity so we can do this for years to come.
This column marks one year of having the privilege of writing for UltraRunning Magazine and I want to thank everyone who has submitted a question whether I was able to answer it or not. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions throughout the year. You can DM me on IG at @maggatronruns. I keep a queue of questions to pull from and I appreciate all of them. Happy New Year – I look forward to 2025.