76. Marathon recovery & blues

We have been chatting a lot about race day planning and taper, but we have not yet chatted about the aftermath that may come after you finish the marathon. Many of you have spent the last 3-6 months really building up into great marathon shape. You have spent hours every week doing long runs and workouts. You have made sacrifices, had fun and seen so much improvement. The build up for these races can be exhausting but also an incredible feeling. There is a huge build up for a race that usually lasts 3-5 hours in duration. It is over before we know it. It can often be anti-climatic. That was it. Now it is over. We much address some of the feelings we might experience after a marathon and remember recovery is important!

Have you ever finished a marathon and NOT wanted to take time off?

Do you think some people fall into two categories 1- pumped to take time off and 2- struggles to really take time off

Either super excited to continue to improve because I feel like I didn’t really reach my potential

OR I am scared to lose fitness and don’t think I really pushed myself to the limits

Always needed to grow and build towards something

Pushing other things aside for 6 months→ cleaning the garage, organizing your computer files, yard work, baking, meal prep, friend meet up for coffee, meet up for drinks, oil change, hair done

What do you think is the hardest part for people after a marathon mentally?

Even if you have had a race where you reach your goal and crush it, are you still 100% satisfied?

How do you feel after a race that goes so-so?

What about a race that goes terribly wrong?

Have you ever dived back into training too fast?

Why do you think it is hard for people to take time off?

How much time do you think is enough time to take off?