Monday, November 10, 2014

Post Marathon Blues

So, I ran a marathon.  I trained for 16 weeks, devoted countless hours to the road, gained a "family" of runners (and a few support folks), learned the ins and outs of hydration and fueling, experienced many of the not-so-attractive parts of running, showed up at the start line, ran 26.2 miles and finished.  The cherry on top was that I finished on my own two feet, upright, and lived to tell about it.  



I accomplished something that most people will never dream of; statistics say that only 0.5% to 1% of the population ever completes a marathon.  That's pretty crazy when you really think about it (or maybe it means that I'm crazy).  Nonetheless, the feeling when you finish is beyond words.  


Now that it is all over and done with, it feels like something is missing.  I feel kind of lost, without a lofty goal in mind, bored, and generally unmotivated. I could care less if I ever ran again, and find it difficult even to motivate myself to make it to the weekly Team Adrenaline workouts.  And from what the rest of the marathon crew reports, I'm not alone.  It's crazy to think that we went from a moment of greatness, to very little motivation at all.  Thinking of that in itself makes me even more depressed.


I was surprised to find out that feeling this way after a marathon is not uncommon.  In fact, if you Google the term "post-marathon blues" you actually come up with a plethora of articles.  Is it weird that the fact it has a name makes me feel a little better?  I know, I'm weird like that.


So after reading up on it quite a bit, I've come to the conclusion that I need a new goal.  Now my problem is deciding what goal to chase after.  Running faster or longer both come to mind.  A triathlon is something I've been thinking of as well.  My indecisive mind can't quite come to a conclusion yet, and any suggestions are greatly appreciated.


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