Sunday, May 04, 2014

10 Ways to Deal the Post Race Slump

Yeah...

I kind of fell off the blogging boat during and after running the Boston Marathon.

Part of that was the fact that I didn't NEED to post about Boston when Chrissy set up an awesome Facebook page that let us photo bomb everyone every 5 minutes.

Blogging on top of that felt like over kill.

Then there was the whole "now what" feeling that happens after every big race.

When I finally qualified for Boston I felt the same way.

I made my goal...now what?

TO combat the lost, semi unmotivated feeling that follows reaching a big goal I've made a list of ways to make sure I get off my butt and keep moving forward:)

(P.S Meet the Robinsons is one of my favorite movies)

1. Sign up for a race before you complete the one your training for.
           
I've signed up for The Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in July. Randy is coming from IL and we're running it together. Drew even said he would pace the last 10 miles for us again!

2. Tweek your calf by acting like a stupid newbie at the expo and electrocuting yourself.

NEVER again. I still can't believe I did that and didn't think anything of it, until after I was limping around after the race.

3. Take the time to recover.

I kind of did that...I signed up for The Light at the End of the Tunnel and even with a 3 month training program I only get 2 weeks recovery.

4. Have a friend buy the most amazing compression boots ever and then mooch off them.
Chrissy bought the most amazing recovery compression thingies. We found them at the Boston Marathon Expo and fell in love with them. Behold the Normatec!


30 minutes in these babies and our legs didn't even feel like I had walked around an expo for 5.5 hours straight:)

5. Have a great group of Running Buddies.
I'm lucky enough to run with a huge group of people that are upbeat and always ready to go for a run.



6. Be responsible for multiple group runs. That way you can't back out of them just because you feel lazy and it's raining...AGAIN.

Speedy Tuesday, P3, Bonjour Bombshells and Bombers...Monday Training..

I either organize or interact with group runs 5 days a week. People expect to see me there, and think I've dying if I don't show. I also really enjoy a regular schedule. It keeps me honest:)

8. Tell a friend that you'll pace them at their upcoming race. They're your friend so you CAN'T dog on them!

My friend Michelle has been chasing a sub 2 hour half marathon for a while now, and we just KNOW this is her year! Offering to pace her is really because I'm greedy and absolutely LOVE being there when people make goals they've been working towards. It's just amazing seeing people work hard and really EARN the result!

9. Get a new book about running, so that even though you are bored to tears while recovering, you can dream about amazing races, and new training plans.

I've chosen 138,336 Feet to Pure Bliss by Dane Rauschenberg. I heard about him from a fb group I'm on called Runners Anonymous and then got the chance to meet him at the Whidbey Island Marathon Expo. He's hilarious and I'm looking forward to reading his book.



10. If you don't feel like talking about the last race (Even if it was Boston!), then don't.

Seriously. I have kind of mixed feelings about this race, and I haven't worked them out yet so I'm letting it percolate a bit.




1 comment:

Catherine said...

I like that you used "percolate" in a non-coffee-related way. Kind of like using "marinate" in the same way.