What an incredible experience it is to finish your first marathon…the elation felt as you cross the finish line for the first time. Or perhaps your goal was to PR or run Boston. You have been on a long journey, and enjoyed a tremendous accomplishment whether you have achieved the precise goals you set before yourself or not. As the journey comes to a culmination, and finally a close, you ask yourself, “now what?”I often draw the analogy of preparing, running and recovering from the marathon to childbirth. Like a mother-to-be expecting a new baby, there are months of preparation leading up to the “event” itself. Then there is the culmination; the birth of a child; crossing the finish line of a marathon….and tremendous joy, and sense of accomplishment. Finally, there is the recovery…from the physical rigors of childbirth and pregnancy, and the marathon and its preparation. The child is born, the marathon or racing season is over….life changes drastically as the “big event” no longer looms ahead. Like childbirth, it is common to say “never again” after the first one, only to come back a year or two later, fresh and ready to go….to give birth to another child, another marathon!
Like the many weeks of training and tapering leading up to it, the post marathon period is an important part of your training…it is the final meso-cycle known as recovery. The first week after the marathon, take some time off. During this period, your risk of injury is unusually high due to the reduced resiliency of your muscles and connective tissues after the marathon. Even some of the best runners in the world take time off after a marathon. Not running now will enable you to return to running fresh and inspired when your body is ready to go again. Instead of running, try to do some light cross training such as walking, swimming, water running, or cycling. These activities will aid your recovery by increasing blood flow without subjecting them to further pounding. If you just have to run, keep it short and easy, with your heart rate below 75% of maximal heart rate. You are also at an increased risk, especially the first 48 hours, of catching a post marathon cold. Your immune system resistance is down and it is important to try and avoid illness as much as possible.
Psychologically, the post marathon period, like the post partum period often lends itself to a phenomenon known as the “post marathon blues.” This is especially common after a first marathon. After the many weeks of preparation and the elation of the event itself, all the hype and anticipation is over and the goal no longer in sight. It is not uncommon to feel a little depressed or a bit blue. Relax…this will soon pass as you set your sights on new goals and new challenges!
After the first week, ease back into running again over the next 4 weeks. Take advantage of the fitness base you earned and participate in some of the spring races and earn KAR/BCRR Club Championship points. You can check out the full roster of participating events at this link: KAR/BCRR Club Championship Series. Not ready to run yet? Try volunteering….its just as fun!
There are also some great charity opportunities through KAR/BCRR coming up. Run the Race for the Cure and join the Kalamazoo Area Runners team right here: Kalamazoo Area Runners Race for the Cure Team Site. The first weekend in June is the Kalamazoo Relay for Life! Join the KAR/BCRR Team here: KAR/BCRR Relay for Life Team Site
Soon it will be time to start training again, and all paths lead to the Safari Marathon and Half Marathon Training program which begins June 23. You may enter the jungle here: http://www.safaritraining.blogspot.com/.
No matter what path your journey takes you down, keep up the great running….and we hope to see you at Safari 2007, in the Beyond 2008, and hopefully many times before!
Pfitzinger, P., and S. Douglas. 2001. Advanced Marathoning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
