Post-Marathon Blues ?

One of my running partners was telling me about feeling down for a few weeks after our latest half and we wondered if others get it ?

Well it is according to Julie Isphording, Former Olympian .Check out the whole article its great

Now what? You had been training for that moment for 16 weeks. Every day was carefully planned. You gave up dancing, cleaning out the garage and cheeseburgers. You drank Gatorade, ate stuff called gel and strapped frozen corn to your sore body parts after your long runs.

Many runners feel a certain kind of loss the days after a marathon. I have even named this feeling the post-marathon blues. It makes sense if you really think about it. You have been consumed with one goal. It defined a huge part of your life for quite some time. Now what do you do? Should you start planning now for something else? When should you start running again? What do you do with those sore, cranky legs?

Never hurry. Never worry. That is your motto for the next 26 days. Many runners don’t plan the few weeks AFTER the marathon and experience injuries, burn out, bad runs and bad moods. Here's what you can do to recover quicker and make you a better runner:

• Eat more. Sleep more. Indulge yourself. Your body needs it to rejuvenate, replenish and recover faster. Besides, didn’t you promise yourself five weeks ago on your 20-miler that you couldn’t wait to sleep in, eat a chocolate sundae and read the Sunday paper?
• Do not try to run off the soreness. Let your body heal. Try some cross-training activities like spinning, swimming, yoga, tai chi to rest your muscles, while still getting a good aerobic workout. If you’re running, run short distances on soft surfaces.
• Throw away your plans and schedules. No shoulda’, coulda’, woulda’.
• Frame your picture and medal. Wallow in your greatness.
• Write in your journal about the experience. All 26 miles. Turn those miles into moments. What do you remember? What inspired you? What would you change? What is important to you?
• How about a vacation?
• Go buy yourself something. New running shoes? New watch? New car?
• Start thinking about new goals. They may have nothing to do with running or marathons or Gatorade. What do you want to accomplish next? What’s important to you? Where are you going?