I often hear athletes say they get the post-race blues. I would like to offer my opinion about why this happens to some people. Also, I have some suggestions about how to deal with the big change that happens after you cross the finish line and make your way back to the reality of work and daily living.
After the race, the training journey is over and the task is completed. All of a sudden, there is no carrot in front of the cart. Plus, despite the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment one gets after completing a race like Ironman and the boost in mood it gives, the body and mind is just plain tired. Rest is needed. Lots of food is needed. There is no longer the impending race to help stay motivated to get up at 4:45 in the morning and jump in the cold water, run 1 mile repeats around the track at sub 5K pace, get to sleep early, eat right, etc. This lack of focus and direction can make one feel a little lost. And did I mention lots of food is needed.
People often identify themselves by their actions. For instance, I may identify myself as an IT guy because I work in IT. I may identify myself as a Triathlete because I train and race in triathlons. But after my big race, when I am tired and recovering, it may feel like I used to be a triathlete, I used to train and race triathlons. Immediately after the race, it seems like all I do is eat and sleep and drag myself back to work each day.
My work is somewhat rewarding but it is also stressful. Swimming, biking, and running not only help me relieve the stress, it also gives me a long term goal that helps keep me happy. Let's face it, there are not many of us who can truly say that going to work every day provides great joy and satisfaction. Even if you have a decent job and decent co-workers, work can get to you after a while. And it might not just be work. There are other aspects of life that might bring you down. And now, post-race, there is no outlet because there is no energy, no motivation, no direction. For me, the relentless never ending field of IT Support can be exhausting. When I am training for a race, I have more energy for work because it is really just a means to an end. But after a big race, that tiredness can make everything else seem like a drag.
After my last big race, Ironman Lake Placid, I immediately started thinking "What's next?" You will hear that a lot in my circles. "What races are you doing?" or "What is the next event?" I wanted to race again as soon as possible. For me, putting in all the prep work so I can really push myself on race day is really a lot of fun and brings me great joy. Plus it keeps me healthy which is my ultimate goal. Without a race on my schedule, I lost some of my identity.
I looked at a bunch of events and even mentioned some to my coach. She did not give me the green light on anything. Also my wallet became a big factor. I had spent lots of money on IMLP and needed to cut way back as to not over extend ourselves. My accountant also did not give me the green light for anything. In fact, she gave me the red light. Thankfully, my accountant knows best. I resigned myself to not doing any more events this year and stopped looking at race websites.
My next step was to overcome that lost feeling. In the end, I just took a long look at myself and my circumstances. I am really blessed. My feeling of malaise was immediately squashed when I looked around me at all the horrible things that happen every day all over the world. After all, I have a loving wife, a close family, all the good food I can eat, a great home full of many possessions, great friends and training partners. Also, I am healthy. I can take a walk around the block, make my own dinner, feed myself, bathe myself, provide for myself and others. There are many people across the world, in our neighborhoods, and in our families who are not so lucky.
Without rambling on too much more, I just want to give some advice for those people with the post-race blues. Get lots of rest. Eat lots of good food. Maybe go ahead an indulge in a piece of candy or an ice cream cone. Most of all, look at yourself and compare your well being to those less fortunate people and most of all, HTFU!
I am happy to say that after a couple of weeks of rest, I started training again and while I am not putting in quite as many hours as I was during the peak of IMLP training, I am back to consistent swim, bike, and run workouts. Also I have already signed up for a big race. Next year I will be doing Ironman Chattanooga on September 28, 2014. I will do some other races next year before IMTN and I will likely do some running races this year. For those of you who missed it, here is a little 20-second video announcing my intent to race IMTN.
Thanks for reading. Chin up!
