A New Direction After ‘Post Race Blues’
Finally, after five months of some of the most grueling race training I am free to change things up.
Freedom, sweet freedom to explore new things! To slow down and speed up. A sorely needed change of pace. It doesn’t mean I am not going to be as active like before – in fact I am probably just as active, but in a different way.
A new mountain bike to take on the trails!
One day, when I was on a 20 mile run while training for my first ultra marathon I began to think “Wow. I bet I could cover this distance a lot faster and easier on a bike.”
Shortly after that my husband proposed we get his and hers mountain bikes for our 22nd wedding anniversary. Seemed like fate. So I gave him the thumbs up. Now I have a mountain bike to tour the trails with when I don’t feel like running for hours and hours.
But that’s not all. I signed up again for The Fitness Challenge (I believe it’s my 6th time doing it) at the YMCA. I meet twice a week with a trainer who puts our small group through an hour long workout of burpees, planks, sprints, weights, jumping this and jumping that, basketball and everything HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). On my own I fill up the week’s workouts with hiking, spinning (cycling), running and weights.
Variety for me is the key. It’s the only way I don’t just get burnt out!
Training for the marathon and the ultra marathon for five months after not having run for a year tested me in a lot of ways, mentally and physically. I felt like crying sometimes when I had to go out in very cold weather to run for hours. Because I am a slow runner, I get double punishment, twice the time on the hoof. I was BURNT OUT! I really had to WANT this very badly to keep going.
Last months I got through the races intact. But the week after my ultra marathon I felt something I hadn’t expected: depressed. Yes, like post-partum blues (which I never experienced). I had ‘post marathon and ultra marathon blues’. Not exactly disappointed. Deflated is a better word.
I think it was having put so much preparation and sacrifice and suffering into both those events and not having felt they were the most spectacular life changing events ever left me feeling perplexed.
What I think that feeling meant is that there are more mountains to climb and challenges ahead but I am not sure what form they will take so I should try everything that appeals to me.
Would I do another ultra or marathon though? HELL YES! I am already signed up for the Air Force Marathon in September and contemplating the super spooky “Run with Scissors” ultra in October. Marathons and ultra marathons come in all flavors – all different challenges.
What they do have in common is that they take a lot of time to prep your body to handle their many miles and challenges. With that much invested in a race changing up activities and “resting” for a month or two seems smart to me.
Morning Warm Up 
I like the way you mix it up! “an hour long workout of burpees, planks, sprints, weights, jumping this and jumping that, basketball”…wow, u rock! 😉
Seriously, I’d hate doing the same thing for months and years over and over. I need to try new things. Anyway, I didn’t even do much in sports until I was over 42 years old.