Beating The Post Race Blues
Spring is a big season for running - there are races happening every week and whether you’ve taken on a full marathon, a half, a 10k or even your first ever park run, you may find yourself feeling a little flat after.
What are the post race blues?
Post race blues are a feeling of low motivation, a dip in mood or feeling flat. This is common in amateur runners and high performance athletes so you are not alone if you feel this! After training for so many months you may feel a bit empty, as though there is a gap in your life that needs to be filled.
What causes the post race blues?
There are a number of factors that can cause the post race blues. When we exercise we release endorphins, as we reduce our training dramatically post marathon, we experience less of these and so we might see a dip in mood or an increase in anxiety.
You can also experience a withdrawal of dopamine which is linked to our internal reward system. Think about when you cross the finish line and you are on the biggest high - at some point we have to come back down and so this can leave us feeling flat.
Normally the blues last around a few days and they aren’t anything to worry about. However, if you are struggling then there are things you can do…
How to beat the blues.
Allow yourself time to rest both physically and mentally. It’s good to take some time away from running and focusing on other activities so that you can process the marathon itself and create some distance.
Celebrate your achievement with family anf friends, write down everything you feel proud, what you’ve taken away form the experience and what you would like to achieve next.
Chat to people, don’t bottle up feelings, tell everyone about your race as talking can be a really effective way to process your feelings.
When you feel ready, think about setting a new challenge to give yourself focus.
