Why does it seems like after I finish a marathon I start to fall apart? After I finished the WDW marathon this past January my hip flexor gave me trouble for months. I figured it was because I walked 20 miles of it to help my friend cross the finish line during her Dopey challenge while finishing chemo. Now I am experiencing random issues here and there after the Providence marathon. I had a very good race, it was a great race actually! I don’t know if I could have done that race as fast as I did if I didn’t have my friend there to get me to that finish line goal I set.
After my last easy 4 mile run my left calf started cramping up on me towards the end of my run. It was a warm day out but I had been hydrating all day. I am suspicious that it happened because I started wearing flip-flops the day before. I iced it up and then used a heating pad on it last night and it’s feeling better, but I am cautious now.
I feel like once the big accomplishment is over, my body tells me to take it easy for a bit. Maybe the release of relief in my brain that my goal was met lets the rest of my body know it will be on a break for a while. Who knows! But I just want to stay healthy. I don’t have any big races planned until June 8th when I run the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon. I would like to get my 3rd PR in a row with this race, but given the name of Heartbreak Hill half, I am going to assume that it will be a challenging race in the hills of Massachusetts.
With a vacation coming up, I plan on taking it easy for a little bit to let my body recover, but I am going to still get in my 2 runs per week or more if I have the time and then I have to get in a 14 mile run Memorial Day weekend.
Mentally, I was having a little trouble getting out for a run the other day. I had a lot of stuff to get done around the house and was toying with the idea of skipping my run, but I knew it was better that I get out there and do it. I actually just put on my running clothes and my Garmin 220 and hit the road, I forgot my headphones and didn’t realize it until I was a mile into the run. It was just me and the road and I enjoyed that. I was going to do 3 miles, but decided to do 4. My pace was slow though. Since my coach told me to do easy runs post marathon for the next 2 weeks I didn’t do any speed work or hills. I just ran for the sake of running and I enjoyed it. It was nice to run “naked”.
I think sometimes after a big goal is met, it’s ok to have a little downtime in your running routine. I need this time now to regroup and focus on what my goals are for the summer and leading up to training for Dopey in January. This is also a good time for me to give my legs a little break and do some bike riding as well to prepare for my fall Sprint Tri.
Do you ever have a running slump after a big race?
I had a hip flexor injury a few years ago. I couldn’t run for 2 months….I couldn’t walk without a limp for 4 weeks. It was awful.
You’re wise to give your body some time to heal itself before you jump back into training. 🙂
Jamie, what did you do to heal the issue? Did you do PT or just take the time off? Does it still bother you when you run? How did you happen to find my blog?
This always happens to me as well! Finish a race, feel injured after… I bet you are right that it’s a way for our bodies to tell us to slow down for a bit – but it still always frustrates me 🙂
it’s so weird! And I am noticing a pattern for sure now!
I also feel sort of burned out after a long training cycle…this year after doing MCM and then Dopey I was definitely ready for a break! You need to give your body time to rest and recover otherwise it’ll definitely aggravate and weakness’ or injuries.
I ended up riding my bike tonight instead of going for a run. I figured it would be best to get some more bike time under my belt and give my running joints a break. I did some wicked hills!