Providence Post Marathon Slump

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?