Post-race blues, what to do when the race is run!

The post-race buzz

Is there any better feeling than the post-race endorphin high?! It’s something that only other runners can really understand. That first 10k finish celebration, the elation of finally breaking the three hour marathon barrier or the wave of emotional release and relief after crossing the line of a gruelling ultra - so broken, but so happy. But how long does it last? An hour, a day, a week? And then the low mood, depression and fatigue hits us square in the face….the post-race blues are real.

Why do so many of us feel down after a big race?

As I write, autumn marathon season is well and truly under way. But there are also a plethora of 10km races, half marathons and ultra marathons that also tend to occur at this time of year. Many people will have spent the last few months with one big target in mind. The ‘A’ goal race.

Making compromises to achieve your goals.

Many people, especially those preparing for longer format events, will have been training since the start of summer. We make compromises such as bringing our running kit on family holidays and hitting the Costa del Abroad streets whilst everyone else enjoys a lie in. I for one also refrain from over indulging in the all inclusive holiday style buffets and restaurants as I’ve learnt it’s just too hard to loose those extra kg that magically appear when you’re on holiday! We hold back or abstain completely from the alcohol at the parties and family barbecues - we might get classed as ‘boring’, ‘obsessed’ or sometimes plain rude for refusing the offer of a freshly made G&T. But it’s ok, we can see the difference it makes to our fitness. We’re smug that we’re up and raring to go for the Sunday long run when everyone else is nursing a hangover.

I often tell myself, “once this race is done, I’ll be way more relaxed, I’ll have a few beers, I’ll eat some extra calories”. I’ll be more chilled and be happy about it. But guess what….it never really happens that way!

My personal experience is that what actually happens is I do relax my dedicated training nutrition, I have a glass of wine, a beer, an extra pudding, even the odd snack for the sake of it. But us runners often thrive on the feeling of being leaner and fitter than the average person. Taking the moral high ground when the tray bakes appear at work and saying “no thanks, I’m in training”.

When we have that loss of razor sharp focus, we almost lose a bit of our identity with it. Maybe there are pangs of guilt, or the crazy notion that we’ll be damaging our next race result with this relaxation of our usual runner’s morals. Our mood suffers fractionally and progressively as a consequence. As days go by those little dips add up and we feel a bit gluttonous and just not ourselves. Our physiology and psychology suffers and before you know it you’re miserable, two weeks after what could have been the greatest run of your life! Crazy when you think about it, but it happens.

Training volume decreases.

People think “I’ll be running less and have loads of extra time to watch TV, read that ever growing pile of books, spend time sorting the family finances and do those jobs around the house. It’ll be a weight off my mind.” But no….running gives us an escape, a way to deal with those mundane things, or is simply the thing we actually love to do with our time. Do we really end up using the extra time wisely, or do we just continue to procrastinate and those jobs still don’t get done, the book pile gets higher and the Netflix documentary is now no longer available anyway (so frustrating 🙄). AND we’re not even running and getting the escapism to help us feel better about it.

Are there any tips to help with post-race depressions?

I’m no expert, but I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with them, so here’s what I’ve learnt.

Process over outcome

Focusing on the outcome of a race never works. DNF, PR or somewhere in between…doesn’t seem to matter. I always end up feeling roughly the same after a few days! The trick has been to do what everyone goes on about and be process orientated. Each race is a stepping stone to the next one. What did I learn, how can I change my approach next time etc etc. That way I’m instantly drawn into the positives and mentally prepare for how I’m going to approach the next training block.

Plan your season.

In light of your learnings from that big race….have a plan for what your next goals will be. I never like to do this STRAIGHT away, because it can lead you into some reflex decisions. Booking an ultra 4 weeks later, or deciding that racing 2 marathons back to back is completely possible. My advice is to wait a couple of weeks, have a chat with your coach, friends, family, physio. What’s realistic? What goals are really speaking to you week after week, not just on a whim when you scroll past the adverts for the latest crazy race format. Then get booking, have some prep races and a bigger goal 6 months away. Then you can relax a bit without the pressure of having to get back to full training. That weight off your mind is sometimes enough to lift your mood and refocus you in a healthy way.

Start training with less structure.

I like to get back into training quite quickly, for many of the reasons already discussed, I’m a better functioning human being when I’m training. But for example, at the minute, my goals are 6+ months away. So a focused training week looks more like 4 runs with no structure, running to feel and enjoying the fact that sometimes I’m feeling good and go a bit faster, sometimes I just plod. Also meeting up with friends and running at their pace with zero stress about not hitting my own pace targets. Essentially finding the joy in running without race pressure. And I’m in the gym 3 times a week. Working on weaknesses and continuing to rehab my achilles. This is a very different structure to usual for me, but it feels like I have a direction. My sessions have a clear and well defined purpose, even if the results won’t be tangible for months. This is process oriented and my brain likes that! Berlin is a distant memory. I’ve moved on. And just like I’ve done for the last 25 years, to get over any mental dip, I just keep showing up and everything gets better.

Nick RNNNG