LA Marathon

I ran the LA Marathon yesterday.  I'm  trying to focus on the positives about this race and my effort but I'm having a hard time doing that right now.  Maybe later this week or next weekend I'll be in a better place but today I'm not happy with it.  I know it was the best I could do yesterday.  However, it was my 7th marathon and my 7th disappointing finish that was 4+ hours.  I can't seem to get in under that 4 hour mark and I find that incredibly disappointing. 

One positive about the LA Marathon was their tracking system for the runners.  Both my husband's and my cell phone received five texts over the course of the event.  These were the texts received:

• HONDA LA Marathon: Cherl - 10K in 0:57:40. Pace: 9:17. Est: 4:03:23. ETA: 11:37:44.
• HONDA LA Marathon: Cherl - 20K in 1:53:17. Pace: 9:07. Est: 3:59:01. ETA: 11:33:23.
• HONDA LA Marathon: Cherl - 30K in 2:54:42. Pace: 9:22. Est: 4:05:34. ETA: 11:40:07.
• HONDA LA Marathon: Cherl - 40K in 3:57:54. Pace: 9:34. Est: 4:10:49. ETA: 11:45:22.
• HONDA LA Marathon: Cherl - Finish in 4:08:19. Pace: 9:28. At 11:42:44.

It's pretty cool to see my race like this.  My plan was to stay under 9:00 until Mile 20 and then pick it up to finish in under 4 hours.  Obviously, that didn't happen.  Too much jockeying for space for many miles, too many bigger-than-I-was-expecting rolling hills in the first half, some severe calf cramping late in the race... it all adds up to a disappointment for me.  I had plans to sign up for another marathon soon -- either Ojai (Ca) in June or the Foot Traffic Flat in Portland (Or) in July -- but now I'm rethinking marathons.  I don't know that they are really for me.  I love the sense of accomplishment, I'm just tired of the disappointment.  I don't think adjusting my goals is the answer either.  I always have trouble late in the race.  I've got some major blues happening today.

Maybe it's just post-race blues?  Maybe in a week I'll feel better about it and more excited about the next race?  I just don't know.

Do you feel like this after a race?

post-race runs

Curious what you all do after the big race and while your body is recovering? When do you run again? I've always thought of the first two weeks after a race as the opposite of the taper. So the first week I wouldn't run more than what I ran the last week leading up to the race, the second post-race week's mileage wouldn't exceed what I ran two weeks before the race, etc. It seems to work for me. I totally believe in active recovery.

I was looking at my running log and after each marathon I followed it up with a long-ish run that next weekend, something in the 7-10 mile range. I'm already thinking ahead to this weekend's run and what I'll do. Given how I feel today, maybe something in the 5-8 mile range? I ran a very easy 30 minutes (3 miles) on the treadmill today and followed it up with 15 minutes on the bike and a really, really good stretch that incorporated yoga poses. I'm feeling pretty good but also don't want to push things. I always defer to listening to my body so I'll wait until later this week to decide what to run Saturday.

What about you? What is your post-marathon (race?) routine?

Post-Marathon Blues

I ran the DC National Marathon last month and it was AWESOME! For my race report, you can click HERE.

Okay, so we've all heard of Post-Partum Depression, but have any of you ever suffered from Post-Marathon Depression? It's not an all-out state of feeling down. I just feel a little blue and have a complete LACK of motivation. Is it from the burnout of training so hard for 4 months and now I no longer have a workout to check off every day?

I mean, I am glad to have my life back because it is a crazy/busy one: 4 boys (make that 5 with the husband), early morning seminary, and a part-time job.

But now that all of that intensity is gone, I'm trying to figure out what to do next.

Should I do a half because I'm sure I could easily PR.

I'm thinking of doing a sprint triathlon, but I would need to take adult swimming lessons first. I'm definitely a 'less effective' swimmer.

**What have you done after your marathon was over, but you weren't feeling the immediate desire to do another one?**

After the big race...

What do you do after the big race is over? Everyone has a different thing that works for them and I'd like to hear what works for you. Do you run again soon after? Sign up for the next race? Take a week off and do nothing??

After my race Sunday morning I ate salty and protein-rich foods, soaked in an ice bath with epsom salt, took a hot shower, stretched with the foam roller and slept for an hour. Later in the afternoon I went for a 20 minute walk. For once, I didn't have any injuries, blisters, or chafing to deal with. I was dehydrated though and drank as much as I could all day long.

Yesterday I ran for 20 minutes... very, very slowly... and on a treadmill. This was after I rode the spin bike for 40 minutes like a mad woman (hey, I had some steam to blow off) and stretched for 15 minutes on a foam roller. The slow, easy run felt very good. It actually felt too good and I wanted to increase the pace but forced myself to keep it slow. I could have run longer, too, but made myself stop after the 20 minutes.

Tomorrow I'm going to run again. I don't know how far or for how long yet. I'd like to do 5 miles but we'll see how things are feeling. I also have plans to meet up with my running group of friends for a 5 mile run Saturday morning. If I feel good, I may do more.

I know some people think that's crazy and that I should not run at all for a full week and then gradually ease back into it. But the short, easy run following a long run in training always worked for me. Maybe I didn't push myself hard enough during the race if I'm feeling this good just three days later?

What do you do after the big race is over??