Beating Those Post-Marathon Blues

Over the past several months you trained religiously for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, finished all the long runs in the heat of the summer, you watched what you ate, got plenty of sleep, prepared the right way for race-day and now you’ve finished the marathon and that shiny medal is hanging proudly around your neck and you’re beaming from ear-to-ear with satisfaction at your acheivement.

Then while you are basking in the glory of the moment a thought strikes you, and it’s a little troubling.

So what do I do now?

There is always going to be a little bit of a letdown following all the buildup to completing your fall marathon, whether it is Chicago or another marathon in the Midwest. Suddenly you don’t have a focus for all of your effort, nothing to aim for. These tips can help you regain that focus and center your sights on what is next for your running.

Get Some Rest

Take it easy. Take a break from running, you’ve earned it. Taking a week-long break from running will not affect your fitness so you should be able to ease back into your running routine once your body has a chance to recover from running 26 miles. According to Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Plan, some experts suggest resting one day for every mile you run in the marathon, thus 26 days of no hard running or racing. As Olympic champion Frank Shorter puts it, "you’re not ready to run another marathon until you’ve forgotten the last one."

Get That Medal Engraved

Take that medal that a marathon volunteer just draped around your neck and get it engraved for free at Fleet Feet Sports Old Town this week. Free medal engraving will be taking place at our Old Town location from Monday until Friday. Just bring it in, and we'll have it engraved as soon as we can. We'll even send you a text when it's done.

Choose a ‘Fun’ Race to Run

Your next race doesn’t have to be as serious as a marathon, in fact you can make your next event a little more fun. Dress up as your favorite Halloween character and run through Lincoln Park on an autumn afternoon at the Pumpkins in the Park 5K on Saturday, October 22^nd. Or you can indulge your craving for chocolate at the always popular Hot Chocolate 15K/5K on Sunday, October 30^th. And with Thanksgiving around the corner you can work up that pre-feast appetite at any of the many Turkey Trots throughout Chicagoland – including the Lifetime Turkey Day Run in Chicago and the North Shore Turkey Trot 5K and 10K in Highland Park.

Attend a Running-Oriented Event

Get the first look at all the new apparel for the fall and winter running season at Fleet Feet Sports – Chicagoland’s annual See and be Seen Fall Fashion Show and After Party on Monday, November 7^th. The fashion show takes place at the Second City’s UP Theater with the after-party (and your opportunity to buy what you saw on-stage) in our Old Town location.

Choose The Next Big Challenge

If you set a race in the future as a goal, you’ll have something to shoot for once more and focus your energy on. Looking for a local goal race for the winter months, shoot for the popular F^3 Lake Half Marathon and 5K in January (also a goal race for our CES Winter Warriors training program.) Seeking a goal race that will get you away from the snow and wind of Chicago in winter? There’s the Rock n’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans (also a goal race for our CES Winter Warriors training program.)

There are also a number of spring marathons in the Midwest that you can shoot for such as the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha and the Illinois Marathon and Half-Marathon in Champaign.

Join a Training Group

Did you train on your own for the marathon, but now want to train for that next big race with a group to get the most out of your training during the cold winter months coming up? Then sign up for our Chicago Endurance Sports Winter Warriors Training Program that will prepare you for either the F^3 Lake Half Marathon or, if you want to take a little trip, the Rock n’ Roll New Orleans Half-Marathon. Training for the program kicks off on the weekend of November 12-13^th at our Old Town, South Loop, Lincoln Square and Elmhurst locations. Did you qualify for the Boston Marathon at your fall marathon? Then check out our Boston365 training program that starts in January to get you ready for the most famous of marathons in the world.

Check Out a Weekly Group Fun Run 

Running with people and making your workout a little more of a social occasion can help to fend off those post-marathon blahs. Also with the shorter days and longer nights running with others offers added security. Fleet Feet Sports – Chicagoland has a full schedule of weekly fun runs at all of our locations that you can take advantage of.