Completing a marathon is supposed to be a euphoric experience—the result of months (sometimes years) of relentless training, sacrifice, and discipline. Yet for many runners, reaching the long-awaited finish line can bring up negative and unexpected feelings like hollowness, emptiness, and even sadness.
Many runners call this emotional comedown the “post-race blues.” “There’s so much build-up and so much excitement, and then all of a sudden, it’s just over,” Rachel Gersten, a licensed mental health counselor and cofounder of Viva Mental Health + Wellness, tells SELF. “It’s not like it slowly tapers off. It’s just done.”
Those bittersweet emotions can occur regardless of how your race went. Sure, it makes sense to feel bummed if you had to drop out or fell short of your time goal, but even completing your dream race can bring a sense of pre-grieving: “You also recognize that this may never happen again,” Gersten says. “Or it might be years until [you] feel this good at a race.”
So whether you’ve just wrapped a big fall race, or have one coming up on your schedule, here’s what you can expect afterward—and some ways to cope, from therapists who are also endurance runners themselves.
Prepare for the rise and the fall.
If you expect to be riding high after earning your medal but find yourself struggling instead, you might feel guilty or wonder if there’s something wrong with you, says Gersten, who’s run the New York City Marathon. This can send you into a spiral of negative thoughts, which is why it’s important to anticipate these lows as a typical part of the process.
To allow yourself a little emotional wiggle room, consider taking off the next day (or take off one more day after you get home, if you’ve traveled). That means no work and no other big obligations, if possible—and absolutely no working out. “Give yourself that period to feel how you’re gonna feel—to either be excited and to have a really fun day, or to just sit on the couch and feel your feelings,” Gersten says.
Take care of your body.
Any big effort—especially a race as long as a marathon—calls for significant recovery. The basics include practices like hydrating, foam rolling, and paying attention to any lingering pain that could signal an injury.
It’s also important to refuel. According to Stephanie Roth-Goldberg, LCSW-R, CEDS-S, certified eating disorder specialist and founder of Intuitive Psychotherapy in New York, many people don’t eat enough in the days after a race, either because they’re too fatigued or because they think that since they’re running less, they need to cut back.
However, proper refueling not only provides the raw materials to repair the damage done to joints, bones, and muscles—it’s also important for your brain. “Your body’s used to eating with a certain frequency, and maintaining that can be really helpful for blood sugar and mood as well,” Roth-Goldberg says.
Make a real effort to celebrate your achievements.
If you’re up for it, you can start the night after your race: Go out for a special meal, and wear your medal. (If you’re feeling it, keep it on for the next few days too—then, find a way to display your swag proudly.)
Think about what feels celebratory to you and what brings you joy—maybe it’s a concert, a night out, a massage, or even a day of self-care at home. And if you know you won’t feel up to celebrating right after the race, you’re definitely not alone. In this case, take some time to rest and then pencil in future festivities.
If your race didn’t go as you’d hoped or planned, giving yourself a pat on the back might not come as naturally. First and foremost, know you’re allowed to feel disappointed. But also recognize the fact that you put significant time and effort into a meaningful pursuit, Gersten says—something that’s worth honoring. “Remember, it wasn’t just about that day, it was about the big picture,” she says.
And no matter what, you can find something that went well, Tiffany Hoffman, a licensed professional counselor who completed the Chicago Marathon, tells SELF. Maybe your cadence was faster than in past races, you powered through despite unusually hot weather, or you made it through without any serious injuries. When all else fails, you can at least keep in mind you completed a race, whether it’s a 5K, half, full, whatever—and that’s not something everyone can say.
Write about the race and your feelings surrounding it.
Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to tell your race story serves a few key purposes, even if you aren’t the type to share a recap on social media. First, there’s the practical: remembering the things you did well, or could improve in the future. On the emotional front, the exercise provides an opportunity to process any feelings you have about how things went, Roth-Goldberg says.
If you find yourself unsure or struggling in the time afterward, she adds that journaling can also help you sort your way through. Try responding to prompts like: What do I feel capable of doing today? What do I think would help me today? What am I proud of from the event? “That may help you figure out what you need to build in or how you want to kind of fill that void,” she says.
Recap with your running buddies, and reconnect with your other friends.
Another factor that makes post-race blues so common is the sudden change in your social scenario. “When you’re around a lot of people, you’re all training together—those endorphins get released, and we’re happy, we’re having fun,” Hoffman says. “And then all of that goes away, and now your mood changes.”
That’s why it can help to rehash the race with your running group—even a few weeks afterward. This will give you something to look forward to, allow you to work through your emotions with others, and bring a sense of closure, Roth-Goldberg says. If you want to keep running in a group, consider joining a more permanent run club (if you’re not already in one) when you’re recovered enough to get back out there. (Here’s how to find an inclusive one in your area.)
In the meantime, you can also make plans with non-running friends, who you probably didn’t see as often during training, Roth-Goldberg says. Doing activities you may have missed out when you were focused on the race—concerts, happy hours, boozy brunches—can help you ease back into a new routine.
Consider setting a new goal—running-related or totally separate.
Once the finish line is in the rear-view mirror, you may miss the act of striving, which is why it might help to sign up for another race or run to look forward to.
But every expert we spoke with cautions that for some people, setting another running-related goal can be like a Band-Aid for the letdown: If you jump right into the next big training cycle without processing the last one or adequately recovering, you might wind up injured, burned out, or otherwise crashing harder later on.
So another option is to set a goal unrelated to running. You can keep it in the physical realm: Maybe it’s in the weight room or joining an indoor climbing gym. You also may find it beneficial to your mental and overall health to set a goal outside of fitness entirely. Consider hobbies like learning a new language, joining a weekly book club, or plotting out your garden for next spring.
Talk to a mental health professional.
If you’re already going to therapy, don’t hesitate to share how your race went and any of the emotions surrounding it—it’s an important part of your overall well-being. And if you’re not in therapy now but have considered it, the post-race period might be a good time to take that next step. If your lethargy or lack of desire to see people lingers for more than a few days, talking to someone is probably a good idea. The same goes if your disappointment over missing a goal turns into sweeping judgments about your self-worth. “If you feel super-fixated on this idea of, ‘I set this time goal and I didn’t hit it and now I’m not a good person, or I can’t do anything right,’ that’s a red flag,” Gersten says.
Even with all of these tips in perspective, the emotional crash can hit hard—and sometimes it’s inevitable. But when it does, remember: You crossed the finish line. That’s always something worth celebrating.
Related:
- I Used to Hate Running. Here’s How I Learned to Actually Enjoy It
- What Does ‘Proper’ Running Form Really Look Like?
- 10 Running Myths Top Coaches Really Wish You’d Stop Believing
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