Every runner has a ‘post race blues’ story

One of the nice things about running in races is after the race many runners get together and talk about the race and how they felt during the race.  The runners that finish near the front and may win an award hang around for the presentation ceremony.  Even at gatherings with other people there is always that group of runners that get off by themselves and talk about the races they have run.  The language is strictly running lingo and non-runners think that they are talking some strange dialect or in code and tend to find a more normal group to converse with.

There is one topic that runners tend to avoid more than some stories.  The topic is often called, “Post Race Blues” and covers the events after a hard race.  The shorter 5K and 10K races are not usually in this topic.  The one 10 K race I ran that fits the “blues” category was a race I was not in shape for and was going to run just for fun.  But, it turned into a mad sprint for over a quarter of a mile against another runner.  I ended up crossing the finish line and ended up with a series of ‘dry heaves’ during my recovery.  That is when a friend of mine asked me, “Are you having fun now?” But it is more the half-marathons and full marathons that find stories about the downside of running.

A common comment heard from first time marathon runners is the muscle cramps in the legs. After my first marathon I had to be helped up a curb while crossing a street as my legs were locked in place.  My friends leaned me up against the wall of a building to put my sweat pants on as I couldn’t bend my legs.  And, the following Monday at work, the task of walking up stairs was hard, but it was the walking down the stairs that found you almost sliding down the banisters to avoid bending the knees.

The one marathon that stands above all the rest is at the Dallas White Rock Marathon where I needed to run under 3:10 to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I ran a 3:03:45 to qualify but almost immediately my legs started to cramp up.  The hard part was I was so tired all I wanted to do was lay down and rest.  But if I stopped walking around the legs would start to cramp.  I remember wishing there was some way I could sleep walk after the race.  And if that part of the race was bad I had a drive of over three hours back to San Marcos in a car.  Fortunately someone else was driving but I had to “sit” with my chest and stomach facing the back of the seat.  If I sat with a flexed hip the cramps became painful.  I still remember the three hour drive home as one of my longest three hours ever.

I ran my ‘Better Half Marathon’ one year and it was one of my more embarrassing runs.  I was going to run an easy 7:30 pace with a friend.  The friend did not show so I joined another group of runners I knew. The problem came at the first mile.  As we approached the person calling out the mile times he was counting off the minutes:  “6:15; 6:16; 6:17”. That was much too fast for 13 miles.  It took until mile four to finally get back to a 7:30 pace.  Then on the return trip at mile 9 (four miles from the finish) my pace was closer to a 10: minute pace.  At mile 10 it was almost a walk.  At mile 11 a lady walker asked if I wanted to walk with her as she went flying by me.  I wanted to stop.  But when it is a race named after you it is important that you finish.  About the last half mile I was able to do a slow jog across the finish line.  This qualified as one of my “Post Race Blues” races for sure.

There was a friend that wanted to run under four hours in a marathon.  He finished in about 4:15 hours.  He was depressed and down for nearly four weeks after that race because he did not make his prescribed time. We tried to encourage him that he was one of those that finished the marathon and that he beat several hundred other runners.  He still felt down because of his missed time.

Most runners have a story or two of a less than a successful race.  When a group of runners gather and talk about running it is almost always about the positive and fun parts of running.  The success stories add motivation to keep running and entering races.  And it really isn’t necessary to tell other runners about the less than successful runs.  Every runner probably has a story that remains untold of a ‘Post Race Blues’ race.  And if you are a runner that has not had a ’bad’ race, just wait, your race that qualifies for a ‘Post Race Blues’ category is just down the road.  Welcome to the “Blues” club.