Post-Marathon Blues, Part Deux

The title of yesterday's post really should have been something like I only ran two miles, and it was kind of depressing, 'cause I used to be able to do five miles without breaking a sweat, because today's post is about the actual post-marathon blues.

For the past two weeks, despite the physical aches and pains from the marathon, I have been in a great mood. I could sit on my butt, call it "recovery" and bask in the self-created glow of my accomplishment. Well, some of that shine has worn off, and now I feel kind of crummy. It's the same kind of blues that people get after an event that they have spent the better part of five months (or longer) preparing for; weddings (although I only felt relief when mine was over), graduations, childbirth (sans the complete lack of sleep, hormones out of whack, and the small human in the other room dependent on you for everything), a parole hearing, that kind of thing*. I guess it's the "now what?" factor.

And I have been eating horribly. Oh wait, I always do that. But during the marathon training, I didn't feel guilty for it. I needed those calories and carbs. And where has all of that extra energy gone? And according to several articles, I can look forward to weight gain and a cold. This kind of makes running feel like a time-share or something. Like I've been roped into it by its delivery of energy, good moods, and guilt-free cookie consumption. But the payout is that I have to get off the couch and get the miles back in.

I challenged myself to see what I could do, and I did it. So do I come up with some other challenge for myself? A triathlon, one of those cool wilderness race things, something more cerebral? Or do I just go back to whatever the hell I occupied myself with this time last year?

I am still shooting for the half marathon in April, and once I get the ship righted, I am sure that things will return to normal. But it's one of those times right now when it feels good to just wallow in it.

*I have never given birth, nor have I had a parole hearing. I can only assume that these events might have some sort of let-down time afterwards (hmmm, like PPD maybe?).