Post-Marathon Blues
This is stupid and Just finish dominated my thoughts near the end of my first Marathon at the Rock n Roll series in Nashville. Somewhere around 20 weeks of training, obsessing, and dealing with injuries finally got my to the finish line at the end of April. My time goal of four hours quickly evaporated, mostly due to the heat and dew point on race day. Most of the training was done in the winter time and the sudden onset of summer-like conditions meant I was not acclimated to dealing with these conditions. Not only was this my first marathon, it was my first time training for one.
Lessons learned during training:
My training plan topped out at 16 miles for my long run. 18 would have probably been better, but the risk of injury is higher.
Train for taking ice baths as well, since you will likely want one after your race.
Do more strength training. When time is limited, it’s the first thing that goes out the window. Strength training significantly reduces injury risk. I had a hip/glute/proximal hamstring thing going on a couple weeks prior.
Taper better. My first time tapering was pretty awful. Maraonia truly sets in. Did I train enough? Am I losing fitness? Am I injured? Can I really finish? I had 3 weeks built into my training plan that I did not end up utilizing, which meant I had to shuffle things around at the end so I did not peak too early.
The race
This is a pretty big race put on by a big organization. There were two starting lines on race day: 5k & 10k, and half-marathon and full-marathon. Bizarrely enough, the 5k & 10k race started at 6:45 (ish) and the half & full started at 7:20. Personally, I do not understand this decision. The race that takes longer should start earlier, especially at the end of April.
Mortal Hydration.
A ‘new’ electrolyte made it to the scene - supposedly every other water station was supposed to have Mortal Hydration. There were two main issues with this: 1) not every (other) aid station had enough made/available. Just water. 2) There were reports that electrolytes were not solely Mortal on the race. I don’t know if volunteers were just using ‘Gatorade’ as a blanket term or if they truly were mixing electrolyte brands. There is a mantra for most runners that says ‘nothing new on race day’, meaning you try everything during training to make sure your stomach can handle it. Then if it’s different, don’t try it on race day. I ignored this mantra and chose to stop at every station and tried to hydrate.
The sheer amount of cups used during this race is a borderline environmental disaster.
Tragedy
A Nashville Chef, Joey Fecci, collapsed in the Shelby Bottoms area of the course. Reportedly around mile 22. Fellow runners administered CPR until help arrived, which probably felt like an eternity. When I reviewed at the author’s checkpoint times, there did not seem to be any hint of a long delay for stopping to assist. Time dilates during traumatic events. Sadly, Joey did not make it. To be in the same race as someone a lot younger, faster, and trained more than you that still died has messed with my head a lot. I found him on Strava - he was ready for this race. Another sobering reminder to get checked out. When I was nearing Shelby Bottoms, I remember seeing the emergency vehicles fly by. Everything was cleared out by the time I got there. My heart goes out to the Fecci family. There is a gofundme for a culinary scholarship in Fecci’s honor if you wish to donate.
Parking
Post-race was pretty rough. Due to construction, parking was not available at Nissan Stadium. Having to walk (miles?) to get back to the car was a terrible experience and I do not recommend it. Not to mention the traffic burden for shutting down portions of Nashville on a Saturday.
The Blues
Overall I’m glad to be done. I’m grateful that I finished (4:36) and took no shame in walking a bunch at the end. Now, I’m still recovering, going on short runs, and trying to figure out what to do next. I have my first Sprint Triathlon coming up next month. If I like Triathlons enough, I might go for a 70.3 next year. We’ll see. I now understand the post-marathon blues. Your brain gets used to the routine of training and running for months and then all of a sudden you stop. What do I do now that the big goal is done? Everything is tedious and boring now. We sit in limbo while we recover, and we have to reset. The best advice I’ve seen so far is to fall in love with setting goals and working towards them. So having a sprint tri on the horizon is a good start.
Finisher
Overall I’m grateful that I finished my marathon. Will I do another one? Unsure. Will I do one that shuts down a city and feels like a money grab. I’m looking at you, FinisherPix. Come on, all of the race photos are watermarked? I’m not spending $40-60 on a digital package. Even the runnash event in October had free photos. I think I’ll look at the smaller races off the beaten path. Trail running might be in store as well.
