having trouble running again after first marathon

[lobsteriffic]

I ran my first marathon on July 29th. I hit the wall pretty hard on mile 18, and the last few miles were pretty awful, but I finished.

I gave myself a week to re-cooperate. Since then I've tried out a few short runs but they were dreadful! My body just didn't want to be out running and I was slow as heck. Even though I was running slowly, it felt like I was expending a tremendous amount of effort and I was drained and exhausted.

I'm not sure if this is mental or physical or what. I don't really have any residual soreness or pain at this point from the marathon. Is this normal? Should I just keep making myself go out for short runs and slowly bump up the mileage? I have a half marathon in October, but other than that nothing specific I'm training for in the near-future.

Thanks!

[skoptic]

Hey lobster

Good work on running you first marathon! Yeah - that's a nice wall you run into at 18 miles, eh?

So, don't sweat it, it can take a few weeks (or more sometimes) to get over a marathon. You have a tired body, deep tissue damage and even though you might not feel residual pain - your body needs to recover. It's fine to go out for runs, but they should be shorter, and slower and yes, you will feel like you are not a 'marathon fit' runner! Don't worry it'll all subside in the next few weeks.

I usually take a week or 2 where it's obvious I've just run long, then a week or so where my muscles an ache 'deep' inside if I try to go too fast or too long. So feel very happy you ran your marathon, let your body recover and don't think you need to train through this bad feeling - that is a recipe for injury and woes!

[Konstantin]

I agree with Skoptic, the marathon was probably a massive strain on many different areas of you, and you'll need time. It might be best to lay off the running altogether for a week or two, and see how it goes. If not, expect a slow recovery.

[lobsteriffic]

Thanks! Glad to hear that this is totally normal.

[ColleenE]

Hey! CONGRATS on your marathon! I've done 12 marathons and a few ultras--always 7 days of NOTHING afterwards. I then start doing some cross training and "reverse taper" running (i.e. just as you tapered for the marathon, do the same thing with your recovery!). It will take a month or so for your glycogen levels (YES A MONTH!) to be back to normal, so don't sweat the fatigue. It's normal. Bask in the afterglow of your accomplishment!