So you ran a marathon...now what?

Congrats… you are officially a marathon runner.

Your eyes opened this morning and for just a single moment you forget who you are, maybe even where you are… and most importantly you forgot what you achieved just yesterday.

And then a split second later you feel a shoot of pain somewhere in your body (probably your feet), and it all comes rushing back to you.

Yesterday you ran a bloody marathon. 

Nothing can compare to the feeling of accomplishment you have the day after running a full marathon.

However… the day after can also be filled with other emotions, thoughts and, practical considerations… that may even take the shine off the experience a bit.

So today’s blog is an attempt to prevent that from happening.

 

Too Fat to Run App

Yesterday around forty thousand runners took to the streets of my hometown London.

I was actually out of the country in Dublin at a conference so for the first time in many years I was not able to experience the buzz first-hand.

But I was keeping an eye on social media of how the women from my too fat to run community were doing, and as I pulled into London Bridge station last night there were still runners with their medals proudly hung around their necks…as they slowly moved in the direction of home.

Marathons are an enormous undertaking, the toll of which may take weeks if not months to fully recover from.

But I want to talk about today, the day immediately after, so here are 5 things for you to think about.

One – Take care of your physical needs

You will hurt today…to be fair you will hurt more tomorrow, and possibly more the day after that.

Your body is probably thinking “Holy Fuck, what did you just do to me” and so it’s only right that you give it some love today.

Hydration…very important. Fuelling for recovery, the same.

Don’t overstress about what to eat, but some protein to help with muscle recovery, and foods packed with vitamins and minerals are going to help your body find its way back to normal.

You may find yourself totally ravenous, or you may have lost your appetite all together.

It can be different for everyone.

If you have blisters or chaffing, or anything else that needs a bit of extra attention…don’t ignore it.

Seek medical attention or the advice of other people who have had these things.

Listen to what your body is telling you it needs…you will probably need much more sleep the next few days.

Two – Process your immediate thoughts and emotions

You will be feeling a lot. Marathons take a huge emotional toll on you. The fear leading up to it, the stress and anxiety about things which might go wrong. The adrenaline and joy of the day, maybe even added emotion or pressure related to a cause you were running for.

I always find it helpful to journal, or blog. Putting your thoughts down on paper helps you to work through them. It also acts as a reminder when you look back in years to come, or maybe your kids or grandkids will.

It also helps to share your thoughts, as lots of people will be intrigued to know how it felt…and might help with fundraising efforts too

Three – Time for some thank yous

There will have been people who helped you get to the start and finish line.

Thank them.

Also, thank the people who have donated cash to your fundraising, this might remind those who have forgotten to do so already.

You don’t have to do this today…but make sure you do. Sometimes our supporters never quite get how important they are to us.

Four – Try not to over analyse the race

Shoulda, woulda, coulda doesn’t help anyone at this point.

Every race, every marathon will be different. There is the race you hope to run, the race you actually run, and probably in a few weeks or months time, the race you think you remember running…with probably the highlights and lowlights remembered.

Save any training analysis for the future, if ever you want to run another (you might…but you don’t need to think about this, or make a decision today lol)

And finally

Number 5 – Remember you are a bad ass.

The world will be going on as normal today. Perhaps you have had to go back to work, perhaps the kids still needed their breakfast making this morning, or you have had to pop out for milk

You did something incredible and you really should acknowledge and celebrate that.

some women tell me, that they feel like they are “banging on” about their marathon and feel pressure to stop talking about it.

But it is a BIG thing…so find the people who will celebrate it with you….long after today.

Wear your medal to the school gates, get it framed and hang it somewhere everyone can see, share you race photos, your blog etc

You are amazing.

On Friday evening at the conference I was at, a conference for professional speakers from around the world, I took part in the annual comedy night.

There were 17 contestants, and I won…I can’t believe it. My set was full of jokes about running marathons in a plus size body (they loved the bits about chaffing) and I can’t tell you how many people came up to me afterwards to congratulate me AND to talk about marathons.

You are in a club where you get lifetime access, so enjoy.

And once again…YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!

Check out the new and improved version of The Fat Girls Guide to Marathon Running which was published on the 1st October. Julie Creffield is a 6 time marathon runner, she has taken part in endurance events all over the world, and has trained thousands of women to tackle races of their own. The ebook is now available on Amazon…the paperback should be due out in a couple of weeks.

 


 

 

THE COMMUNITY

Join the TFTR newsletter to gain access to our exclusive Facebook running community, priority access to Limited Edition merch, inspiration and much more! 

Shopping Cart