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'empty feeling' after your race

i thought i’d share with everyone my tri story so far. I’ll keep it brief and just itemise the key steps;

1. Set myself challenge to complete a triathlon
2. Got VERY excited very quickly about the idea
3. Realised i couldn’t swim more then 40m
4. Started to train lots more than ever before
5. Realised i had to buy half of everything on WIGGLE.COM
6. Completed first tri in a great time and well chuffed
7. Completed second tri within a week and still buzzin’
8. Soon after started to feel somewhat empty (due to not having another race booked).
9. Training dropped off as nothing to aim for
10. Shin splints stop me running
11. One week holiday with virtually no training
12. Now feeling undertrained BUT (and its a big BUT)
13. Next race is in 9 weeks (which may sound ages away but i haven’t run for over two months).
14. The motivation is returning.
15. Conclusion: ALWAYS KNOW YOUR NEXT RACE + AVOID INJURY

Random thread but thought i’d share it.

The real biggie was the feeling of not having anything to aim at after completing the first two – it is a wired feeling and i know its not in the same league as IRONMAN but in the last issue of either 220 or tri-plus there was an article about the ‘empty’ feeling you get after your A race.

Gazza

Comments

  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    Actually, Gaz, mine's more of a relieved feeling.

    looked at the calendar today and saw i'd made it past july 12th. was NOT able to plan ANTHING after it til i knew i'd survive.

    now i'm excitedly booking sprints again and wondering when my next oly will be (the flat one!)

    its good to have the excitement back.....

    I hope your legs are holding out :roll:
  • gavinrigg06gavinrigg06 Posts: 176
    I think I bought the other half of Wiggle
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    Yeah, I've got a huge gap between races, due to various commitments. 21st July to 13th September, it's a bit odd.

    I read in a tri mag (not sure which one, spent a lot of time on trains recently) about post races blues, it's meant to be fairly common.
  • FlavadaveFlavadave Posts: 749
    I felt a bit down immediately after finishing Windsor. Don't think its exclusive to ironman... Loved the actual build up and the event itself, just crossing the line it was all a bit....'over'.

    Still, onwards and upwards eh? No sense moping around 'cos my events finished. NEXT!
  • My OD A-race which i have been building up to all year is mid August, the week after that is V festival, then the week after that is another festival ... it was supposed to be the end of season party - a reward for a whole summer of hard work where I could let me hair down and hit the beers without that guilty feeling .. ( my A-party ) but what did i go and do .. i went and booked another race in September. :roll:
    It's a sprint race so I should be in good shape for it, but still means i have to be a bit wary during the festivities.
    Once that race is done, that's it for the season .. I'm really into my snowboarding and winter sports in general so while some people are gutted to see the back of summer, the adrenalin is building in me once i feel that first cold October spell .. the mountains are calling. I'm keen to keep tri-training so I'm not sure what will motivate me to keep going with the swimming and cycling through winter, more than the usual bit of leisure activities which i always do.
    Also thinking of trying something else like indoor wall climbing ... a change of energy.
    Definitely going back to tri racing next season .. maybe a HIM as my A-race

    I think the key for me is to have some alternate activities and challenges to keep the post race blues away, the fun is in the chase.. whatever the sport.
  • deeessdeeess Posts: 150
    i think it depends on what type of personality you have as well. i tend to get very excited about new things, obsess about it and buy all the kit before becoming bored and drifting away (eg skiing, scuba, poker [no kit but still cost alot]) - i'm hoping this won't happen with tri. i still get a buzz from really good work outs so i take that as a good sign
  • aoneill69aoneill69 Posts: 206
    did my 1st sprint in may....thought the blues were due to last 2-3 days...mine lasted about 3-4 weeks...seemed strange training without the goal...and didn't have the structure of my plan to follow...

    I have now booked another sprint for sept and just did the 3-peaks at the weekend...so hopefully back on track....
  • thebouythebouy Posts: 61
    I know exactly how you feel Gary, started training in December for first sprint on 20th June. Trained really hard and, like you, it went really well and far surpassed my own expectations.
    Then had knee surgery last week with training ban for at least 2 months. Feeling very low (especially as watching the TDF every day makes me just want to get my bike out).
    HOWEVER, I did realise that whilst I can't run,bike or swim, I can get the weights out and do some upper body stuff, which can only help when the day comes when I can start training 'properly' again.
    Chin up!
  • I get the same feeling and will do again after London as I don't have anything to aim for after that.

    Can anyone recommend another couple of races that can be done before the winter?

    Would like to do the Ballbuster in November but not sure it suits my build and unlikely to be able to shift enough weight in time.

    I'm getting a little bored of the Dorney ones and willing to explore so any advice greatly appreciated.

    Cheers

    Good luck to everyone at London
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