So 5 days ago, Easter Sunday (hope that reference doesn’t offend) I did my first ultramarathon, a 50k. I hit my goal time of under 4 hours 30 minutes, I was second female and 19th overall of a starting field of 238. But I feel nothing. Nada. Zilch. Physically, I feel better than after my one and only marathon last year (I’m new to this running malarkey) but have nothing of the euphoria and gratification of achieving that particular goal of a sub 3.30. Mentally, I’m a headcase – I can’t concentrate, I can’t sleep, I can’t eat but I’ve put on 4 pounds…The only thing that has registered on the happy-o-meter is entering other events for later in the year. I’ve read that ultras affect people in an entirely different way to other races, but it’s only 6 extra miles for crying out loud. Is this normal or do I need to WFU?

It’s just a race
HTH

Why did you run all the way? Did you forget your bike?

Nice running! Is it just an anti climax? Lots of excitement and good feelings from the training and build up, then a decent result and just the possibility of doing more training and more racing?

Do you need to bam it up a notch further to get that sense of accomplishment?

Maybe you’re still tired? I certainly would be!

I’ve felt this as well. I think the effort of the planning and training and all that goes with it can sometimes mean that the actual completion of the event is ‘just’ another tick in the box, you planned it trained it, did it.

Take some time to reflect on it. It’s a massive achievement after all, I think it just sometimes takes time to sink in. Perhaps you need to think about doing some different types of events that push you outside your comfort zone?

Amazingly i think you need a bigger challenge. I was in the same boat. 320 marathon. Sub 40 10k. But needed something more. Ended up doing an ironman, cycling the great glen way in 7 hours then the west highland way and ggw in 3 days. I think you need to go through such a challenge you know you have pushed youself beyond comfort zones to get the buzz

I’m not sure I understand the question but maybe you need to bite off a bit more. I’ve done the Old County Tops fell race for about ten years. It’s properly tough I reckon, and yes, I know there are harder things. Even though we’ve done it several times you always set off not completely sure you’ll get round. Anything could happen and your time is so weather/conditions dependent. So just to complete is satisfying and to get a record time even more so and you’re completely knackered. Proper type 2 fun.

In your case then, allowing yourself an extra hour to do 6 miles makes it too easy (!) so if you’re driven by the target, set a harder target. Or take up fell running 😉

Was it round the new forest? – can’t remember how long ago that was

Those people looked utterly devastated by it (I rode past them when they were about 1k from the finish and had to ask one of the marshalls what the event was as they all looked so grim)

I often get a bit depressed a few days after a weekend away biking , especially after races

Oh dear, that’s no fun. I’ve only done long bike events (Tour of Flanders, and a couple of 24 hour MTBs) but always felt a sense of satisfaction afterwards. Quite weird because whilst doing the events everything I asked my body to do seemed completely reasonable and, if not easy, the only course of action I would consider. It’s in retrospect that I look back and am frankly quite amazed that I got stuck in to the extent I did or did as well as I did.

I don’t remember feeling very much after the 24 hour solo until the following day. Too wiped out. But I was proud enough to put my medal under my pillow and it still gives me a warm feeling that I got onto the podium on my first solo. I made may target number of laps and am still mighty pleased that I didn’t crash or have a major mechanical.

One of the things that’s interesting is that that race was long and reflective – the first part I was just relieved not to be at work (!) but then the rest of it gave me time to really savour the training I’d done and relive some of the rides that went into getting me ready to race. So my feelings aren’t just about the race, they’re about the whole process that got me there. Which (apart from the intervals) was pretty fun.

I hope you can reflect on the achievement and let yourself bask in it a bit!d Or stop running and do something more fun 😉

Cracking time for a 50k.

I know what you’re going through OP. I’ve felt the same after every A-race I’ve run. For around a month after a marathon I always feel on a major downer. I think it’s because you spend so long preparing for them, and every effort goes into the, that when it’s done, you feel lost because you don’t have target anymore. Solution I’ve found is quite simple. About a month before an A-race, I enter choose the next one. thus no matter the outcome of the race, I’ve got a new focus. This allows me to switch off from the race I’ve just done quicker, and after a couple of week, have a better appreciation of what I’ve done. And now, looking back at old medals with my son the other day, it’s even better. Just rest, the feeling will come.

Oh, and 4 lbs is nothing, I’ve put on two stone since my last marathon… a year ago!

I have the marathon next weekend. I had a goal of doing sub 4 hours. A couple of weekends ago it was a beautiful day an hour into my long run I decided to go for it and ran the distance in 3.52. I know your not supposed to but hey. Now I’m not that bothered about running the race but I’ll aim for 3.40-45 to give myself something to aim for. On the other hand the pressure is off as wellba already achieved by goal.

I’ve already got my next challenge I’m switching to fell running and want to get to a point where I can get into the Edake Skyline so my next target I’d the kindr trog fell race I’m June.

Wow, great result and don’t be surprised to get a bit of the blues and lack of motivation. I did my first winter arctic ultra on my fatbike just over a month ago – 38.5hrs that mainly involved pushing a 50lb bike through ankle-deep fresh snow. Only 29 finishers from 62 starters and it was more relief than euphoria when I finished, just to know I’m no longer in pain! What’s keeping me motivated is further targets for this year and to go back to the arctic next winter. I’m also having to deal with impending redundancy. Doing the event has changed my frame of reference about what a ‘hard’ event is but what I really enjoy is the mindfulness I feel when riding – I don’t care about racing so much. Set yourself some targets and just enjoy the experience that being healthy and fit enough to do events that 99% of the population could only dream about.

I think you’ve answered your own question

but it’s only 6 extra miles for crying out loud

This

You’ve may have got yourself caught in a no-man’s land with the distance?

Too long a race for speed to be the goal but not long enough for the distance to be the limiting factor.

Have a go at 60k+

And more likely with the really good time you’ve posted for 50k …. enter a double mara

Yet to do one myself mind, …. first ultra, last year, was just short of 60k and then second one I did was time based (sunrise to sunset) which was just short of 8 hours and I did about 75k

Good luck and enjoy

Is this normal or do I need to WFU?

I guess the problem is that there is no normal. The expectations of amazing life changing emotions are somewhat exaggerated. Not because they don’t happen, but people tend to write and talk about amazing experiences, rather than the neutral ones.
If you enjoy it, do it, but don’t beat yourself up about not feeling the way that is expected of you.

If you are worrying about putting on 4 lbs I think you may have issues elsewhere. Is the running and challenging yourself making up for some kind of unhappiness?

After every big event I have finished you always have a good chat about the course, crashes, overtakes etc etc maybe running doesn’t lend itself to this.

Congratulations on a fantastic achievement

Rest needed and recovery from depletion. Simple.

Try some Vit B & C for a couple of days. That seemed to help me in my running days when I overdid it.

Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it. I’ve downloaded a 50 mile training plan and am trying to talk the OH into spending our November break on the Gower Peninsula, purely for the beautiful location and nothing at all to do with the Coast Trail marathon that just happens to be on then…Feeling tons better 😀

Not surprised tbh – hitting your “goal time” suggest lots of boring training and the near certainty you would complete within it.

Try a bike a big bike ride with lots of unknowns 😉

I didn’t have that feeling after Outlaw last year, but that’s because I fell apart before the bike finished and only managed to hobble around half the run before calling it a day for the sake of my health. However I’ve got plenty of friends who suffer like that after doing an Ironman, it’s a common thing. The key seems to be to have other targets already in mind to work towards afterwards. I’m doing Manchester Marathon this weekend, then I’ve got a couple of half-Iron distance triathlons booked for this year, a sprint-distance with friends, thinking of doing Helvellyn Tri in September, and then cracking on with my long term main goal which is Outlaw next year. When I intend to go back and kick it in the face. As that day draws closer I’ll start looking for another goal to work towards, probably Ironman Wales, potentially the same year as I WILL be in decent shape by then.

Recently been reading a good book for planning training for the whole year rather than aimed towards a single race, which seems to be a good way of working round it, The Triathlete’s Training Bible by Joe Friel

Hi Bex. Sorry, just picked up on this thread. A really good friend of mine is an ultra runner ( i supported him during the Anglesey Ring of Fire). I have sat and discussed his approach a few times with him. Firstly, he looks nothing like your average ulra runner (think chunky Eddie Izzard) and he loves his ale. He says it is 70% mental and preperation, 30% fitness. If he isn’t mentally prepared he has bad races.
So his advice is find your mental zone, this can only come with experience. 🙂