You know that awesome “I did it!” feeling you have after a good race (or even a good run)? That feeling of happiness, pride and excitement? That feeling that reminds you why you run and how good it makes you feel?
That feeling seems to be lasting less and less longer after races for me now!
Don’t get me wrong – I still feel that way – I am on cloud nine after a good race, and for quite some time… the buzz just doesn’t seem to be lasting as long (a few days instead of a week+). I think a few things are causing this:
- Racing isn’t “new” to me anymore – I have run a few of the different race distances, and I think the novelty and excitement of running a race may wear off a bit as you run that distance more and more. Don’t get me wrong – I still get excited! It’s just that the half I did this weekend was not as exciting as the first half I did – because that one was my first and it was a big deal (to me)! I think this is why I am excited about (potentially running) the unique distance Nautical 10 Miler (actually 11.5 miles) on September 11. And I still need to do an actual 10-Miler and an 8K!
- I am racing more often now. My financial situation is better this year and I am able to race more – I have already run 5 races this year! I have one this Sunday, one on the 29th, one on the 30th and one on the 7th. Again, I still get excited, but the post-race buzz may not last as long because I have another race coming up right after I finish!
- I am more confident about racing now, and a lot of that nervous energy is gone. This is good in the sense that I (sometimes) feel calmer on race morning, but there is less excitement in “seeing how I will do” during the race. I don’t really surprise myself with my results as much. And I don’t mean for that to sound cocky! It’s just that I planned to run 1:54:39 on Saturday and I basically achieved that. I feel really excited and happy, but I have run a few races and really surpassed my goals, and that has made me feel even more excited and happy. Make sense?
- I know that I won’t set new personal records (PRs) forever. Eventually I will hit my capacity. Hopefully not for awhile, but a PR certainly makes the post-race buzz last longer!
Hopefully that doesn’t make me sound like a grump! It’s just me figuring a few things out. I want to reiterate that I love to race. I love the atmosphere. I love being around other runners. I love racing with friends, I love racing with the running club and I just love running! I don’t have to PR each time, and every race doesn’t have to be a great one! I will keep racing as long as I continue to feel excited about racing. I just hope the post-race buzz doesn’t slowly slip away entirely, because I love how it makes me feel!
Do you feel like the post-race buzz doesn’t last as long, after you have a few races under your belt?
I am finding that winter is a nice change of pace – it allows me to take some time off and not race so that when i get to spring I am ready to go! I have noticed that running the same race every year has gotten a little old and its more pressure to run as good as I did the year before instead of just enjoying the race!
Are there a lot of races where you live? I have noticed that I only run a few of the same races (like the Kenosha WI half, Frosty Footrace, and Santa Run) and that many others are new. Of course, I still haven’t been racing that long!
HA! I’ve always thought racing is basically a drug! People start, they usually love it, and then they want MORE! I have a friend who just ran the Shamrock Shuffle this weekend – longest she’s ever run. Today she said, “I want to do a 5K every weekend!” Then she said she’s never going to run more than 5 miles. I told her 10Ks are nice and she smiled and said, “Yeah, I could do 6 miles. Maybe I’ll sign up for one of those too!”. She’s hooked…
And that “drug-like” feeling is why I did the Ironman. I needed more. After the IM, I went through withdrawal for a few months – both physical and mental. Oh, who am I kidding, I’m still going through it. The shaking has decreased but I salivate when I read race reports! Sure, I have other things to look forward to but it’s not quite the same as a good race!
Is there a 12-step program???
Ha. I think we DO need a 12-step program. Racing is just too fun, but we really shouldn’t do it all the time… like I am. Oops. And I am not bored racing yet! But I would like to try one of those different types of races someday!
Oh yeah…if you’re getting bored racing, maybe a different kind would help. Maybe the Urbanathlon (it’s awesome) or a trail race (I want to do one of those!) or a muddy one like “Carrots and Cake” did.
Gosh, I hope that doesn’t happen to me! Then again, I hope my stupid feet will let me get to the point where that might be an issue…
<3 <3
As soon as I read the title I was thinking that the good feelings don’t seem to last as long the longer I have been racing. I think that when I finally get back to running the feeling will last a long time again though because I’ll be so excited. I guess the injury is like a reset? But I think I’d rather have a smaller amount of time for the after race feeling than have to skip running for a while to get it back.
Hmmm, good thoughts! I’ve been finding lately that it’s harder for me to feel as excited if I don’t PR. Which is sad because I won’t always PR!
I’ve only ever run one race, and it didnt go so well. There was no post race buzz for me. I jumped right in though with a 9.5k as my first, I probably should have started easier with a 5k or something. Thats next on my list.
I think the race buzzes usually last a week or so… and it’s especially awesome when you do as well as you did Kim! Treat yourself well this week, to more yoga 🙂 especially if you’re truly planning to race some of your upcoming events.
Oh yeah, I totally need to fit in more yoga this week! I felt SO GOOD after our class last night! I hope we can meet up again soon. That worked out perfectly (for me anyway 🙂 ) .
I’m not where you are yet – I’m still figuring this whole thing out, so much that I’m still pretty nervous before any race, even when I’m just doing it for fun.
I need to do an 8k too, and a 10 miler. Yay for instant PRs 🙂
I found half of me in just a couple of those pics – we were using people as pacers, and always seemed to be behind a big group. Oh well…
I still get nervous for races that I’ve done before. My 10k this Sunday is a race I’ve done every year since 2007. I also run it with a lot of work people so I put more pressure on myself to do well (or at least as well as them). I tend to enjoy races more if I’ve never done them before or if I have a sense of being able to run them faster than before. I tend to do a lot of the same races each year (April 10k, Turkey Day 5k, cross country style 8k, hometown 15k)… I am even planning to run the exact same half marathon as last year.
When is that half marathon you did last year? Your marathon will be really exciting!!!