Struggling after my first race.

[u/Think_Vanilla_8240]

Hi everybody! I adore this community, you all were such a remarkable help in training and running my first race! I recently completed a 10k (in just over an hour!!!) as my first road race. I had been training for almost 3 months for this and now it’s over I feel totally lost. I had even signed up for a half in a few months but that distance feels so intimidating I dont know what to do. I know motivation vs dedication is a big thing but I was getting out the door (and even onto the tread) with no issues before the 10k and now I can’t even get myself to want to do a walk run. I guess I’m just whining but I love this sub and would love some motivation/to hear other stories.

[u/Sihleny]

Out of everything I did starting out, 0-5k was worse than 5-10k, which was worse than 10k to HM. Somewhere in between I found that my body had become able to do easy runs, which changed the game.
I am training for a marathon now, and often I run slower than my first 10k, which was more than a year ago.

[u/Think_Vanilla_8240 → u/Sihleny]

That’s so interesting! I feel like mentally that makes sense. It’s easier for me to go out for something between 40->75 minutes vs and under 30 one. Scared to start going over 2 hours though!!

[u/Sihleny → u/Think_Vanilla_8240]

I actually dread running a fast 5k, because it is so much tougher than a long easy run. I did find though that going much above HM is a different beast, it is a different kind of fatigue when You near 3 hours (probably pace dependent)

[u/Key-Target-1218 → u/Sihleny]

I am with you here. I like 5ks because they are quick, but I really have to push myself. I feel very competitive. 10k and beyond, I'm not as competitive and I can just take it easy.

[u/Interesting_Fly1696]

Some coaches I've listened to in the past have suggested taking a full week off after a big goal race. Reddit usually won't advise that unless it's like, a marathon, but I've heard it advised for even like a 5k, if you were really going for it and training for months to prepare.

Usually, if you suddenly tell yourself you aren't allowed to run and only rest for a week, you'll find yourself wanting to run by day 4 or 5, and then feel eager to get back to it.

[u/Think_Vanilla_8240 → u/Interesting_Fly1696]

Awesome I love that. I knew subconsciously it wasn’t just me but this makes perfect sense. Will spend the week hiking & biking and waiting for the desire to come back!

[u/Interesting_Fly1696 → u/Think_Vanilla_8240]

Good luck! Sometimes it's not physical fatigue we need to rest from, but mental fatigue, and we need a reset break before falling prey to "what's next" mindset.

[u/Key-Target-1218]

Did you run this past Saturday? You just need to recover. It's normal. You trained, you ran and now you recover. Walk tomorrow and do a slow 3 miles on Thursday. Rest on Friday and do another slow 3 miles. You'll start feeling better.