Still feeling emotionally DEVASTATED after bonking @ Boston

I'm feeling similar, and I know a lot of other people (well nearly everybody that ran Boston) that is feeling the same way. In my case it's annoying, because it got out around work that I was running the marathon, and they even threw me a surprise party (I'm pretty private and had only told a few people). My goal was 3hr, I got 3:07, and everybody was so excited for me that I was able to finish or that I got to run. I'm sorry, I qualified for it 17 months ago... that was old news.

I think the best thing to do is just start running again. I wish I could, but my thighs are hurting too much. Try running on trails if you can. Or go for walks. Got to flush it from your system.

Did you load up on enough carbs the week before?

It's going to take some time, and it's totally valid to feel disappointed for awhile. Take solace in the fact that you put together a strong training cycle. It's easy to doubt yourself after a bad day, but it sounds like the capacity to PR was certainly present. Sometimes race day magic doesn't happen and we just have an off day (a lot of people had off days at Boston, it sounds like).

Also, where are you from and what were your training conditions like? I'm from the northern US, and frankly, I think it's really hard to PR in spring marathons after training through the winter, especially if you happen to get smacked with a warm marathon day. Meanwhile, training through a warm summer and then getting a nice cool fall marathon is almost like doing it on easy mode.

Lastly, I feel like every year I hear stories from people about how tough Boston was and it was unexpectedly hot or a rainy windstorm or whatever and everyone wanted to PR and they didn't. Boston is a tough course -- not the toughest, but not necessarily a PR course. Why are people always trying to PR there?

Be sad for a bit, lick your wounds, take your two week break, and then set your sites on something like Philly. Fast course (couple hills in the first half but relatively flat after that), November so less likely to have a warm day, and you get to do it after training through the summer so if you do get a warm day you're more likely to be somewhat acclimated.

At 63 Boston 2018 was supposed to be my last marathon ever. It was my first Boston - a goal I had been chasing for 6 years (with a side trip of an ablation procedure on my heart).

Made it 18 miles and that was it. Hypothermia got me. Man, and Boston is tough - if you don't finish you get no listing in the results. Not even a DNF - if you search the results you just don't show up.

Told myself I wasn't going to finish that way. So took one more shot at qualifying and made it in again.

People are different and I am lucky in that I tolerate the heat pretty well.

I PRd by 4 minutes. 40 second positive split. Best race I have ever run.

I wouldn't have had the experience if I hadn't crashed and burned the year before. And I certainly appreciate it more after having the bad experience the previous year.

My rule is that I give myself 48 hours to mope around and feel bad after a bad experience. Then it is time to move on.

If you really are in pr shape, in 3-4 weeks you should be able to run a good 10k or half. Sign up for one. Then sign up for another marathon.

My wife and I are both in the same boat. Both of us were in PR shape and both of us cramped up and slithered accros the finish line. It's pretty rough with a lot of second guessing. My mentality now, is to suck it up and use it as fuel for the next one. You can sit back and make excuses and feel sorry forself or you can say Eff it and start grinding again. Sometimes a little defeat makes voctory that much sweeter.

How were your splits dfa? As a fellow runner this year, I saw so many people go out to hard and just crash and burn on the Newton Hills. I was amazed at how many people passed me between mile 2-10, and I got of them back between mile 18-26.

Running a marathon can be very tough on your body, particularly if you bonk. It's natural to feel clinically depressed in the few weeks after it. Focus on getting good recovery for a couple of weeks and then you can bounce back and start training normally again. You'll probably be in better spirits then. Just know that your body is going to impact your mind while you're coming back around, so don't take it too hard.

Broad-minded wrote:

Life is more than a marathon PR.

Find some motivation outside of running and do all the things you delayed because of the training obsession. Put your hobby in a healthier perspective.

^^^Douche' canoe^^^

The thing with the marathon distance is that the weather affects your race more than any of the standard distance races. It's completely beyond your control, no matter how much you train, or where.

IMO you should re-group and scout out a marathon where you can run fast, in cooler weather. Let Boston be a thing unto itself, a crappy course at an odd unpredictable time of year. If you MUST run Boston again, show up and just have a goal of a solid run, but don't try and PR there, save that for a race in the late Fall, better course, better logistics etc.

File under First World/White People problems.

dfa wrote:

Got a serious case of post-marathon blues.

Trained 5 months into a PR ready shape, then got "got" by humidity and bad race strategy.

Had to walk the "walk of shame" in the last 3 miles, and missed even a BQ altogether.

Feeling DEVASTATED like I just died a little inside.

Any tips for coping with these post-marathon blues?

The best tips is to hire one of the best coaches. JS is the name. Guaranteed success.

I felt the humidity coming on early and probably ended up putting more water on me than in me. I know a few people that had great training cycles and ended up with a disappointing time, after running Boston I can see how it can be a tricky race to prepare for.

On the bright side because you didn't go all out for 26 miles you can still capitalize on your fitness, find another marathon in the next couple of weeks and go and try and get some redemption.

Seems you aren’t the only one though. Take something from that. Every single person I knew that ran Boston this year was very disappointed in their result. It was all around a disappointment

This...

I'm fine emotionally, but my quads are still sore. Tried an easy run today, felt very good in the beginning, but then 2 miles in they got very sore again, to the point that it was quite painful to jog back the 2 miles. Weird, it's as if my quads forgot about Boston and then remembered.

This is spot on. I've run Boston three times and never had a great weather day. Two of my outcomes were satisfying, the other miserable. I think the weather is completely unpredictable, from last year's frigid rain/wind to the heat/humidity in other years. I don't know how the pros do it, but I think you have got to train as if it's going to be 75 degrees - that means running during the afternoons if possible or on a treadmill at a warm gym. You have to acclimate as much as possible in the weeks leading up to the race. If it turns out to be cold, you'll still be better off.

Also agree that if you really want to PR, you need to look for a good fall marathon. You'll spend most of your training cycle in warmer conditions, then take advantage of the cooler race day temp - which is far more preferable than the reverse.

I think you should go to Boston looking to race, not to PR, and to end up much higher than your bib would suggest. If you're in the third corral, can you finish top 1,000? Thinking that way would force you to have a smart game plan when conditions go awry - basically, hold back, let everyone else burn themselves in the heat and run consistent splits or negative if you can.

berniesanders wrote:

File under First World/White People problems.

First World problems are problems when you live in the First World.

(Seriously, though, you're obviously correct. Let's agree that virtually everything discussed on this forum is a First World Problem, and that I am truly fortunate to have a roof, food, money, transportation, health, etc. All that said... shouldn't a bunch of well-off First World residents at least try to get faster, rather than just sit around and get fat like everyone else around us?)

I could have thrown that ball over the mountain...