Two Weeks Post Ironman: What Comes Next?

In the last two weeks, I’ve been in touch with a lot of friends and family members, all offering their congratulations on my race. Life has been different after coming back from Ironman. I am still inwardly glowing about my accomplishment, which I hope will continue to be the case for a while. I feel it’s the first time in a long time where I actually feel as proud as those congratulating me seem to expect.

Recovery
There is a concept of “post Ironman depression” which comes from all of a sudden not having that goal to look forward to.  In addition, there is the loss of physiological benefits of all that exercise because I had to take some days off after the race for recovery.  After acclimating to 3-6 hours of exercise per day, taking off days following the race was tough. I was sore for about 3 days, and after that I was just going crazy. I ended up taking off Monday-Friday, then doing a 10-miler Saturday and realizing Sunday morning it was a bad idea. Sunday was a rest day, and but I’ve been back on the road for at least an hour of biking or running since.

I’ve definitely felt the addictive pull of running before, but never like this. I wake up and feel absolutely compelled to get outside. It’s nice in a way, because I really enjoy the workout, but I don’t feel completely in control, which is not ideal. It’s been over two weeks now, and I think the mental post-race downswing has mostly passed.

What comes next?
Everyone has been asking me what comes next. In truth, I have made a decision to step away from triathlons and marathons for a while to concentrate on my career. I do have a desire to do this again, but not for a while. Training takes up an extraordinary amount of time, and I have other goals to pursue. Eventually, I have my sites set on an Ultramarathon, specifically, the Western States Endurance Run (100 miles through the Cascades), and now that I see what I’m capable of in triathlons, I’d like to try to make it to World Champs in Kona, Hawaii, which would require a sub 10-hour finish. With a better bike, and many more miles in the saddle, I think I am capable of this. This is all in the distant future, and nothing I’m really planning for right now.