Your just finished an Ironman race, 100 mile run or other major objective of the year. Congratulations! You are still flush with endorphins and sense of accomplishment. The first week after the race feels surreal. You may think, wow, did I really just do that? Your mind might replay different segments of the experience as though you are watching a highlight reel in your head. A couple more weeks go by and then something strange happens, you become depressed. Your energy seems to be low, and life just doesn’t seem very interesting. Welcome to post achievement depression.
Post achievement depression is quite common among anyone who has completed a major achievement in life, especially in endurance sports. For months or even years, you have been focused on achieving a specific goal. The goal has captivated your mind because, not only is it physically and mentally hard, it may even be a bit scary, especially in the case of mountaineering or adventure sports. You have been diligent in waking up every day and executing the training. You don’t dare miss a session because you are so focused on this goal. Every waking moment is spent visualizing what it might actually feel and look like to be doing the event or crossing that finish line. You talk enthusiastically about the challenge ahead with others. People seem interested and intrigued by what you are about to attempt. This can really feed the ego and give you an Olympian view of the pedestrian world below.
Suddenly, in what seem like a blink of an eye, it’s over. This can leave the athlete feeling lost, confused and a bit untethered. The world goes on, nothing has changed, you haven’t achieved rock start status. You are just back at work, dealing with day-to-day issues and shopping for groceries. Back to reality.
Post achievement depression is real and it is totally normal. Almost everyone who has worked with singular purpose towards a goal feels like this once the goal is achieved. So, what to do about it?
First, know that this is a normal feeling and it will soon pass with time. Give yourself freedom to train or exercise in an unstructured, fun manner. This will help you find the joy of just being outside as well as letting your body and mind recover from the hard work you have been putting in. This can be a great time to let your mind wonder and daydream about future objectives. Once you have that future objective solidified, commit to it and, boom, you are right back in the saddle again! Signing up for a big race or committing to a big objective to work towards is the easiest way to get over post achievement depression.
Wow, it has been an eventful two weekends! Special congratulations to Melissa Samuelson who raced in Marbella, Spain at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. The course was one of the most challenging in recent memory with nearly 6,000′ of climbing on the bike. Melissa finished strong in a time of 6:22.
As we get closer and closer to the last Ironman Arizona, I thought I’d share some of the race strategy and pacing tips that have worked well over the last 21 years. Every Ironman is a test of endurance, fitness and discipline to execute your own personal race plan. As you approach race day keep the following in mind – from the moment you wake up on race morning everything you do has an effect on how well you can run the Ironman marathon.
Congratulations to Matt Johnson who raced the Trick or Tri Sprint triathlon this weekend in AZ. He placed FIRST OVERALL with an impressive time of one hour! Matt is due to race IMAZ next month. Nice job Matt!
Congratulations to 
