Chris made a successful return to running after having a kidney transplant in 2018. He shares how he found a way to pay it forward and run with a purpose. Prepare to be inspired and learn how you can also be the best version of yourself! 
You just ran a huge personal best in the marathon and spent the past week enjoying some well-deserved down time. You decide it’s time to start up again, but realize that post-race excitement is starting to dwindle and it’s much harder to get out the door than you anticipated. “How can this be!?” You ask yourself. “I just had a fantastic race and should be beyond excited to start again, right?” If you find yourself to be in this situation, fear not, you have a case of the easily curable post-marathon blues.
After fully investing in your training program for the past 3 months and being laser focused, it makes sense that it might be tough to get started again. I, personally, have always struggled jumping right back into full training after a marathon because I just spent the last 4 months completely focused on my goal. Oftentimes, we forget that running can be just as mentally taxing as it is physically taxing and we need to be sure to give ourselves time to recover in both ways after a marathon.
Here are a few tips to shake those post marathon blues and get that pep back in your step.
1. Throw pace and distance out the window and enjoy some unstructured training. It is mentally quite freeing to run on your own terms for a few weeks without a care in the world about pace. You will be spending quite a bit of time in the coming months focused on hitting splits, so enjoy some relaxed, care free runs and soak in the nice spring weather. Simply getting outside for a few leisurely miles can do wonders for both the mind and body.
2. Meet up with friends to keep things light and fun. Running with friends is a great way to unwind and relax. When you are chatting away, you start to focus less on how heavy/tired your legs may feel, and more on the conversations you are having. Before you know it, the run is done and you are feeling much lighter and happier than before you started. Never underestimate the power of running with friends.
3. After a few weeks, start to look at future races. I like to switch things up after a marathon and run some shorter races, like 5&10ks. It’s fun to set my sights on a new challenge and mentally change gears. Getting a race on the calendar will give you something to look forward to and help that motivation and excitement return.
So lace up your shoes, enjoy the warm weather, and shake those post marathon blues. Set your sights on a new challenge and enjoy the journey one step at a time. Happy Running!
The LinkedIn Wellness Team teaches movement across the 6 Primal Movement Patterns: Squat, Bend, Lunge, Push, Pull, Twist.
Below are basic total body exercises that are able to be used as they are or added on to in order to create high intensity and more complex movements.
For a personalized workout routine, please send a request at go/contactwellness and choose Fitness Assessment from the How Can We Help dropdown.
Videos for each of these exercises are coming soon!
Basic: Squat
Basic: Static Lateral Lunge
Basic: Deadlift
Pull Exercises
Push Exercises
Distance runners need strong calves and feet in order to reach the finish line of a
marathon or half marathon. This drill will help activate all the tiny muscles in the feet
and challenge your calves. 
With every step you take on a run, you want your foot to strike off the ground with as
much power as possible. This drill will prepare your body to do that. 
As high as you can get, as quick as you can get, as high as you can get, as quick as
you can get....keep repeating that to yourself as you do this drill. That increased
turnover and increased knee drive will soon carry over to your running form.
