What to do after 26.2? How to shift your focus after a big marathon.
It has been three weeks since I towed the starting line in Grant Park at Chicago Marathon. I have to admit that I can close my eyes and it feels like it just happened yesterday.
In my previous blog post, I spoke about what it was like to enjoy the moment and not seek that next big race or be in a rush to regain that marathon feeling. I loved every moment of Chicago Marathon (even with the weather being less than fabulous). Successfully completing my first Abbott World Major Marathon and the grueling training that preceded that moment really helped to shape my perspective on what’s next for me in my off training season.
Rather than wallow in the post marathon blues, I decided that now was a great time to shift my focus on some of the things I couldn’t do because….let’s be real: Marathon training is time consuming.
So if you find yourself in a rut on what to do now that your goal race is over, take a moment to read up on what I have been up to post twenty-six point two.
- Revamp my body goals: I think my trainer was more excited than anyone to see my marathon training come to an end 😂. It was great to be able to sit with him (over champagne) and talk about the next level of my fitness goals. How we want my body to look, feel and function. We talked about some of my big, scary goals and the things I never knew I wanted until I completed Chicago Marathon. We are definitely in for the long haul (stay subscribed to the blog for the deets)
- Taking risks with my business: Now that my training is over, I have the opportunity to flesh out some of the ideas that I have had forever in terms of my business. I am about to get my feet wet in a new venture and boy it’s making my stomach flip. Use your off season to focus on non-running related goals that you may have been putting off due to marathon training. (And definitely stay connected to see the new venture I’m working on 🥳)
- Get educated: No marathon training for me meant (finally) scheduling my appointment for my marathon running coach certification exam in December. This is so personal for me because with everything else that I have going on, scheduling my exam is something long overdue. This will be a month of head down in the books for sure!
- Family first: Off season means no Saturday long runs followed by my mid morning naps. Instead my Saturdays are filled with taking my son London to flag football practices and I couldn’t be happier or more proud as his mom. Remember what’s important during your off training time. Get back to those things. Running will always be here.
What have you been focusing on during your off season now that your goal race is complete? Share in the comments section – I would love to hear from you ☺️
Linda