Actually, this was two days after a race run, but the feeling is still the same. Although the Color Me Rad wasn’t a timed race, there is still something about race day atmosphere that gets into your veins and makes you run harder and faster, which inevitably makes the next individual run you do slower.
Maybe it’s the lack of people. Maybe it’s the sore muscles, but whatever it is, it’s hard to get back to it.
My day after race run was 4 miles and although this is usually not hard for me to manage I struggled. It didn’t help that my route was flater than the race or that every time I looked down, I saw the puff of color coming out of my shoes and remembered how fun the race was, especially with two people running with you.
If you have found yourself in the same situation and feeling the same thing, don’t give up. Races are what we train for and having a post-race struggle run is completely normal.
Fight through and keep running!