I Trained for a Race for 3 Months, Then I Experienced a Huge Comedown—Here's What Helped Pick Me Up

Ever trained for a big event and then completely lost all motivation to the point where you question if you'll ever get your passion back? Because same. For the past few weeks, I've been in what I can only describe as a running slump after completing the Manchester Half Marathon at the end of May.

I'm usually fairly consistent when it comes to running, except for the odd lull from time to time, but I've noticed a pattern after races - once it's over, my motivation can take a serious hit. Don't get me wrong, after following a training plan in the three months leading up to it, I fully intended to take a short break from running when I crossed the finish line. But what I didn't anticipate was how much of a struggle I'd find getting back into my usual routine.

I finished the race itself with that exhilarating runner's high and was even Googling my next event on the way home. So, after the tension in my legs eased a few days later, instead of lacing up my running shoes, I talked myself out of going. And I did the same the next day, and the day after that.

I knew the 'post-race blues' weren't just something I was experiencing. Even elite athletes can experience a psychological comedown after a major competition. Take, for example, this research published in Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, which found that the period after the Olympics could be a difficult time for UK Olympians. And while I'm not suggesting my half marathon training is comparable to training for an Olympic event, the feeling was surprisingly familiar.

Determined to get out of this running rut, I turned to experts for some advice. Here's what I discovered - and what happened when I tried their advice for myself. And, while you're here, if you're looking for some running inspo, our features on the benefits of running, why more women are taking up running, and the best races to book might help.

I Fell Into An Exercise Slump After Completing a Race: Here's How I Got Over It

Why do we get the post-race blues?

According to clinical psychologist Dr Tracy King, after completing a big event, it's common for runners to feel a little lost because the structure, stimulation and sense of purpose that have carried them through months of training suddenly disappear.

"A training plan decides what happens on Tuesday evening, what the weekend is for and what the runner is working towards," she told me. "It reduces daily decision-making and provides frequent evidence of progress. Once the race is over, that external structure disappears overnight."

The research backs up the idea that what happens around a race can influence how we feel afterwards, too. This 2022 study of 152 amateur runners found that how successfully they achieved their goals, alongside levels of perfectionism, was associated with their mood in the week following a 10k race.

That made sense to me, as for the past few months I knew what days I was running, what route I was taking and the distance I was covering. Anyone training for a big event will relate when I say it sort of becomes your identity - you spend months planning your weekends around runs and clocking up the miles before it all comes to a head.

Why is recovery so important?

Rest and recovery are hugely underestimated, says personal trainer Carly Corrigall. 'The event itself is the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lie months of training and preparation, and your body (and brain) needs to recover from all of it - not just one day.'

As personal trainer and running coach Sarah Campus puts it: After training for a specific event like a half marathon, marathon or HYROX, your body needs time to recover. It’s very easy to think that because you can physically get through the event that you should be ready to jump straight back into training, but your body has just been under a huge amount of stress.

So, how much time should you take off from running, and exercise in general, after an event?

Corrigall says there's no blanket rule, as it will vary between individuals. "As a baseline, even if you think you're feeling fine straight after an event, I'd always advise taking a complete week off from proper training as your body really needs that time to recover as a minimum."

After that, for most people, the aim is to scale back up to normal activity levels over the next 2-4 weeks, but there really is no rush, says Corrigall. "Think of this as a 'reverse taper' (most runners will be familiar with the concept of a taper leading up to a race) - here we're building back up to usual distance and pace or weight if you're lifting, rather than scaling down."

How to get of an exercise slump

Weeks on from my race, I still hadn't found my running mojo again, so I asked the experts to share their top tips for how I could realistically ease back into my routine again. And while my slump came after a race, their advice can be applied to getting out of an exercise slump more generally, too.

1. Start small

If you're in an exercise slump, the hardest part is often getting started again, which can feel easier said than done when your motivation levels are at zero. Corrigall recommends starting small.

"One tip which works brilliantly is to agree with yourself that you're just going to do your chosen run or workout for 10 minutes," advises Corrigall. "By giving yourself permission to stop after 10 mins, most people find that they can manage that, no problem, and often find themselves thinking, "Well, I've started, and it feels ok, so I'll keep going."

2. Take the pressure off

Not putting any pressure on your performance will help towards finding enjoyment in running again. Campus says you should forget pace, forget distance and forget what your splits looked like before your race.

"Your first run may only be 20 - 30 minutes, and it should feel really easy and conversational. You’re not trying to prove anything; you are simply moving your body and reminding your body that running can feel enjoyable," she says.

3. Try something new

Sometimes the slump is your body telling you it needs a break from running specifically, says Corrigall.

'If you've been training for months with one focus, doing something completely different for a little while, whether that's strength work, swimming, cycling or doing classes, can freshen things up - and you might find that you start to miss those runs and look forward to getting back to them."

Campus adds that giving yourself permission to do something different can also help with motivation. "Give yourself something to look forward to rather than immediately setting another huge goal," she says. "It could be a relaxed social run with friends, trying a new route, joining a run club, running somewhere beautiful or even signing up for a shorter, fun event."

4. Don't wait for motivation

For me, I'd been blaming my lack of motivation for stopping me from getting back into my usual running routine, but as Corrigall told me, you don't necessarily need to feel motivated before you start moving again.

"If the slump is just a slump, then this is completely normal, so don't beat yourself up," she says. "However, the idea that 'motivation follows action' is definitely true, and my biggest tip here is just to get started - however imperfect that might look or however unfit you might feel. And it's completely normal to find those first sessions hard."

My experiment: How I got out of an exercise slump

I'd love to say I followed the experts' advice and immediately fell back in love with running, but in reality it took a couple of months to properly find my way out of the running slump.

The first few runs after my half marathon were inconsistent, to say the least, and if I'm being honest, I didn't enjoy them. I was still putting pressure on myself to get back to where I'd been before the race, whether that meant running the same distances, maintaining the same pace, or generally feeling as enthusiastic as I usually did.

I came close to booking another race a couple of times, but I realised another goal wasn't what I needed. I wanted to learn to fall back in love with running without putting added pressure on myself to jump straight back into training.

The turning point came when I stopped trying so hard to get my running 'back on track'. I eased off the pressure, stopped worrying about what my next race would be, and just headed out with no distance or goal in mind.

One of the things Campus had suggested was changing my environment: "It could be a relaxed social run with friends, trying a new route, joining a run club, running somewhere beautiful or even signing up for a shorter, fun event." So, one Saturday morning when I usually head out for a run, I took part in my local Parkrun. I've always loved the community aspect of it, as well as not having the pressure to complete a long distance. I loved being able to just turn up, run and go home.

Slowly but surely, I found myself wanting to get outside first thing for a run, rather than make excuses not to do it. There was no instant, overnight fix. The biggest lesson I've learnt? I didn't need another goal to enjoy running again; I needed to take the goal away.

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