What's next?

That’s the inevitable question that comes up after finishing a big event – what’s next? Sometimes it’s in our own heads, more often it’s from friends.

So first off – what’s next is RECOVERY. It would be good to be able to walk normally again, to be able to go up and down stairs without leaning heavily on the railing (or taking the elevator), even to just be able to run a few steps.

I used to be in a place where very soon after finishing a big event, the question of ‘what’s next?’ would pop into my head. I seem to be past that stage now. Still I know for many people it an can an unquenchable thirst; reaching one milestone and immediately wondering and chasing what the next one will be. It’s also not uncommon for some people to fall into a depressive mood for a while after finishing a big event. After all, they’ve spent months and months preparing and getting ready for an event, with so much focus on it, and then suddenly it’s over and no next thing to focus on. What’s next becomes the obvious question.

For me, I can certainly think of many possibilities – running a marathon with not such a fast time goal, running an ultramarathon, even shooting for that sub-3 hour marathon, or running faster in shorter events. This marathon was about as perfect as I could imagine, so if I never ran another marathon, I’d be thrilled with this one. At some point I will likely pick one to consider and maybe even do (probably the ultramarathon).

For now though, I am going to relish the experience and aftermath of this marathon. For now, I’m going to relax and recover, and then go out and enjoy all the Boulder trails just to enjoy the trails, to dance with the dirt, be outside, celebrate the body – and do it with no goals in mind whatsoever. That’s what’s next.