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Alex Staniforth

Alex Staniforth

Adversity Adventurer, Motivational Resilience Speaker, Author and Mental Health Activist

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Peaks and Troughs: dealing with the post-challenge blues

You are here: Home / 3 Peaks Run / Peaks and Troughs: dealing with the post-challenge blues

November 1, 2020 by AdversityAdventurer Leave a Comment

‘Flattening the curve’ has been of national interest this year.

Peaks and troughs is one way to describe the emotional rollercoaster that we never volunteered to board. This emotional cycle is perfectly natural, and we can’t have one without the other. But just because these emotional shifts are expected doesn’t make them easy to deal with. This year has created so much uncertainty and extra space that many of us have felt these low ebbs more intensely than usual.

Runners in particular will be familiar with another phenomenon: the dreaded ‘post-marathon blues’. It’s been especially rife in a year where records and fastest known times were knocked out every week like new bus timetables, including my own (unsuccessful) record attempt on the National Three Peaks Run.

But non-athletes are equally susceptible. We’ve all had plans shelved and things we were looking forward to suddenly tossed like a stone into the distance, without much sympathy.

Imagine being focused on something for weeks, months, or even years. Investing so much of your time, energy, money, possibly even blood, to realise this objective. Of course, all these things are replaceable – except time. Perhaps wasting time is the biggest sacrifice in a world where our time is so limited and non-guaranteed.

You hit the peak. You finish the race, break the personal best, or even fly off on your dream holiday. The elation, if not quite how you visualised, is hard to beat. You’re on cloud nine. Sometimes this buzz lasts for weeks, perhaps combined with the instant relief that you can enjoy taking it easy for a while, with no more obligation to run for hours in the rain.

Usually the higher you go, the harder you fall. Then you have the trough. A void. An emptiness. Life feels abruptly purposeless. Low mood and low motivation can fill the gap instead, with nothing else immediately to look forward to on the horizon. What’s the point?

Perhaps the only useful thing (or only thing) I remembered from Physics at school is what goes up must come down again. So I wanted to share a few things I’ve learnt about flattening the curve of these peaks and troughs over the years.

1) Let yourself grieve

It may sound ridiculous, but these losses are similar to grief. It’s very normal to feel down. Keeping perspective is important – you’ve probably been here before, so you can get through it again, even if you feel otherwise. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself or feel guilty about the things that you should be doing. Learn to be comfortable sitting in this quiet time. We need it to recover our energy for the next peak. Troughs don’t last forever, and the sooner we accept this, the sooner we can move upwards.

2) Time to reflect

We hurriedly revert to filling this gap with something else, rather than confront the uncomfortable space. But sometimes the knee-jerk reaction to enter another race or set another challenge can stop us enjoying the journey and in this endless pursuit of more we can forget why we wanted it in the first place. Regardless of the outcome, it’s important to take the time to reflect on what you’ve learnt. After the 3 Peaks I was dragged straight into work and other commitments without any time to enjoy my achievement or the well-earned rest, that appeared as a dreamy vision when cursing the rain at 40 miles in.

3) Talk to others

As with every challenge in life, we need other people around us to share our feelings, offer reassurance, and know we’re not alone. Ideally, we have people who understand or can relate to our situation (runners love to talk about running – others not so much). It helps to vent frustrations and get some new perspectives rather than internalising them, and reliving the experience keeps it alive in our minds.

4) Plan for the trough

This might be harder if something is suddenly cancelled without much notice, but if you can see the trough coming, then we can prepare for the crash. With the 3 Peaks Run, the high never really came. I had doubted my success so much that I didn’t even visualise it, maybe to protect myself from the disappointment. In the same way that I had scheduled training sessions, I should have scheduled some down time, be that walks with family, relaxation, or even a meal to celebrate after finishing the run. When injured or not racing I have often volunteered at my local Parkrun – helping others always makes you feel good. Fill your diary with something meaningful that you’ve wanted to do, or the things you sacrificed to achieve your objective. The options may be limited at the moment, but even the simple pleasures can go a long way. Spending time in nature is always a good place to start.

5) Capture the experience

Writing things down, taking voice diaries or even videos, might be the last thing you want to do after the high. But the minute details and memories quickly fade away without some record. Reliving the event allows us to process it whilst fresh in the mind, reflect on the things we learnt, verbalise any doubts, and help it to ‘sink in’. This debrief is a key part of the recovery process. I came away from the 3 Peaks with numerous frustrations and mistakes, so writing a list for next time helped put those to bed – being proactive rather than pointlessly giving myself a hard time.

Did I tell you about the time I ran a marathon?

6) Maintain the routine

Admittedly, after my 3 Peaks Run I slacked off the routines and maintenance habits that had got me to the finish – icing my swollen feet, elevating my legs, eating a huge calorie intake with sufficient protein and quality nutrition, and stretching off. It didn’t seem to matter once I’d achieved the goal. But this routine was equally if not more important in the post-challenge period. Had I been more proactive I would have recovered much quicker, too.

Maintaining some routine will ease the transition rather than a hard stop. For the first few weeks I enjoyed the lack of pressure to run, whilst hill-walking and cycling (with numerous cake stops) allowed me to enjoy the outdoors and stay active without putting too much stress on my body.

7) Fill the calendar

Many marathon runners vow ‘never again’ but the bug is notoriously deceptive. The pain or the disappointment are quickly eclipsed by the thrill. When the time is right, you’ll probably be thinking of another race, adventure or holiday. Maybe you already have something lined up. Even if it’s far away or feels out of reach (especially right now) then focus on the short-term milestones to keep making progress. Everest has 4 camps below the summit. Keep focused and it’ll be here before you know it.

For me, it’s these challenges that make life truly worthwhile. By being proactive and self-aware, we can flatten the curve when we reach those inevitable dips of life. There’s always another peak. If this trough is more severe or lasting longer than usual, never be afraid of asking for some help to take the next steps – speaking to your GP, a close friend or a helpline is a good place to start.

I’d much rather live my life on these peaks and troughs than stay at base camp – wouldn’t you?

Category icon3 Peaks Run,  Marathons,  Mental Health Tag icon3 peaks run,  emotional rollercoaster,  endurance training,  mental health,  mindset,  peaks and troughs,  post marathon blues

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alexstaniforth_

Challenges are what I do.
Ultra-running, Adventure, Mental Health.
Founder @mind_o_mountains. Author. @inov_8 @ellisbrigham Athlete.
👣 Lake District

Alex Staniforth
Just keep swimming! No better place to finish 32 Just keep swimming!

No better place to finish 32 swims in 32 days than 2km across Buttermere into the sunset with friends. 

It was one goal I never managed last year but I'm glad - because last night it meant so much more. It's been my easiest challenge to date, yet one of the most fun. Getting to be a clueless beginner once again, exploring 32 places and sharing it with 18 friends old and new has been a blast. It's been great to discover an amazing community who use cold water for managing anxiety and stress too. I always thought they were mad - but now I totally get it 😂 Once I get back from Canada in September I'll be back in the water again.

Mental health will always be one of my biggest challenges, so thanks to everyone who's donated to @mind_o_mountains to help us support mental health through time in nature alongside professional support. Still way off my target so please give if you can.

Despite nearly losing my GoPro in Buttermere, there'll be a short film soon to share the highlights... In the meantime, thanks to @kenny.d.block for the ace photos.
.
#32dipsin32days #wildswimming #swimming #openwater #lakedistrict #lakes #lakedistrictuk #mentalhealth #sunset #buttermere #speedouk #mindovermountains #lakesswimming #adventure #wildswimminguk #openwater
Why stop with a pool like this? That's 30 dips i Why stop with a pool like this? 

That's 30 dips in 30 days complete. But mental health is a daily process, not just a month. So if you're in the Lakes tomorrow, come and join us at Buttermere for the finale. I'd wanted to swim Wastwater but that's the usual challenge voice kicking in, and pushing myself too much right now defeats the object. 

Swim the full 2km, paddle or even walk along the lakeshore. All are welcome. 6:30pm at Gatesgarth Farm (or 7:30ish on the other side). It's looking like a scorcher!

Even if you're not in the Lakes, why not join us virtually by going for a dip at your nearest water or pool at 6:30pm? @bestillstephen is joining us from Bala Lake in Wales! Please stay in your limits though, especially in the hot weather. 

It's not too late to sponsor a swim for @mind_o_mountains if you can - link in bio - thanks for your support! 

📸 @andydicksonforce4good

#wildswimming #lakes #lakedistrict #openwater #30dipsin30days #lakedistrictuk #ullswater #summer #wildswim #challenge #mindovermountains #mentalhealth #getoutside
Progress rarely goes in a straight line. We want Progress rarely goes in a straight line. 

We want to keep getting better every year and to keep pushing the bar as we build our confidence, experience and resilience. 

This year I had more races booked and even bigger challenges planned than the last. But Covid had other ideas for me.

This week I've pulled my last race of the year (Lakes In A Day) in October to try and recover for 2023.

But this week I also: 

- Swam Loweswater, where we started the Lakes, Meres and Waters run back in April. That was my first 100 miler and I'd never have believed that I'd end up swimming across it 4 months later.

- Went for my first swimming lesson in 20+ years. Less tears and tantrums this time, but lots still to work on.

- Swam Derwentwater with Tim Mosedale, my Everest 2014 + 15 expedition leader. Opposite where Tim took me on my first rock climb 12 years ago. I was probably equally knackered, to be honest. 

This year's progress looks more like a rollercoaster wave than a straight line, but what goes down, must come back up again. Trust the process.

📸 @andymiltonphotography because he did a grand job. 

@ellisbrigham
@inov_8
@ordnancesurvey

#playthelonggame #ultrarunning #wildswimming #lakedistrict #longcovid #covidrecovery #enduranceathlete #ultrarun #lakedistrictuk #lakes #getoutside #ultrarunner #100miler #setbacks #injuredrunner #mindset #progress
First swimming lesson in 20+ years. Turns out you First swimming lesson in 20+ years. Turns out you don't get badges when you're 27 though. Gutted! 

I had developed my very own swimming style which generally involved swallowing the water of various lakes, meres, waters and rivers in the last 25 days. You're never too late to learn something new. Thanks Heather @south_lakes_swimming for putting up with me!

@speedouk

#stillwantmybadgethough #30dipsin30days #swimming #openwaterswimming #openwater #windermere #lakedistrictuk #lakes #fellfoot #wildswimming #training #speedouk
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