The Ups and Downs of Running

[El Gordo]

The two marathons I've done have been as mentally exhausting as anything I've done in my life. Almost as bad as the play-off final in Cardiff.

There's no real shortcut, and nor should there be. You need time to enjoy your achievement -- it's part of the reward. Eventually what seems to happen is what you're experiencing; this feeling of "hang on, how come I've put on all this weight?" And that's the time to start casually thinking about the next challenge.

It becomes a kind of self-feeding enthusiasm, at least for me. Some people just say "get out there" when it comes to starting back, but I think it's useful to build up your eagerness with a few plans and a bit of reading. Within a few days, 'getting out there' just comes naturally.

Andy