Blog: Feature Stories

You Did It! Now What?? 

It’s not uncommon for runners to experience a range of emotions after a major race, including a sense of letdown or depression. It’s real, it’s natural, and it’s quite OK. Here are some strategies to help you cope with these feelings as you make the transition from race day:

Acknowledge Your Feelings: It’s important to recognize that it’s entirely normal to experience a range of emotions after a significant race or event. Whether you’re feeling a sense of letdown or sadness, acknowledging these emotions is the first step in coping with them. Share your feelings with trusted friends or family members who can offer support and understanding, or at the very least, listen. 

Reflect on Your Achievement: Before you move on, take time to reflect on your race experience. Consider the challenges you faced, the hard work you put into your training, and the progress you made. Celebrate the effort, the results, and yourself. Writing in a race journal can help you capture your thoughts and emotions, allowing you to appreciate your accomplishments.

Stay Active: Once you’ve had a little time to recover, ease back into your running or engaging in other physical activities. Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural mood lifters, and can help mitigate post-event depression. Incorporating cross-training activities like swimming, cycling, or yoga into your routine can prevent burnout and add variety to your workouts. Cross-training also helps maintain fitness while giving your body a break from the repetitive stresses of running.

Set New Goals: After completing a big race, you might experience a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose. And that’s OK, too. You’ve invested a lot of time and effort into the season or the event. Now’s the time to look forward and set some new goals– whether they’re related to running or other aspects of your life. A new goal will provide motivation and a sense of direction. 

Make time to Reconnect: Use the post-race period as an opportunity to reconnect with friends, family, hobbies – even chores – that didn’t get as much attention during your training cycle. Training and racing can be time-consuming, so spending quality time with family and friends can help restore balance in your life. Same goes for your hobbies and other extracurriculars. 

Pay it Forward: Remember all those volunteers at the water stops, aid stations, or packet pickup before your big event? Here’s your opportunity to pay it forward. Giving back to the running community by volunteering at races, helping new runners, or coaching can be a rewarding experience. It allows you to share your knowledge and experience while staying engaged with the sport in a different way. 

Can’t Shake it? Find a Pro: Pay attention to your overall well-being. A balanced diet, adequate sleep, and effective stress management are crucial for your physical and mental health. If your post-event depression is severe, persistent, or interfering with your daily life, it’s important to seek professional help. A mental health professional or therapist can offer guidance and support in managing your emotions and coping strategies. 

Remember, what works best for one runner may not be the ideal approach for you. The key is to find a balance that helps you recover from post-event depression and maintain your passion for running. 

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Running Away: Why We Love an Out of Town Run

Running a race in a new location or out of town can be a rewarding, exciting, and rejuvenating experience. While Charlotte’s certainly got a lot – between races, greenways, trails, and run clubs – here are 5 reasons to consider adding an “away game” to your schedule. 

Adventure Time: Running in a new location adds a sense of adventure to your race. It doesn’t have to be crazy or exotic to be completely different. It’s a chance to check out unfamiliar terrain, whether it’s winding through the historic streets of a city, trails in a national park, or somewhere in between. Even if it’s a distance you’ve run before, the excitement of a new location can make for a completely unique experience.

Change of Scenery: Escaping the routine of familiar running routes can be just the ticket. Racing in a new location offers a refreshing change of scenery, of course, particularly if you’ve trained over the same routes for months and months. The unique challenges and race atmosphere at an out-of-town event may be just what you need to rejuvenate you love for running. 

An Excuse to Travel: Ok, it’s not really an excuse, but running a race out of town is a great reason to travel. Combine your passion for running with a vacation or weekend getaway, explore new places, food, culture – and yes, weather, too. Take a little time away from the main event to learn a little more and experience the place your visiting. That’s a big win if you’re taking a non-running partner along for the trip! 

Meet New People: Destination races bring together runners from all over the place, offering a unique opportunity to connect with folks who share your passion for running. It’s kind of cool walking around an unfamiliar city and seeing the medal or t-shirt from the race you just finished, too. And it sure makes it easy to strike up a conversation with a total stranger, when you know you already have something in common. 

An Appreciation for Home: Like Dorothy said, there’s no place like it. While it’s fun to check the out-of-town race scene, we’re always happy to head back home. For us, the familiar routes, running friends, and races make Charlotte a great place to run. Running an out-of-town event or just running in a place were visiting makes us appreciate home that much more. 

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Where We’re Running Around Charlotte

With miles and miles of streets, sidewalks, greenways, and trails, runners around Charlotte are still creatures of habit. That’s great news for folks who are new to town or just visiting; they’re sure to find some paths well-travelled and maybe even some good company. 

It doesn’t take exhaustive searching or even knowing much about the area to find great places to run. We did some googling, some heat mapping, and cross-checked that with our own experiences for a short list on where folks are running around Charlotte. 

Credit: Our State Magazine

The Booty Loop – Arguably, one of Charlotte’s most well-known and well-trod running loops. Yes, the 3-ish mile loop has a healthy dose of incline, but you’re rewarded by the shade of some of Myers Park’s most beautiful trees. Find it: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1705539215 

Little Sugar Creek Greenway – This is one route that just keeps getting and better better – and longer. Recent extensions stretch the area’s oldest greenway from NoDa all the way down past the South Carolina state line. Find it: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/5337933793 

Credit: Charlotte Rail Trail

Charlotte Rail Trail – Running along the Light Rail and winding from the heart of Uptown to South End, the 3.5 mile Rail Trail passes breweries, art galleries, restaurants, bars, and some of the swankiest addresses in town. The northernmost point is off E 9th Street between N College St. and N Brevard St. The southernmost point is at the corner of South Blvd. and Clanton Rd. Find it: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/5312612977 

Whitewater Center – With 50 miles of trail spread across more than 1300 acres, the Whitewater Center is more than worth the $6 day parking pass. Make a day of it with lunch or dinner, or get in on some of the seasonal activities, like pond hockey, rafting, SUP, ziplines, music festivals, and more. Trail map: https://center.whitewater.org/plan-your-visit/facility-map/ 

McAlpine Creek Park and Greenway – One of the OG routes in Charlotte, and home to the McAlpine Creek XC course. A mix of paved path and packed gravel, McApline connects with Cambell Creek Greenway to the north for even more miles. Find it:  https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1616643727 

Note: Charlotte also has loads of organized brewery runs and run clubs. Check out the Charlotte Running Club, Run CTL Run or any of the great local running specialty shops for other great places to run!

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