How should I feel after the marathon is over?

How should I feel after the marathon is over?

Pat Connelly (Running Coach for LA Roadrunners and Valencia High School) gives expert video advice on: What should I do directly after the marathon?; What are the best food and drinks for after the marathon?; How should I feel after the marathon is over? and more...

It is not fun after the race, ladies and gentlemen. After the race, you are not going to feel good. You are going to be questioning your sanity, "Why did I ever do this?" Sometime between that evening and the next evening, you will be wondering when the next race is. For now, you should not feel good after the race. Your body has just taken 49,000 steps on the pavement. That is 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch jamming up through your ankles, knees and hips. There is a lot of bruising involved, so you need to wait until that healing process has its way. That is going to take anywhere from three days to three weeks.