I can imagine the void but, you definitely don't want to rush your body's recovery from an event like that. Hang in there, you'll be racking up the miles again before you know it!

I totally remember exactly how you feel! I did my first IM in '04. My whole year was geared toward that one day. All my friends, family, and co-workers were interested in my training (or at least I thought so, when really they probably were just being nice) and how I did in the race. But after the race, Poof! All gone. Right at the point where you are, this depression - and it is a total blue funk - sets in: Nothing to train for. All this spare time. What do I do with it? My life was defined by that one event and now it's gone. No one cares anymore.

Yes, I know, it is totally self-absorbed, but post IM (at least for the first) can be a downer for some. It will pass. It might seem like a good idea to use future races as motivation to get you going, but I wouldn't start planning on '09 because you aren't in the right frame of mind right now. You wouldn't be signing up for races for the right reason. You may do so to alleviate stress and boredom or as an attempt to motivate yourself. Instead, you should be motivated to race, not race to get motivated. I tried that: I went out and registered for a bunch of races thinking it would help me "snap out of it" and get motivated. Wasted a few hundred bucks on entry fees because I simply couldn't do the training.

The good news is that you only go through it once. After other IMs you probably won't be in the same situation. (At least for me, subsequent IMs were just another notch in my belt and I moved on.) You will be able to reflect on the event in a more positive light and enjoy your time off. I hope you can focus on how hard you worked to prepare for the event; how much you enjoyed the race; how well-deserved your recovery is; and how much you will enjoy comparatively light training and racing in the near future (e.g., how easy is a 5k race going to be?).

Yeah it's a tough feeling! I tend to find myself organizing other non-tri type fitness things. Like hikes with friends, camping trips, kayaking days. All that keep me moving and with people and interested, but none that I'm competative about or going to get a hard workout in. More for the atmosphere. Or sometimes I've gone and supported or volunteered at races. Again, for the atmosphere.

I never felt the post IM depression as it has been described. I did have an amazing feeling of accomplishment that lasted for weeks. I did a Sep. IM and planned on doing a Nov. marathon but realized within 2 weeks that I wasn't into it. It actually felt good to take a break from a strict training schedule. I did have some motivation problems over the winter getting ready for a spring marathon. It took me until mile 17 of the marathon to get over it and realize that there is more to endurance sports than finishing an IM. I also decided not to do another IM that year and focus on a HIM and getting faster. Had a great season and now I am ready to tackle the IM training again come January.

Figure out what you need to do to be satisfied and stay in decent shape and enjoy your accomplishment.

I just felt tired after both my IM's, but I felt great emotionally.
I planned a 5k the following Sunday and got back into the groove of things again.

I knew I was doing events after that so I had a plan to do something else so I couldn't
think about getting depressed.

I know there's a post traumatic stress disorder, but what about what I call post climatic stress disorder? I had the normal symptoms after my last race; weight gain (15lbs), indulging in The Triathlete's Training Bible, constantly logging on to see if any new posts are on trifuel, uncontrollable crying at night.......ok the last one not so much lol! But at least I pulled myself out of it, thanks to my new training program I started this week! Hang in there, you will be back in no time!