After months of intense physical and emotional preparation, approximately 43,000 runners crossed the finish line in the ING NYC Marathon yesterday. The question is: Now what?

After all of the time and energy spent preparing, the sense that it’s all behind you can feel like a loss, and many runners experience a sort-of post-race depression. Thankfully, there are lots of recommendations for avoiding the crash and maintaining your well-deserved sense of accomplishment.

“Eat more. Sleep more. Indulge yourself,” writes former Olympic runner Julie Isphording on Sparkpeople.com. “Your body needs it to rejuvenate, replenish and recover faster. Besides, didn’t you promise yourself five weeks ago on your 20-miler that you couldn’t wait to sleep in, eat a chocolate sundae and read the Sunday paper?”

Runner’s World Magazine takes a different approach. They suggest planning for another marathon or a shorter race right away so that you’ll automatically have something new to look forward to and new goals to set. They caution you not to rush it though, but to instead ease your body into the next round of training. “You need to focus on recovery in the first week after the race so that you’re better able to progress in training in the subsequent weeks.”

Whatever you decide, make sure to have a plan. May we suggest a fabulous, free yoga class that will stretch your sore muscles and make your post-race anxiety disappear?