BEAVERTON, Ore. — Shalane Flanagan was supposed to be done with competitive running after last year’s New York City Marathon.

Then she won it, ending a four-decade drought for American women as she broke the tape crying, shrieking a profanity and pumping her fist. Five months later, in April, the four-time Olympian was back on the starting line in Boston, finishing seventh, and in 82 days on Nov. 4, at 37, she will give New York another go.

Flanagan said returning to New York is like being in love, or something like it.

“When I think about running New York, I get a feeling of ecstasy; my stomach turns,” she said. “It’s like if you’re dating someone and it goes well and you want more.”

But love doesn’t always make you do rational things. Flanagan does not need to run anymore. Nike, where she is a top talent, has given her a standing offer to begin coaching the team of women she has built with her coach, Jerry Schumacher. The company even named an executive parking spot on its sprawling campus after her, though it is not reserved for her.