About a million years ago, I ran a lot. I signed up for a half marathon and decided to train - really train - for it. I started this here blog to track my running journey. So I ran a half. And then I ran another. And then I ran some smaller races. And then I ran just for fun. My fastest ever 5K was the Sunburst run in 2014 - I was pregnant, but I didn't know it yet! I also didn't know that would be my last race...
And then we had our first son. And when summer rolled around, he wasn't old enough to go in our jogging stroller yet, so the first year kind of passed with just a few quick runs. I started running again the following spring - maybe a run or two a week, but just a few miles here and there. It felt hard to find the time between the family, working from home, and fitting it in with my other workouts like Jazzercise and barre. And then LAST summer, I was newly pregnant and just did NOT feel like running.
So fast forward to now. Our baby is seven-months-old, I finally feel like I have my bearings a bit (even though we still don't sleep all that awesome), and I'm wondering if now is the right time to delve back in to running. For so many reasons, it makes sense. I can do it whenever there's time with little equipment, and I don't have to go anywhere special to make it happen - all good things.
Last weekend, I decided to get my first run in, and it just so happened to be at my husband's work. They have a great gym and a GREAT six-week yoga series they're doing on Saturday mornings, so we went in early to get some cardio in first. I ran two miles. And you know what I got? A runner's high? A desire to run all the time? My best time ever?
Shin splints. I got shin splints.
And like three days later, they still hurt like the dickens. Like I forgot that while running can be a great workout, it can also be a really painful. I started thinking back to the times when I hurt - when I would roll an ankle or got literal bumps and bruises along the way. After my first half marathon at Disney World, it took me so long to find my cheering squad (aka parents) that I forgot to stretch completely. Not even the longest ice baths fixed that one!
My return to running is not without flaws, people, and I'm sure there will be more bumps along the way. But I do hope that this mild flirtation eventually turns back into a love - whether I run long or not, whether I race or not, I do hope running remains! Who wants to hold me accountable?!
0 comments:
Post a Comment