MY FIRST RUN BACK
Okay, I may be being a tad dramatic, but guys, after taking six weeks off running (the longest I’ve ever taken off!) it felt so.good.
Rewinding back to my postpartum appointment, my midwife said I was all healed and I could resume normal activities! Praise.
A few hours later, Landon came home from work, he took Benaiah, and I flew out the door. The first couple strides felt so freeing. There’s something about running that makes me feel alive and boy, have I’ve missed that feeling.
After those first couple steps, I looked down at my watched, convinced I was nailing a 7:00 min pace. To my surprise, my watch read 9:40. Womp womp.
Even though that was a bummer, I continued running, knowing I had only a few minutes to run (we were receiving a meal and I needed to be back home to get it.)
I ran around my favorite trail and in that mile, I found myself starting to feel slightly discouraged. My pace was slow (although by this time it increased to 8:30) and my lungs felt on fire (thank you cold weather!) It only took a moment for me to realize how absurd I was being. I told myself- “I just had a baby. Running is a forgiving sport. No matter how slow or how short the distance, I was running.”
After my little self pep talk, I felt a million times better and made it back home, just in time.
You know, running is a beautiful thing. Running is always there for me, I will always be able to put on my shoes and chase the sunrise, but these precious moments with my son have already slipped by too quickly. Even though during my six weeks off, I’ve lost some running fitness, endurance, and speed those are things I can (and will!) rebuild. These moments that I’ve shared with Landon and Benaiah, as much as I would love to, can never be relived. If you ask me, I think that’s a good trade off.
So, what’s my plan with running for now?
My plan is to get out there (who knows at what time in the day!) at least 3-5 times per week, build my endurance and speed up again. When I’m not running, I’ll be focusing on toning and strengthening my core and glute muscles (strong core + strong glute = strong and happy runs!) while also stretching and increasing flexibility to avoid injury!
And for some big goals I’m chasing?! A spring half marathon and a FULL marathon in the fall! I’ve run a half marathon before, but never a full. It’s overwhelming exciting and I can’t wait to cross that off my “must-do” list. If any of you have tips for training and running a full, please share all!
And with that, I’m hopping off for today! I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and some fun things planned! I think this little family is going to a pumpkin patch and I’m pretty sure a movie night is in order.
Let’s chat tomorrow!
Questions of the Day
- What is the longest time you’ve taken off from running or any sport?
- Has anyone else run a half or full marathon? I’ll talk all the tips please!
- Who has an upcoming race?