I am normally a morning exerciser. I never in a million years thought I would say that - but once I got into the habit of getting my tushie out of bed, I actually like it! There's just something cool about putting in miles when most people are still asleep. Plus I love starting the day negative calories!
But Monday I just couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed. Hmmm. So I went out Monday evening for a short run - 5K - around the park where I ran my very first 5K race. Running that park brings back so many fun memories from a great day! It was my friend Angie's first race ever, my hubs and kiddo were there cheering us on, and I placed in my age group coming home with my first metal :)
All of those good memories didn't make for a good run however....this run was craptastic! I just felt like I couldn't get into a rhythm, my calves were hurting for some reason and then my knee. I can remember the last time I ran that 5K route, I finished the first lap at 14 minutes, then finished the second with a 5K time of 29 minutes. Lots has happened since then, you know, a little knee surgery and basically 6 months off from running.....but I still expected to be able to go out there and come close to 29 minutes.
Now that I write that.....that seems so silly. How could I possibly expect to be right where I left off? Duh. After throwing a crybaby fit when I got home, getting a very coach-like stern talking to from my hubs....I took yesterday off. And I might take today off too.
Hubs made me think back to just one short year ago when I couldn't even run 1 mile. And I was somehow happy with whatever pace I could do it in, just as long as the miles were there without walking. SO. Back to basics for me, back to right where I started last year. Starting over. I think starting over is actually harder than starting in the first place.
I'm not happy about it and letting go of what I could once do is hard. It sucks.
One thing I'm changing starting today - the watch is staying at home for the next month. Yes, a whole month. I have to get back to feeling accomplishment after a run - not beat down because it wasn't fast enough. 1/2 marathon training will start in about a month, so I have 1 month to get comfortable again & get it back. I've done it before, can I do it again?!
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Suzy~Thanks for joining in my little running journey. I love your header picture. So cute!
ReplyDeleteIn what little reading I got in of your blog it sounds like you are still struggling back from knee surgery?/injury. My hubbs has had two knee surgeries and is having a tough time with motivation to get back to a good level of fitness. Take it easy on yourself. If your times/paces are slower it's okay...remember you should run slower to go faster! Not every run should be at race pace or really even close.
Are you registered for a marathon? I read your starting half training. What's the race?
Drop me a comment from time to time so we can help encourage and inspire eachother along the way!
As a person who works in a field where we help people recover from knee injuries, rule number one is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! What surgery are you recovering from? You can and will rock a race, but maybe until your knee feels better you could look into a cardio/strength cross training program in an aquatic center! Great results! Let me know if I can help you at all!
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