Mis-Steps While Restarting Running
A local Salt Lake running trail
A couple of months ago, I started training for a half marathon. I have done a handful of these races in the past, but my last one was years (and one baby) ago. A lot has changed in my life and body since then. I was worried when I restarted running more frequently…Would my body respond like it has in the past? Would I feel motivated and excited to run? I have always loved running but, I worried, would it be too challenging for me?
Great news: It turns out I still love running. When I finally worked my way up to a 4 miler, I came home, laid on the floor and thought “This feels great!!”. I felt fantastically tingly all over. I listened to my body and realized she was telling me “Yes to this! I like this! Keep doing this!” So, being the over-achiever I am, I took on an aggressive running schedule. I followed it until it didn’t seem like such a great idea. I started getting small aches and pains and I had trouble falling asleep. My sleep tracker signaled I was not recovering well based on an elevated resting heart rate. Finally, I decided to listen to what my body was telling me: I was going too hard.
To help my recovery I took a few days off, I visited the chiropractor, I started doing the exercises his office prescribed, I took some NSAIDs, I restarted fish oil, I pulled back on the highly processed foods I was eating… In short, I had to doctor myself (which almost never works out). I switched my running schedule to a less rigorous plan and I took a deep breath. I know slowing down is often the exact right medicine - but it was so hard to swallow!
Turns out, I feel much better on the other side of all of that. I am much less sore, I am still running and actually my pace is improving! I decided to push my race date out by a month.
If you feel burned out, tired, sore and like you’re just not making the progress you’d like (in your work, creative pursuits, your workouts, whatever) - consider scaling back. Sometimes turning down the dial is the exact right move to fuel your next big leap.
