It’s always hard to feel like you are ‘starting over’ with your running plan. After my half marathon in June, I kept running and keeping the distance but as the summer went on, I backed off my training plan. My weekends filled with birthdays, bachelorettes, weddings and recovery from all the activities and of course, work. I needed the long weekend to get back on track and reboot myself. I cleaned out my closets, deleted unnecessary documents from my computer and meal prepped soups made with fresh vegetables from the market. It was a weekend of cleansing.
I started searching for a running plan that was going to suit my hectic schedule and it hurt the most when I realised I can count the amount of miles I run on average per week on two hands. Two hands.
Running use to be my top priority and now it is has been put on the back burner. I looked back on the plans that I made myself over the last year and figured out why they weren’t working for me. When I do something, I’m all in. Both my work schedule and running schedule can’t be overwhelming. It just doesn’t work to run yourself down and run the town. I was putting too much on myself and it wasn’t realistic. I made it easy to skip runs and workouts by putting too much on my plate. One skipped workout would turn into another. This time I’m going for attainable goals. I’m running to run again. My PR’s will happen in the Spring and for now, I’m getting back to my happy pace. Back to the days when I would run without looking at my pace the entire time and just run to get out there and clear my mind. I’m planning on 3-4 runs a week and 1 strength workout a week. It’s easy and attainable.
It’s hard to admit that you let your training slip and you have to start over but it’s also important to remember that you need to have balance.
