I had such a hard break after running my half-marathon. There was no taper; there was no gradual change. I went from running several times of week, for long distances to… nothing.
Looking back, it probably wasn’t the smartest scheduling I’ve ever done, but I was just so ready to get this surgery done and over with, that I chose the first date that was available that wouldn’t interfere with my race.
Now, it has been a full month since I’ve done anything more than a leisurely walk. I’ve been wanting to start back running for a couple of weeks now, but between being tired and the intense heat and humidity, I hadn’t quite psyched myself up enough to get back out there.
But yesterday, I decided it was time to get started and my friend Jessica (who was part of the Take Steps committee with me) agreed to join me on a walk/jog (mostly walk). I knew that I needed to take it slow and eventually build back my endurance and strength, and I quickly found out how easy it was for me to run out of breath. We kept up a steady walk, nothing too brisk, but even trying to talk while doing that was difficult and I ran out of breath pretty quickly.

We threw in a short jog, just to help loosen me up a little bit, but my muscles were sure to let me know that they hadn’t been used in a while. But it was great to start back out there. We were really slow, but I kept a steady pace for nearly 50 minutes and went just over 2.8 miles.
I know I have a long road ahead of me (pun intended). That’s why I’m trying to work out a training plan for this month to help get me back to a steady run/swim/bike workout. I think once I’m able to get myself back into that routine it will come back more naturally. The hardest part right now is just how tired I am on a day-to-day basis, that either getting up early to run or going out once I get off from work just doesn’t seem plausible. And especially since we’ve had so much rain and humidity here lately, it has been harder to get motivated. But now that I’ve gotten the first “run” out of the way, at least I know a bit more of what to expect and can better prepare for my next one. If I’m disciplined, I don’t think I should have any issue with getting back on track by the end of this month.