It's Like Riding a Bike

I used to be a runner. 

I used to get up at ungodly hours to run ridiculously far for a medal and a banana.

And then I stopped.

3 years ago, in 2015, I ran my first marathon.   And then I ran another in the same year.  This was on the heels of  16 half marathons in 12 months.  And then I stopped. 

There are lots of reasons.  My body was tired.  My mind was tired.  I went back to work.  I needed a break.  It was too early.  It was too late.  I had to take the kids somewhere.  I had work to do.  My husband was gone.  (This is the most recent one.)

All of these are valid excuses.  All of them together add up to a huge mental wall.  It was too hard.  I was too tired.  So, I didn't do it.

And there have been consequences for my decisions.  I'm sluggish.  I'm cranky.  I have gained weight.  (In my defense, that started during marathon training....I just didn't stop it.)

I planned my comeback so many times in my head, but it scared me to put on my shoes.  I didn't want to run with people because I let myself get out of shape.  I didn't want to run alone because it is dark and lonely in the middle of nowhere where I live.  I was afraid of the hot.  I was afraid of the cold. I knew it would be hard.  I was afraid that I would forget how. So, I didn't start.

And then the Bomb Cyclone of 2018 hit.  And I have been in my house with my family for almost a week.  We got 8 inches of snow.  The temperature did not get over 30 degrees for 5 days.  Until today.
Today is was a balmy 35 degrees.  My neighbor plowed a path up my street.  So, I got dressed and laced up my (new...I bought them in July) running shoes and decided to go for it.

Some truths from today's reset:

1)  My body remembered what to do.  It felt good to put on my running pants, my tech shirts, my neon yellow princess hat, and my trusty purple running gloves.  (The jury is still out on the shoes....)  It felt good to get out there. 
2)  It wasn't easy.  I mean, it was 35 degrees.  It is not easy to run and breathe at 35 degrees even if you are in shape.
3)  It was boring.  I ran up and down a 1/4 mile stretch of plowed road for 40 minutes.  My phone was dead, so I ran without music.
4)  It was exciting.  I ran with no music.  I didn't have to talk to anyone, so I didn't have pretend that I could breathe.
5)  My dog LOVES to run!!  He might be my new favorite winter/spring/fall running partner.  (Bonus...maybe he will stop chewing up my house if he becomes a runner!)
6)  My old trusty Timex interval watch is less stressful than the fancy Garmin or the running app on the phone.  The Timex doesn't judge.  It just beeps.  You make a change when it beeps.  It doesn't track distance or speed.  It just tells time.  There is something calming about that.
7)  I miss running.

Some stats from today's reset:
1)  I did Galloway run/walk intervals for 30 minutes, with a 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down, for a total of 40 minutes of movement.
2)  You have to go back to go forward, so I did a 1 minute run/2 minute walk for this first time back out.  (It took me exactly one minute to catch my breath after the run interval...I am blaming it on the cold.)  I think this interval will work for the next week or so.
3)  I did not break any speed records and I did not pick up any speed during my sabbatical.  I can only estimate that I went about 2.5 miles. 
4)  I kept the dog with me for about 25 minutes.
5)  My husband joined me for a little but of it.  I ran circles and then walked with him.  It was nice to have company, but he worried too much.

It's time to start over.  I miss running.  I miss the excitement of a starting line.  I miss the exhilaration of a finish line.  It's not going to be easy.  I may be running in the pitch black dark.  I may be running up and down my street, but I am going to do it.  It's time to start over.