Getting back in to running

So, I have only had a break of about two and a half weeks, and in that time I have done a lot of walking. Most of the time we were at high elevations, so the walking was tougher, and although some walks were nice strolls along board walks, others were hikes in the mountains (including an amazing 10 miler). I knew I was not going to take my running things with me, and knew we would be keeping active so would just start back when I got home.

Well, it has been tougher than I thought!

We got back Monday lunch time, and on Tuesday morning I went out for a gentle run before breakfast. I went faster than I expected, and didn’t have to walk (I thought I might have to)- I did 3 miles and was fine, and when I get home I did a lot of stretching and some foam rolling. But my legs have been very stiff since.

I had some lovely coconut water as soon as I got back, and then saved my breakfast until after my shower – muesli, chia seeds and soya milk with some berries.

I knew that sitting around would make me stiffer, so I tried to keep busy with unpacking, washing and so on, and popped to see my parents (although that did involve mainly sitting in the garden, and looking at their newly hatched bantam chicks!).

While I was tidying I found the tropical black tea I bought last summer! ย Lovely hot although I must try it iced too.

On Wednesday I popped to work, and was so tempted to pop to Starbucks on the way home (it was very hot in the car by that point).

I made a home-made chai latte instead- just as refreshing as shop bought (and probably a lot less syrup!).

I had a tea and a larabar for some pre-run energy, as I was heading out with Sweatshop later on. We bought these bars to eat on holiday but never did- they are basically whole nuts and dried fruits bound with syrup and honey. For some reason I thought they would be blended (? processed up?) but everything was left whole so it was a satisfying chunky bar. Although sadly not vegan as they use honey.

I left extra time to get up to Sweatshop as I didn’t want to use all my energy running up there. It was good to have extra time to chat, and then they needed a volunteer to be the back marker as we had a couple of new runners. I was more than happy to offer my services as I knew I would not be running my normal pace. We tackled the dreaded “hill” route, but the guy from the shop ran with the speedy front runners and at several points along the course they had to double back until they reaches us- I prefer it when we do that as then the group does not spread out too much.

I didn’t look at my watch at all but I think from seeing my time at the end it was slower than usual- I found the hill tough, but for the rest of it I felt OK. We had to stop and walk for a few strides a couple of times, but I didn’t mind and knew I might have to as I had offered to be at the back. After we finished I ended up chatting to another girl for ages (probably a good 25 minutes) and by the time we finished and I had to jog back home my legs were feeling so stiff. I am hoping that my legs will remember how to run (or how to recover from running) within the next week as my half marathon training needs to start ramping up again soon.

I was not that hungry after my shower, but knew I would need something so went for a bean burger, a few sweet potato fries (they are on offer in Waitrose at the moment- so exciting!), plus a salad with spinach, cucumber and tomatoes. It took me ages to eat but I knew that I had to otherwise the runger (love that phrase from Claire!) would hit later.

I followed it with some painful foam rolling (once dinner had gone down of course) and then we went to see a late showing of the Alan Partridge film, which I giggled all the way through- some classic moments in there. Although not sure a late night film viewing was the best way to help with the jet lag as I took ages to get to sleep and have been super tired today- I decided some fresh air would help so spent ages at the allotment weeding and chopping.

My legs have still been super achy (although I may be a little impatient seeing as my first run back was only 2 days ago…). It has reminded me of when I first started running- I shall just keep on with stretching and foam rolling. I have booked on to pump this evening so hopefully that will help and not make them worse!

Do you find it hard to get back into a routine after a holiday? I was really looking forward to running again; I think a break does you good, and the actual runs were fine but I wasn’t expecting this much soreness.

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11 thoughts on “Getting back in to running”

  1. I think the legs remember quickly once you get back into a routine, try an epsom salt bath to relax and relive them in the meantime though.

    1. Ignore that- that was post body pump sugar crash talking! I have googled it and might try to get some ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Yeah it’s so tough getting back into after a holiday. Good idea on the foam rolling though. I think your legs will get back to it soon, muscle memory and all that!
    I’m really hoping to do some running when I go to Mexico. I’m really excited about running in a beautiful different place. Just means getting up early but I think that’s fine considering the rest of the time I’ll just be relaxing ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. I ran last summer on holiday and loved it- only a couple of times a week as we were quite busy, but it was great to run by the beach, and I didn’t get lost at all!

    1. Love the term runger! ๐Ÿ™‚
      I agree I think a break is really refreshing- I just didn’t remember it being this tough before (getting back into it I mean).

    1. My next half is Blenheim Palace at the start of October, so not far away at all. I thought it would be a nice one but someone told me this week that it is hilly.

  3. Congrats on getting back into it…I found that it took me a while to adjust at first, but then it becomes (slightly) easier to handle. Also depends on the terrain you’re running on. Hot baths definitely the way forward for helping ease aches and pains!

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