I’m the sort of runner who loses all ability to run if I go more than a week without doing it. I had a hip flexor injury back in April, then got my teeth knocked out in July. I had really wanted to get a new PR at the Root Beer Foam Fest in Arnold, Missouri this weekend. I even started training before the boating accident and was in great shape to kick some booty – well – to beat my own time, in any case!
I’ve had to start completely over with training, with the new challenge of my gums throbbing when I push too hard, and my legs being like, “But, you were on a couch for a month! What are you dooooing?” So on the one hand, I won’t be setting any personal records – THIS TIME. On the other hand, starting over with running has given me some new motivation and something to work towards.
Is anyone else a run-walker? Or getting started with running? I know I’ve done half marathons before, but I really feel like I’ve been starting at zero as I have to rebuild up both my speed and endurance. I’d love to hear how other people are moving from run-walking! I just make up my own training plans. For me, it’s a mental game of always competing against myself!
So far, on each run, my goal has been to:
- Run farther (without stopping or walking) than I did on my last run.
- Cover 3 miles (not counting warm up or cool down) regardless of how much I run or walk
- Try to cover those three miles faster than the last time.
I’ve been instagramming some of my run times as I improve, but here is a quick comparison of last Wednesday to this past Saturday:
The first stat is the distance I ran without walking or stopping. The second is the total distance covered. Third, I am trying to improve my 3 mile time, so you can see I cut a big chunk out! A big part of accomplishing improving the three mile time is not just giving up when I can’t run any further. I have to keep walking, and to improve time, I have to add some runs in there, too. It is forcing me to think about more than “how far can I run” and it’s teaching me that I am stronger than I realize!
Anyone else slowly building up distance? Any tips from the more experienced runners?
I completed my full marathon using the Galloway method (scheduled run/walk intervals) to save my bad knee that I had been having issues with for years. You could look into that and see how it could be applied to shorter distances, too. I loved it since I was able to run the entire race (and train) without pain.
You’re doing great!!
Thanks for the encouragement, Katie! I will check that out. I’ve been loving run/walking to get back into running!