Run Rachel Run
At last the fear of missing out could be rectified! With the all clear to exercise again I dived into the cupboard to locate the running shoes! Despite the excitement I knew this was going to be super hard and probably one of the most frustrating things ever! I needed to forget everything I had previously achieved and start all over again! A true beginner - erasing all memories of ultra distances or personal bests! Saying all these things though was easy - actually doing them was harder! Part of me still thought I would throw on the trainers and just start off where I had left off! Retraining my brain was going to be as hard as retraining my legs!
Now with a Jack to look after and a lovely hubby going out to work - fitting in running is not the most easiest thing in the world! We do have a running buggy, but Jack needs to be considerably bigger before we give that a go! For now I just needed to concentrate on getting my fittest back and fitting the running in and around family life!
So plan A was instigated! The plan to be ready in running attire as soon as Garry walks through the door from work. (Poor hubby doesn't even get left with a gin). We would quickly switch roles and I would whizz out to get my run on! Now this plan is working ok currently as I can barely do any distance at all! It may need to be re-thought though if I can ever make it further than ' just round the block'.
This small element of time is bliss though! Not only do I have the chance to run, but I also have a chance to unwind after a day of being responsible for the wee man! I come back super refreshed and ready to take on the night shift! After all running for me has always been about de-stressing rather than about getting fit.
Now I may paint it all as blissful return to running - but by golly - this was truly harder than I ever thought it would be. After staying relatively active during my pregnancy and having nailed a month of hard core buggy walking I thought my fitness levels would be at a good base to start running again! How wrong was I!!! As I started out on my run I instantly started to panic that I couldn't do it! My breathing went out the window! I constantly was looking at my watch to see how far I had gone and how slow my pace was! Everything I promised myself I wouldn't do! All these little expectations defeated me mentally and I ended up pretty much walk running a mile and giving up!
So after being so defeated by day one I decided to try and run at a different time in the day! I took advantage of Grandma Barrows offer to keep an eye on Jack and ventured out into Bradfield. Historically I would have ventured off for a lovely five mile trek through the trails and mud the countryside likes to offer!
Off I started to plod and barely got to half a mile before my breathing was all out of sync! With despair I had to walk to catch my breath! This only led to a total brain disfunction and negative thinking! I wasn't sure if I was ever going to do this again! Yes I know - a total over reaction for only day two of my return to running, but I felt that the road ahead was going to be a long slog! It felt like I would never get to run with my running buddies again at this rate!
Feeling defeated by having to run walk 1.5 miles round Bradfield I stopped and took some photos of the lovely countryside and sulked back home to have a cup of tea. Here my sensible mother reminded my brain that my body had been through a big ordeal! Having a baby was not a simple task and it was still recovering! I needed to be patient and accept that a miracle return to running would not happen over night!
After feeling so deflated it was tough to keep the running momentum going! Garry however encouraged me to give it another go. Day 3 was much more successful! I managed a whole mile - at a better pace and didn't stop to walk at all! It felt like progress had been made. A small part of me through a corner had already been turned and now it was just about increasing the distance again. Cue - my brain instantly flipped back to thinking I was invincible and could run further than I physically could....
Then back pain set it! Partially caused by the running - partially caused by me pushing a buggy up hill lots and partially caused by Jack getting heavier to carry already! This instigated a few days off to rest! I instantly got itchy feet though and after a few days I got the trainers back on for a Mothers day run!
Most mothers would like to put their feet up and rest for the day - but I took the opportunity to head out! I was being far too ambitious though after the success of my one mile run! I was convinced I could step it up and run round the bigger 3 mile block!
The first mile felt great! I was back within a 9 minute mile pace and flying along - even up the hill! This speed then was slowed to see if I could add the balance of the distance on! The simple answer was no I couldn't! The further I tried to go.... the more it kicked in that I had only just had a baby! Without sharing too much information.... it was back to the pelvic floor and core exercises for me! I needed to build these up first so my body could handle the pressure of running! Plus at only 7 weeks postpartum I probably just needed a bit longer to recover!
To try and keep some momentum though I have started to introduce some fartlek training! Yes - thats right - its now all about running a lamppost and walking a lamppost. This seems to be initially helping as I can get further without so much pressure on my body! Gradually I am going to start reducing the walking elements until I can get to two miles and then three!
I hope that this stage won't last too long and I will start to find it easier in the forthcoming weeks. I am so eager to enjoy a summer full of running its hard to be patient! Until then I will need to keep enjoying my swims, my exercise biking and the occasional shuffle down the road in my trainers!
Links to my attempted runs