Getting back into it—the follow-up

In my last post, I wrote about how running took a backseat while I went back to school to learn a new career.

In this post, I'll discuss more in depth the struggles I faced with my running and what I used to get through those times in order to keep some degree of continuity to my running.

I mentioned in my prior post about maintaining a running base. This was done for many reasons. Most of all, running is just part of who I am and who I've become. So not continuing with it, even while going back to school, was out of the question. Most of the time running is as much mental for me as it is physical. With the increased stress I was facing, I knew running was the outlet that would assist me in decreasing my stress. Running also clears my head. This is something that many times I would have problems with when going out for a run while I was in school. I would use the running as a time to quiz myself on the material I was reviewing for a test. What this did was stress me out—the exact opposite of why I went out running in the first place! Lastly, keeping that base was done so I could get back to doing races more quickly once school was completed.

What I didn't think would be so challenging was progressing past this base. I've had about 3 months since my internships were completed for school and it was at that point where I tried to increase the frequency and mileage of my running. While I was still strained mentally from the preparation of studying for a state board exam, the physical part of my running was still rusty as well. Most of my runs were still in the 3 mile range but still felt labored. My progression past my base was not going to plan. I didn't think I had lost this much fitness and endurance. This frustration made me start doubting myself. Was I going to be able to get back to running races as quickly as I wanted to?

I think the biggest obstacle was lack of structure. I still wasn't planning my running like I had been prior to going back to school. I was just working it in when I could. In essence, I still wasn't making running a priority. An ever changing work schedule contributed to my lack of running consistency as well. What I had to do was analyze all aspects of my running and how I could get back on track.

Another obstacle I was facing was running solo. Running alone is something I've discovered really has its advantages and disadvantages. While it's nice to run at your own pace and not have to worry about pushing the pace too much or too little while running with others, I've grown increasingly aware of how tough tackling training alone can be. At one time (years ago) I was a regular at a group run, which was really helpful in my training when comparing notes with other runners. A changing work schedule turned me into someone who joined whenever they could, which was rather infrequent. Going back to school made it nearly impossible to join the group. Thus most of my running again was done solo. Then for awhile last year I had a running partner, which again proved to be beneficial for me. During some of most intense part of my schooling, my mileage actually increased. Most of the benefit was from a mental or emotional perspective but of course I was achieving a physical benefit from the increased mileage too. But after my running partner and I ceased running together, yet again I was faced with running solo. This time it felt tougher. I had really gotten used to having someone to chat with while running and I realized the conversation we had served as a great distraction to how tough even a small hill had become!

What I had learned was to try and not become too accustom to any one type of running. I need to take the fact I was running solo and get back to a greater degree of analysis on how I was reacting to each time I went out to run. If I was able to run with someone or in a group then I'd allow myself to be more casual and relaxed with my running, but if I was out on my own I would use my introspection to my advantage. I looked at things like how stressed I felt prior to the run, how time crunched I was, and the difficulty of the course I was running. From this I could see if one of those was holding me back and determine how to make changes.

To start increasing my distance and spend more time on my feet, I turned to another approach. I knew that attempting to run farther wasn't likely to work, in that it would only tire me out and it didn't seem logical since my shorter distance running wasn't going well. Instead I turned to hiking. This tactic allowed me to work toward my goals but put forth less effort to achieve them. Most of this hiking was done a fairly quick pace so that I still received the most benefit from my time outdoors. After all, with balancing study time and work in with my running, I had to put forth solid efforts and have a purpose with each time I was out working towards get back in shape.

Lastly, signing up for a race is another powerful motivator for providing incentive to increase your running. This was really my goal all along—get back to the point where I could be confidence in my racing ability. I never really go out to compete against others or place in a race. The only real competitor I have is myself. I want to see how I can improve, and become better and faster. Once you have to pay money, suddenly training becomes a priority—especially when you're cost conscious like I still am. This year I've picked just a few select races to do. Mostly that's because money is tight for me right now but it was also done in order to more easily sharpen my focus. With only a few races to do, I can better determine what areas I should give attention to. The biggest for me is distance and it's one where at times I still do feel slightly in over my head. With that being said, that serves as a great motivator because I really don't like being in over my head!

I only now truly feel like I've turned a corner in my running, and I still have a good way to go to get where I'd like to be, but right now I'm happy with my progress and know I'm moving in the right direction. Look for an update on how my progression is going and likely a race review or two in a future post.

If you have any comments on this post please write one in the comments field and thanks for reading!

Getting back into it.

Getting back into it—that title has duel meaning.

While I really love running, it has taken a backseat to other priorities for the last 18 months, if not longer. I went back to school to learn a new career in a fairly new field for me. While I have worked in a medical setting for a few years now, I was not exposed to the same level of technical knowledge that I would be required to learn to become a physical therapist assistant (PTA). I knew becoming a full time student would mean my running, along with many other things in life, would become a lesser priority. I was fine with this. Running wasn't going to disappear for me but it would slow down, both literally and figuratively. It was simply what needed to be done in order to "re-invent" myself professionally.

I have just reached the end of my re-invention, having completed internships, graduated, and now having passed my state board exam in order to obtain my license. So with less studying and reviewing, I am set to get back into running the way I'd truly like to. The entire time I was in school (three years total), I still maintained a base with running. That was essentially my running goal—maintain a base so that I don't have to COMPLETELY start over after my schooling.

So with more time and energy to devote to running, I've now been getting back into serious running mode. I miss the feelings I get when I'm having a good run and the sense of accomplishment from climbing a hill. Most of all I miss the way I feel so in touch with nature when I'm out trail running. I want to find all of those again for they have largely been missing for over a year now.

The other item I'm getting back into is starting this blog again. Honestly, unlike my running, I don't where this will go. My goal is share ideas and thoughts and info about running so that others can learn and grow as runners too. But how often and what topics are still up in the air. My only real thought is to try and complete about one post every month. Ideally I'd post more often but I feel that's probably unrealistic, at least right now. I see the blog evolving and ever-changing, that's about all I can say right now.

Since I'm undecided on direction, that presents you—the reader, with an opportunity to help shape this blog. If there's a topic, question, thought or idea that you have, please feel free to comment and provide input! Perhaps it will spark a future blog post.