I've been a runner for 3 years. After Goofy last January I took some time off to recover (this can be quite dangerous) mentally and physically. I never really got back into it, but tried in the spring and ran 1 5k event in my hometown and then did a Relay event in May. Then work/school took over my life. I didn't expect to get much exercise in due to a very intense summer that I had planned, and then I injured myself in late June, so that really put the nail in my summer running coffin.
My fitness this summer amounted to Friday night soccer games with a league I joined with my boyfriend. Very recreational and fun, be we play hard. I aggravated my quad injury every Friday and spent the week recovering until the next game. A few Saturdays I could barely walk.
Now that soccer is over, school is over and life is calmer, I have started running again. Very small goals to start. I considered doing couch to 5k, but wanted to see where I was at first - and it turns out I could run a mile without stopping on the first outing, so I'm building on that.
The amazing part: My body instinctively returned to "my happy pace" of 10:20-30. This isn't my race pace or my marathon pace or my any race pace (which can be faster or slower depending), it's just my comfy pace where I feel like I could go forever (I can't, never could). I really never thought I could just fall back into that, but for whatever reason, my body knows that's a good pace for me to use going on a run.
It's only been a few weeks back, and after 1.5 miles I still need to take walking breaks, and the longer I'm out there, the more frequent the walking breaks are - and that's fine. I'm just happy to be logging the miles at any speed. I just giggle when I look at the Garmin after I resume running speed and see that familiar 10:22 on my pace line.
My body remembers. It knows what it has to do - and I'm so glad it reminds ME...cuz sometimes I need all the help I can get. Never give up! :)
