Whether you’d planned to take time off running or not, it can be hard / difficult / tricky to get back into it. 

 

Here are my 5 strategies for coming back to running after taking time off.

1. First and foremost, be kind to yourself. Getting angry or upset at yourself or the situation won’t help. Try to keep your mind positive and remember that this is a temporary situation.
2. See this as an opportunity to get back to the basics and into good habits. Perhaps you previously didn’t do a warm-up, or you’d skip the cool-down in favour of a post-run coffee with friends. Identify what you weren’t doing and what you know you should be doing, and put the structure in place to DO THEM.
3. Be realistic with the distances and paces you can do. Just because you could do a 25 minute 5k pre-break, doesn’t mean you can do that today – or at least not right now. Try not to see it as getting back to what you once were capable of doing, but instead slowly build up your mileage and pace as though you are starting from scratch.
4. Keep a log of your runs including pace, splits and distance – this way you’ll be able to see your progress. And progress doesn’t always need to be faster paces, but it could be that you are now able to run twice a week, or that you’ve gone from comfortably running 2k to 3k, or if your running intervals have increased from walking 2 minutes/running 30 seconds to walking 1 minute/running 1 minute.
5. Consider getting a running coach to support you in returning to running safely. A qualified coach (>>hi, it’s me, I can help you<<) will create a plan that is perfect for you, your goals and current fitness levels. Having a coach will help you navigate returning to running and ultimately come back strong to achieve your running goals.

Wanna learn about how GMacSpurr Coaching could support you in achieving your goals?