{"id":3976,"date":"2018-01-31T21:44:50","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T21:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=3976"},"modified":"2018-02-01T02:23:46","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T02:23:46","slug":"a-return-to-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=3976","title":{"rendered":"A Return to Running"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>The worst thing that has ever happened to me in my running career was sitting in a canoe for two and a half months on the Mississippi River. I went from a state of peak fitness to something that resembled a loose sack of Russet potatoes. 75 days away from walking of any kind, let alone running, was more than enough time to lose a fair share of dexterity, flexibility, and cardio fitness which I had enjoyed for the majority of the past decade. It was a slight bummer.\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The default view for over two months on the Mississippi River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I sort of knew this was likely to happen. When you don\u2019t use certain muscles for awhile they tend to degrade to a degree. Many runners often worry that an injury that prevents them from running for a lengthy period of time will make them lose a lot of the gains they worked months or even years to develop. It\u2019s a healthy fear. Although I\u2019m fortunate that I wasn\u2019t running because of an injury, my body still went through the motions of not being able to run.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m confident in saying that two plus months away from running makes you lose some of what you once had.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not All is Lost<\/h2>\n

I went for my first run after the River trip a few days from arriving back in Michigan. It was a short 3 mile jaunt through the back dirt roads of my in-laws, a pleasant location of rolling, rural farmland. It\u2019s a place I\u2019ve spent a lot of time exploring and enjoying. But damn, that first run back was hard. My ankles ached and feet were tender, and my breathing was labored and chest hurt. While training for ultramarathons, a three mile run is really nothing to worry about. It\u2019s a distance that is easily doubled for short training runs. I wasn\u2019t used to feeling this out of shape after a short run, and it made me pause.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The rural roads of central Michigan after a light dusting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning is hard,\u201d I muttered to Carolyn after getting back from my short adventure with the cows and ducks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll get it back,\u201d she reassured.<\/p>\n

I knew I would. But it still sucked. I was on top of my running game before, and now I was back to\u2026not square one, certainly, but somewhere between peak performance and couch potato. It was going to take some time and work to get back to where I left off.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Back in the Saddle Again<\/h2>\n

After a few weeks of short runs, things started getting a little easier. The muscles in my legs started to strengthen again, and 3 miles of torture slowly turned into 5 miles of adapted comfort. I was making progress with low, consistent miles, and I was starting to feel better and healthier.<\/p>\n

I spent a week in December in Rhode Island, running everyday through the small neighborhood of Charlestown, where my parents have a vacation home, to the beach and back, a distance of a little over 6 miles. It was in those runs where I remembered why I enjoyed running so much: exploring a place by a run is amazing. It\u2019s a miniature adventure every time you lace up your shoes and head out the door. It\u2019s a time to be outside, clear your head, and just be yourself, no matter what the conditions are. You can do the same run a hundred times and still find something new and interesting. I like this part the most.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>