After two very quiet months running wise, largely due to health reasons, I gave myself until the start of the new year to take my first steps back.
So, with that in mind, I found myself out at 6am on January 1st attempting my first run in over a fortnight.
I had started to seriously worry that my running days were over, that my body had given up, that my mind had convinced itself that it was just a phase in my life that had now gone.
Thankfully, none of the above happened. Granted, I was only planning an easy run so I wasn’t going to exert myself too much but it really did feel good to get back out there again.
My legs didn’t fall off, my mind didn’t shout at me in utter horror nor scream at me that this wasn’t for me.
Maybe it was the peacefulness that only the morning after the night before can bring – I didn’t see a single soul – or maybe it was just the sheer relief that I can actually still do this. Whatever it was I really enjoyed myself.
As I said, it wasn’t a strenuous run. It was specifically a tester session, and I used the run/walk method to get round but even that didn’t bring the problems or discomfort it often can with the constant starting and stopping that my legs seem to hate.
Route wise, it was my bog standard loop along the dual carriageway, through the industrial estate and back home via the Larne Road. I had no specific distance in mind either. In fact, I kept revising it as I went … first of all I wanted to do a mile, then half a parkrun, then two miles before a casual glance at my watch showed that I’d done 4.19km and, given the day that’s in it, that just seemed like the right moment to end it (my first run 4 2019? No? Too corny?).
The important thing is I got myself out the door and, writing this three hours later, I’ve suffered no ill effects … all good.
HUFF, PUFF AND SHUFFLE 