Back and in need of a FRESH start & some motivation.

[lucieiecul]

So I managed to run 10k back in November before travelling India. I'm now in Australia and sadly my running has taken a back seat. I've just moved down to Adelaide having gained over a stone since I left... I feel like now, whilst I'm doing regional work and not much else, it's time to start again. I've treated myself to a new pair of Asics to get me into the stride of things again... Does anyone have any advice for me? I have no idea how much my fitness will have wained and I don't want to feel defeated.

[agedsnailspace Graduate]

Go back and start on week 1, and if it feels easy enough, skip straight to week 2, keep working through until you find a week that feels tough enough, or, if you get to week 9, just start running 5k x3 a week.

Find a local parkrun or sign yourself up for an event to give yourself something to aim towards.

Main thing is just to get out there and get started again!

Welcome back.

[lucieiecul in reply to agedsnailspace]

Thank you! Re downloading the app right now.

[Tomas Graduate]

It'll have waned quite a bit, I'm afraid. But if you start gently, it will come back a lot quicker than it did the first time.

Maybe start by running gently 2-3 km out the road, and turn around when it starts to feel like hard work, but before you're totally knackered. That way the worst that can happen is that you've got a few km to walk home. When you have a baseline for what you can do, give yourself a few weeks at that distance until it becomes a bit easier, and then build up from there.

I should say that we're in the same boat. I stopped running in late November (after having done a marathon in October), and apart from a false start in January, it has taken me until a week ago before I had the gumption to get out there again. So a small word of experience: The first couple of runs WILL be hard. But if you simply accept that stopping to walk is not a failure, it's just part of you getting into the swing of things, then you'll get back on track again soon.