Running after Covid (again)

[Bagpuss58]

Just getting back to Couch to 5k after having Covid. I didn't run for 2 weeks and then went 2 weeks back in the programme. i.e. I'd been about to start week 8 when I got ill, so I went back to week 6. I think that was the right decision, as it was tough but I didn't have to stop! Anyone got any good tips for running after illness (psychologically as much as anything - it's hard to pick up where I left off in terms of confidence)?

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

Sending you buckets of sympathy-it’s hard making a comeback. There was a good article I read when I’d had a particularly nasty cold…

healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

The key thing is patience and being adaptable if you find you are still not quite recovered. You may need extra rest days. You may need to cut runs short. This is only temporary though and in time you will feel better. The time and effort spent on recovering well through patience, gentle exercise, good diet, good sleep etc will pay off in the long run. It’s hard not to compare with where you were before. It’s often better to think about where you were on the couch because you’ve made massive strides in just being back out and running at all after the illness. I tend to start out for much shorter runs so I can extend if I feel ok rather than aiming for longer ones I’m not sure I can finish. That helps me feel positive about what I have achieved rather than down about what I didn’t if that makes sense!

Really good luck to you ❤️‍🩹

[Bagpuss58 in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you MissUnderstanding, those are wise words, and the article was really helpful. I'll stick to the shorter runs for a while till I feel confident with those!