On the Road Again

Mission accomplished. My fiancée and I have successfully packed, moved and unpacked all of our belongings to  our new home in the great state of Colorado. This will be our place of residence for the next few years as we begin a new chapter of our lives.

Between the moving and packing and all the other -ings my running was put on hiatus. I have been here in the Mile High City for one week now and figured that was a good time to get back into my routine. However, I don't plan on running an races coming off of a three week break.

I made it a point to get myself moving in honor of National Running Day, what kind of runner would I be if I ignored this celebration of all things running?

Starting back has been a bit of a challenge. The inactivity paired with acclimating to the new elevation has forced me to reduce my weekly mileage in order to adjust slowly and prevent possible injuries from over exhaustion. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are coming back from a break, and some things to consider before you jump back to you pre-break training schedule.

• Be Proactive. Pay attention to your body and create a realistic plan for training. If you were running 20+ miles/week pre-break start with 10 to 12 total miles split over 4 to 5 days and gradually increase by 20% each week.
• If you're feeling pain or discomfort after the first few runs, consider that maybe you need to take a step back and  make sure you're goals are achievable without over exerting yourself. 
• Run less, more. Spread your distance out over more days to give your body time to adapt to the stress.
• Be patient, depending on how much time you took off it could take weeks or even a couple of months before you're back to your regular training schedule. Don't rush the process, as it will only lead to a longer recovery.

What are some of your tips for starting over? How did you celebrate National Running Day? I hope you got some good workouts in before National Donut Day on June 3rd.