Getting back to Running

I must say it has been terribly difficult to get back to running ever since my injury. It took all of four weeks of rest (with a smattering of yoga and mild exercise thrown in) to heal my strained hip adducter muscle and I felt "normal" again by the last week of April or so. Since then I have made several "Easy 3k Run (Test it out)" notations on my exercise calendar only to place the dismal red cross next to it at the end of the day.

This inertia is quite common to me. When I stop doing something (not just running - it could be painting or crafts or any one of the numerous other hobbies I indulge in from time to time) it is insanely hard for me to take it up again. Also, this crazy summer we've been having is not making things any easier. With the a.m. temperatures itself ranging from 32 - 35 degrees C, any normal person would balk at stepping out and sweating it out in these near sauna-like conditions. 

Times like these, I resort to anything that will spike my motivation and get me back to pounding the pavement. Here's my for-future-reference-list.

Read

Running related stories that is. I have so many websites to thank for keeping me motivated - runnersworld, competitor, women's running to name a few. Just reading articles on running tips, gear, work outs for running etc. helps keep me connected to the sport even though I am not physically indulging in it. I love reading interesting articles about regular people who train hard and meet their personal goals in running. A couple of days back I was reading the latest rundown magazine (created & published by the Chennai Runners) which featured Shailja Singh Sridhar, the winner of TWCM '15 full marathon, women's open category. She finished her race in 3:49:36 and made it look breezy at the same time. Reading her interview was really motivating. Here's a 36 year old mother of two who took to long distance road running about 4 years back. She finished her maiden half marathon in 2:11 and her current PB in this category is 1:38:57. While reading this, in my head I go "Wow! I wanna do that" and another voice goes "Then get off your butt and start running again".

Join a hyper-active running group

For me, being part of a running group has its pros and cons and definitely one of the pros is ample motivation. Everyday there is constant chatter on my whatsapp of training runs, running events, people posting running pics, pace goals, running tips and advice. Even if you are not actively involved in any of the conversation, its hard to be unaffected by it. Call it mob psychology - you just HAVE to be a part of it.

Make a Running Date

Theres nothing like knowing someone is waiting for you to join them for a run to get you out of bed and push you out the door. I've set a running date with my friend, Nishani for Saturday and we will do a short stint till the beach and back. Not likely that I will stand her up. :-)

Sign up for a Race

If all else fails, sign up for a race. When you know that your weeks for training are numbered there is a certain amount of urgency that builds up which will propel you out the door. My next big run is scheduled for June 5th - the Pinkathon 10k. And then the (postponed from last year) D2D half marathon on June 11th. That leaves me with roughly 6 weeks of training and more than enough motivation to resume running.

This morning, with a herculean effort, I broke my inertia and did a 20 minute running drill at home - a slow, easy jog-in-place (baby steps). Phew! The time was 8:30 am and it was an uncomfortably hot but much needed drill to kick-start my momentum. Here's wishing for hugely consistent, injury-free running days from here to the end of the year.