My First Run Back

Technically, this was my second run post pregnancy, but to be fair, that first run/walk lasted 11 minutes, included a few minutes of walking, and was done in my neighborhood. For Sunday's run, I planned to leave Henry home with the manfriend while I got some solo time in along the Willamette River. It's amazing what an hour can do to recharge your spirit. 

The weather was gorgeous, making for a perfect early morning run/walk. 


I almost felt like my old self again, out for an early run with just my thoughts and my Brooks Ravennas... That is, until I started to run and was reminded I have a ways to go to get back to where I was (and that's okay). 

This is probably my favorite shoe color combo in quite a while

To really enjoy the outing, I opted for a 5 minute walking warm up followed by a 20 minute run (w/ 5 min or so of walk breaks thrown in) followed by a 5 minute cool down and lunges. 

I thought about turning on a podcast for a moment and then I thought better of it. Some space to zone out is just what my brain needed. 

Walkin' it out

So how did it feel? My inner thighs feel weak, where ligaments and such attach to my lower pelvis felt awkward, and my lungs burned a little bit. But none of that was a deal breaker.

Because things feel pretty tight, I did a whole bunch of 'lunge and reach with the opposite arm' things. We often do these before our Thursday night Flyers workouts and they feel amazing. 


And finally, back home and feeling renewed both mentally and physically. I think this return to running thing is going to suit me just fine. I might not feel fast or light on my feet, but I'm running and that's all that matters right now.


From here on out, most of my runs will be done in the morning before the manfriend heads to work, or at the end of the day, but I'm crossing my fingers I won't be a stranger to these solo weekend runs. As for yoga and strength training, I'll consider it a good week if I'm able to fit these in at least once. Here's to hoping! 

What's your favorite mood boosting activity? Highlight of your week?

Comments

Leigh said…
Way to go momma! Even thirty minutes to yourself does wonders. It will get easier with time and remember to be nice to yourself in the process :)
missris said…
Hooray for solo runs! I find they can do wonders for mood and mental health. Something about spacing out and being active for 30 minutes makes me so happy :)
I'm so glad that you are back to running! On Friday night I saw a friend who had a baby right around the time Henry was born and she is starting to exercise now, too. She said she feels like she has no core strength and everything just feels weird but that it's good to be back at it. I'm glad your return to running has gone well. It sounds like you've got the right frame of mind about it, too, which is important. When I returned to running I did a lot of walk/run combos. In the past I would have been frustrated with how slowly I had to return to running but after not running for so long, I was just so happy to be back at it that I was way more patient with myself!

My best mood boosters are running and biking! And hugs from Phil!
Jenny said…
Yay running is an awesome mood booster! Since its been 10 years since I last properly ran, I'm very much a newbie again and it's taken me a long time to build up to 20 minutes and its still a struggle but oh so worth it. The great thing about being a newbie again is that successes come quick and often :D
Jessica Jarrell said…
I feel like we are at the same spot running. I'm just starting back up to, lots of stretching and walking breaks. It does feel good to get back at it though. I'm going to try again in a few hours :) Have a great weekend Lauren!
Amber said…
Awesome!!!! So glad you were able to get out for a run and felt fairly good. Like Leigh said, be kind to yourself during this process of getting back into exercise! I know my coworker said getting back to her activities really helped her feel more "normal" after baby. It's a huge plus that the Y in our city has free childcare so she's been able to take him there and get her classes in!
Heather @ Dietitian on the Run said…
Looove this! You can't fake that post-run-grin. Looks just the same as if you had run 1 mile, 5, or 15 :) Glad you got some sunshine for your first day back, too!

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