Over the past couple of years I have tried, with moderate success, to get into running. It started by slowly jogging around the block at home and any increased distance or speed built up from there. My biggest accomplishments in terms of running came this past March when I ran 5 miles in 43 minutes and had my 5K time hovering around 25 minutes. As late spring turned into summer, I found myself not running as much. I was still fairly active between walking around the neighborhood or camp I worked at, swimming with campers, and whatever workouts I was able to put in. But I never did any serious distance runs nor did I place a huge focus on speed for more than a few minutes at a time.
Needless to say, I have lost a lot of endurance and speed. I ran 3 miles with a couple friends the other day and wasn't even able to do it without taking a nice walk break at roughly the halfway point. My run today was a 15 minute adventure that took me 1.6 miles. Like most people who know they are below a previous level, I am not super thrilled with knowing how much I've regressed in the past 6 months.
I was sitting in my room and planning out the next week - which includes figuring out when I'll have time for running - and found myself getting frustrated at the length of time I was allotting for these runs. Why bother planning for a 40 minute run when I know there is no way I can run for 40 minutes? My pride interferes with my common sense and tells me that, because I've run for that length in the past, I can do it now. But I can't. I know I can't. Not without risking passing out or serious injury, that is.
Then I remembered a talk an old camp counselor had given me. Her words applied to horses, but I find they can apply to this as well. A lot of campers were getting frustrated that they weren't doing as well with the horse as they had the day before. Her response was "to ride the horse you have today". In other words, find a way to enjoy yourself and make progress based on today's situation. If she can say that about horseback riding, what's to stop me from saying it about running?
My body simply isn't ready for a 5K under 25 minutes. It isn't ready to run for longer than half an hour. Does that mean that I'll never get to those points again? Absolutely not. Deciding not to run at all certainly won't help me get back into the shape I was in last spring, nor will it help build stamina and speed. Just as I did last year to achieve my faster or longer times, I have to work back up now. It's okay to plan for 20 or 25 minute runs at a more laid back pace because that's where I'm at right now. Changing my goal or plan for the day doesn't lower my expectations for myself. I've learned over the past year to listen to my body and not push myself farther than a safe limit. Going back to my more recent runs, my mind was full of frustration but my legs, lungs, and heart felt great and were thankful that I hadn't pushed harder. Listen to what your body is telling you; it'll let you know when it's ready for more.
