Keep on running......

Why did I stop running? Now its twice as hard to get back into it. I could run a marathon in my twenties with a few weeks training, I ran 10k's without a second thought. In my 30's I could pick it up quite quickly - I gave up for several years in my mid thirties but picked it up again in my forties and ran some of my best distances. In my late forties I ran the Loch Ness marathon in sub 4, and I ran the Sheffield half marathon on my fiftieth birthday - just for fun.

In my mid 50's, with a covid wine fuelled body it is hard work to get back into it. If only I could skip the next three months of torture and be the fit future me I am aiming to be. In January I decided to get back into running, it took me five minutes to squeeze into my running tights, then another five minutes to motivate myself to get out the door. I struggled to keep myself from walking, my bra hurt, my pants kept rolling down, my thighs got chaffed and my knees ached - but I felt better within a week and I felt the improvements daily.

The worst thing about picking something back up after a hiatus - is that you remember what is was like before you left off - and you feel disappointed that you let it go. It is almost harder to get back into something that you were once good at than to start something new.

In January I was determined to get fit, I paid for the apple fitness subscription, I dutifully did yoga, HIIT and dance five times a week and then it all came to an abrupt halt - in February I fell ill.

In March I had major abdominal surgery and all exercise was cancelled for three months.

Five months later and it is back to the drawing board, I am more unfit than ever. I went on a walk with friends two days ago, 6 miles in the Derbyshire Dales and I could hardly move the next day, in fact I had to crawl out of bed in agony - my underused muscles were in shock.

So now I have signed up to one of those face book charity challenges. 2 miles a day in September - for cancer research UK (felt apt).

I may have to power walk for the first week - hopefully by the end of the month I will be running again. Chaffed thighs here I come - someone pass the vaseline.