You may have noticed, but the running content around here has become nonexistent. It’s sad, and there has been a hole in my life. I have developed other hobbies in life, like reading and Formula 1, but my heart is always with running.
After those unfortunate circumstances, I’ve found it harder to get back into running. My running did slow down over the past year long before that happened, but I was in an upswing. I ran a 10K and half marathon in December 2023, but things stopped after that race. I haven’t even been able to edit my running video from that time. Maybe it’s something I should try to edit now.
Life gets busy, and priorities shift.
Firstly, I have yet to have the time to put into my running as I did in the past. After having a kid, I had less time to devote to running and fitness. It was easier when she was a baby because I could strap her in the stroller or do more dictating the time. Now, she dictates my time. I may only have 45 minutes to work out, and I’ll have to take it. Having the time to train for long distances was something I took for granted.
“I do think women can have it all,” she said, “but not all at the same time. Our life comes in segments, and we have to understand that we can have it all if we’re not trying to do it all at once.” – Madeleine Albright, New York Magazine
Between her school and activities, my work, doing PTA responsibilities, and just trying to live life, it takes a lot of work to make running my priority. I took on the role of PTA President this year, thinking it wouldn’t be that much. But most of my “extra” free time, has gone to do those PTA responsibilities. It’s been a worthwhile experience, but I hope to regain some parts of myself. So many things go into getting those runs done, but it is something I want to bring back to soon. I need to be more grateful for the time I have to devote to running.
The truth is: I can’t be this marathoner, wife, mother, daughter, friend, business owner, reader, F1 fan, healthy living queen, part-time content creator, and whatever else I’m supposed or want to be all the time. Life comes in phases, and things ebb and flow. Right now, I’m in a down period of running.
The comparison trap
Going off of the time element, I am much slower than I once was, and it’s frustrating. But it’s also not the worst thing in the world. Most days, I don’t care, but then there are moments when it bothers me, and that’s when I compare myself to my former self or other people. The comparison trap is deadly and can really mess with my mind.
All of these things are not important in the long run because it’s something I like to do. The real frustration point comes when I only have a set amount of time to run, and I will only cover 3 miles during that time. If I stay consistent, that will improve over time. It’s hard not to think about those things when running and struggling to do it.
Injuries and form problems
I’ve been injured more in the past year than in the past decade. I admit I haven’t been living the healthiest life and could do better. The older you get, the more you need to stretch, and I have been neglecting my stretches. I also need to focus on doing more strength training. But that’s another argument for only having so much time to get a workout done.
Also, I have a bizarre leg flick when I run. It has gotten worse over the years and messes with my running form. I can’t run consistently without having to stop to walk. Sometimes, walking faster would be easier than trying to run or jog. But if you stop firing those muscles to run, getting them back is more challenging.
I have to choose between walking or running. I make this more complicated in my head than it needs to be. Not every run needs to be a “run .” I can do power walks, speed work, and get out there to work. I have developed an excellent system to deal with it all, but sometimes, it’s unfair that this is happening to me. And then I realize I’m being a brat, and I’m lucky that I could be out there.
I’ve gone to the doctors and gotten all the help I could get without having surgery. I’m not interested in having the surgery because it’s not guaranteed that it would really help anything. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take for something that’s not that serious. This issue is not life-threatening.
It’s just hard to get restarted.
Restarting is the hardest part. I’ve done many treadmill things but have yet to do much outside. Starting over is never fun, but it’s a necessary part of any journey. If anyone else were in a similar situation, I would have told them to get out there to take it one mile at a time. I should take my advice, but that’s an example of not treating myself as well as I treat others.
Mostly, this is all a mind game. I have to work on changing my mindset and stopping overthinking the situation. I love to do it, so I should do it. Back in the day, I focused so much on showing people they could do the things they thought they could never do, and I’ve somehow gotten away from that mindset.
Here’s to a change in mindset and just getting out there. I’ll keep you updated on my running journey over the next few months. Thanks for following along and giving the support.
