After months of waiting and getting sweaty palms whenever a runner passed, I was finally able to start running again today. Of all the things I missed while pregnant (sushi, tuna, turkey), it was running I missed the most. I gave it up in my second trimester when I was becoming uncomfortably winded. So, for months, I walked, letting runners pass me by, fighting the urge to scream, "Hey, I could have run faster than you a few weeks ago!" I waited and waited. And now the waiting has ended. This morning, I pulled on the running tights, a hat, some gloves and my ipod, laced up my running shoes and ran.
So, the return was not as triumphant as I may have hoped--I walked one mile, ran two--but it felt SO good. It seems my walking and yoga did pay off at the end of the pregnancy since I am not as out of shape as I feared I might be. Sure, I felt a little self conscious--like people were wondering if I was a new year's resolution runner, still pudgy with holiday pounds. But who cares? Even though my shadow profile in store windows is quite different than it was last July, the run was really all that mattered. And it felt every bit as good as I had anticipated.
With a little dedication, I will be able to run like I used to and get race times like I used to. Ok, so I felt the 28 pounds of extra weight--it slowed me down a bit--but I am confident that I will be running seven minute miles again by mid-March. Sigh. I missed it so much.
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3 comments:
hooray! I am proud of you.
Yay! And I SO know exactly what you mean about other-runner envy. It felt great for me too when I finally started again (about 6 weeks after my c-section). And a seven minute mile? That's awesome.
Congrats! I'm VERY impressed.
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