5 minutes!

Returning from an injury is tough. No surprise there! I've found that it is not so much the physical return that is hard, it is more of the mental. If you are cross training effectively, you are certainly able to maintain a fitness level. So, when you get back out there, you feel as if you can go forever, and want to!

I was allowed to run yesterday for the first time this year. A humbling experience, considering that last year I had already run 25 times. It was a blissful five minutes of exercise. Free of the pool and the shackles of the exercise bike, I was able to loop my block approximately 2.5 times without pain. It was awesome to feel the wind in my hair and the ground under (healed) foot. Even better, no pain. Now, I know this feeling will not last. There is usually a bit of residual soreness/pain that occurs in the area of a healed stress fracture. I've got my ice packs to take care of that. I don't care because I'm running again.

It was a struggle to stop at the 5 minute mark. I felt great and wanted to head back on my trails and explore what I've missed in the last month. I wanted to race through the woods and hurdle fallen trees. But I didn't. I don't want to get injured again, so I will do my best to rein it in and be smart. As with most distance runners, I'm great at knowing what I should do, but terrible at executing it. This time, I'm going to be good. I'm going to take my time in building, both in duration and intensity. I'm going to do all the little things: stretching, icing and strength work. I'll be stronger and I'll take recovery days. I'll listen to my body. I'll make hard days hard and easy days easy.

I'm sure I've made and ignored these promises to myself before. I'll probably make and ignore them again. However, if one day soon I am out doing something I shouldn't, if I remember this post and it slows me, even for a couple of minutes, then it is worth it. At least I've written it out for others to hold me accountable.