Today is going to be the craziest day so far. I have to pick up the track, drop of some last minute items before we leave, meet the movers, load up the truck and get the entire place cleaned out and ready to ship out first thing tomorrow morning. I am trying to just take it one step at a time because I know it will all come together! Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter to keep more up to date with me during the move!

I will try to check back in as much as I can throughout the rest of the week, but today I have a great guest post from Debi on how to plan a running comeback!

Even when we have the best of intentions, sometimes we just come up short.  Life throws us curveballs like “no show” coworkers that cause us to pull another shift or the babysitter cancels and we can’t get in our mid-week run, or it rains for seven days straight and we don’t have a gym membership.  Next thing you know, a week has gone by and then another week and then…. Well, you get the idea – our regular routines and just a distant memory.

For me, the break in training snuck up on me and I didn’t even see it coming!  In my quest to complete 14 Half Marathons in 2014, I completed my seventh half marathon, the Iron Girl Clearwater Half Marathon on April 13.  The next week when I attempted to do my recovery run, my left foot immediately swelled.  I waited two days and tried to run one little mile on the “dreadmill” and BAM! my left foot swelled again.

I called the doctor who handled my surgeries and medical recovery following my near-fatal car accident in August of 2012 and he recommended I discontinue running for three months to give my body a chance to recover.  Obviously he wasn’t a runner! Since that isn’t an option for me, I just said thank you and hung up.  I figured I would start back on training the following week but then something came up, and then something else came up, and something else.  The next thing I knew, it was May 18, 2014, and I was standing at the start line of the Cleveland Rite Aid Half Marathon! YIKES!

There IS good news for anyone – including me:  Any workout regime can start right back up and with smart training and a little planning, you and I can stick with it.

1. Walk

f your “lapse” lasted two weeks or more, add a little more “walk” to your “run”. If you were running ten minutes consecutively prior to your break in training, then try running a minute or two and then walking and continue to alternate.
2. Build Up

At the beginning of your return to training, add anywhere from three to five minutes per week to your workout time.  Each week, continue to add time until you reach a total of 30 minutes.  Once you hit the 30 minute mark, you can alter your run/walk ratio (if you are doing the Galloway method), or add distance or duration to your run.

3. Don’t Rush

If you start out doing too much after you haven’t been training at all, you are risking injury to your joints and muscles – they need time to get back into the swing.  Plan to run or walk every other day.  If you try to jump right back into your old routine without building up, you will probably get tired out, which in essence will tire you out and again have you dropping workouts on your schedule.

4. Set Goals

The best way to get back into your routines is to set a REALISTIC goal.  Don’t get carried away here, but set a goal that will take some work to attain so once you get there, it’ll be SWEEEEET!! A great short term goal would be to plan on running every other day for two weeks, which would get your body and mind in sync with running again.

My next half marathon is set for July 13 in San Diego – the Costume Party Run.  This gives me a two month window to get back to regular training to be better prepared for this race!  Wish me luck!

Have you ever had a race you were totally unprepared for?

Did you do the race or did you back out?

Make sure to head over and check out Debi’s blog. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram..