Learning when to walk, and when to run

Of course, taking up running has done so many good things for me. So many good things I started a blog about it and I’m still writing it three-and-a-half years later. But one of the very best things I’ve gained, something I would almost put above the killer bod (that I swear will one day have again) or improved health, is the self-awareness.

When I say self-awareness, I mean learning when to push yourself and when to pace yourself. This is hard. Everyone I know struggles with it. I struggle with it. It’s easy to write post after post about the victories and it’s hard to write posts about concessions and defeats.  I wonder if I am really trying hard enough and then I feel guilty when I take concessions and make compromises that I know I need.

Through self-awareness is self-acceptance. It’s knowing what I need to do, and accepting that this rest (or push) will make me better equipped to handle tomorrow’s challenges.

For the most part, I stopped running after our trip to Arizona. I’ve been out a few times since then, but I started getting a horrible pain, even when I walked, in the back of my left hip where I hurt myself last winter.

So I started seeing a chiropractor two weeks ago and I cut back almost all the running and most of the walking. He helped diagnose the issue, and, like most running injuries, it’s an issue I probably had for a few weeks before it became a problem and the pain is other muscles struggling to compensate to do something they aren’t designed to do.

I felt guilty. Many days went by without exercise. I’m paying $40 for a membership to a gym I haven’t been to since February. (Yes, I know I could be swimming. No, I didn’t.)

But I know that taking the time off to heal was worth it because when I finally ran again today, I ran 4 miles with no pain.

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That officially counts as a third-trimester run.

Don’t get me wrong, it was hard. It’s getting a lot harder as she’s getting bigger. I started the third trimester (29th week) on Monday and I’ve gained about 15 pounds by this point. I can tell she’s taking up some space my lungs used to have; I can feel my heart pounding all over my body even when I’m still; and my center of balance isn’t what it was.

But I felt great today, and I’m sure I am able to stick with it because I’ve learned when to walk, and when to run.

Pattie Reaves

About Pattie Reaves

I'm a new mom and renegade fitness blogger at After the Couch. I live in Brewer with my husband, Tony, our daughter Felicity, and our two pugs, Georgia and Scoop.