hungryrunnermom

[hungryrunnermom]

Rest Is A Key Component Of My Running Revival

Eighteen months ago I welcomed my second daughter into the world. She arrived only 16 months after her older sister.

Running while pregnant did not feel good to me. Even in the early weeks, I was just too nauseous and fatigued to do anything but lie on the couch. So, early in the process of growing my family, running took a back seat to motherhood.

I first got pregnant in April of 2020. It shocks me to say that it's been more than three years since I was running on a regular basis.

Now though, I'm finally feeling ready to start running again. And as I work toward reviving my relationship with running, I am placing a huge focus on prioritizing rest.

The Plan

What does that look like for my current training regimen?

It means I am starting out with a very relaxed schedule — three 25-minute runs a week with at least one rest day between each. If I'm feeling fatigued or sick, I'll take whatever extra time I need recover.

Each run starts with a dynamic warmup. During a run, if I feel like I need it, I slow down to a walk until I feel ready to pick the pace back up.

Plus, in addition to taking a very conservative approach to running itself, I'm working really hard to literally rest — like, kick my feet up on the couch or take a nap — any chance I can get.

Don't get jealous. With two young kids, those chances do not come up frequently.

Sleep When the Baby Sleeps

I keep thinking about the cliche advice new parents often get: Sleep when the baby sleeps. People like to make fun of that idea because if you nap when your baby naps, when will all of the household chores get done? When will you be able to find a minute for yourself?

I get why the advice can be unrealistic. Parents have a lot of responsibilities and most times it's easiest to tackle them when the kids are out of the picture.

However, at the same time, I have followed it and learned that resting (especially if you're a sleep-deprived new parent) is essential to staying healthy.

I'm a type-A person who can't relax until the house is clean. That part of my personality makes it difficult for me to rest while my kids are resting.

But I'm also the type of person that needs lots of sleep to feel good. Being a mom is exhausting, and in some ways it has forced me to slow down.

When my girls were newborns, most days I was so tired that there was no question about what I was going to do when they finally went down for a nap. And even now that they're slightly older and my nighttime sleep is much more abundant (most nights!), I still have days where I will run to the couch for a snooze of my own during their nap time.

Motherhood has forced me to prioritize rest and sleep simply because I feel like crap if I don't. Of course, there will always be off days when my energy is low and I feel like I can't keep up.

But I very much dislike feeling that way, especially when I'm taking care of my girls. So if I can help avoid it, I'll always do what I can to get the rest that I need to recharge.

And I plan to carry that standard into my training as I re-enter the world of running.

Rest Is a Requirement

Obviously, no one ever intends to run themselves into the ground (metaphorically, that is). But from my earlier days as a runner, I know that it can be pretty easy to overdo it — and many times you don't realize it until you're sick or injured.

As much as possible, I'd like to avoid that this time around. And with more stress in my life now it will be harder to do. So, I'm making rest a key component of my running revival.

The goal is to keep both my body and mind energized and healthy enough to continue running for many more years to come!

#running #runchat #momswhorun