Guess who's back? Grandma Pony has returned to the fold!

Greetings fellow runners!  So the year without running turned in almost three years without consistent running.

During those dark years, I exercised a handful of times, but fell off the boat as quickly as I got back on it.  Mentally, I wasn't motivated to incorporate a regular exercise routine in my life.  I clung to my excuses about my longer work schedule and how there was no gym in my office building.  Yes, I was super close to Millennium Park and the Lakefront Trail, but that didn't motivate me enough to start running again.  I didn't want to wake up early and work out.  I didn't want to work out at night after a long day at the office.

My ass grew larger and larger, but I didn't care.  I was comfortable on my spot on the couch, binge-watching TV shows and eating fattening snacks (doughnuts/donuts, chips, cookies... you name it; I ate it).  The rational voice in my head tried to make me feel guilty for not being active, but I quickly shut her up with more excuses and of course, more handfuls of fattening snacks.

Me basically (Source)

In 2015, my fiancé and I spent two weeks in London from mid-April to early May.  I celebrated my 30th birthday there and met up with a friend who lives in England.  Of course I wasn't going to run during my vacation when there are plenty of other things to see/do.  

In June, I went to trial on a big case that had been around at my previous firm for a long time.  Thankfully it was local, so I didn't need to travel.  The weeks preparing for it were intense - late nights & weekend work.  This quickly became yet another excuse why I could not work out.  

In August, my family, fiancé and I went to Pensacola to watch my sister get her wings.  She's in the Navy and was stationed in Pensacola.  Again, why bother running, right?  Who wants to run in sweltering heat?

Me circa post-CM '13 to September '16, though I probably did less than that.
(Source)

In May 2016, I left my previous firm.  I joined my current one in June 2016.  One of the biggest selling points to the firm was the free gym in the building.  My current firm is located in River North, just north of the Loop.  I have access to the Chicago Riverwalk for lunchtime exercise sessions.

The Turning Point:

Shit hit the fan one afternoon in July 2016.  I decided to weigh myself.  Now, I don't know what brought this about, since I knew the results weren't going to be good.  I suppose I wanted to see just how bad things had gotten.  And boy, were they bad.  I had gained 7 pounds and was officially the heaviest that I've been in recent times.

(Source)

SMH.  Needless to say, this was what lit the fuel under my ass and made me want to lose the weight ASAP.  I decided that I'd start working out in September, after my three month review at work.  Looking back at it, I don't know why I bothered to wait that long.  It's my lunch break, and I can do what I want with it.

I officially started running again on September 13, 2016.  For the most part, I've been consistent.  I've taken four extended periods of time off, but they've only been for a week max.  They were: Thanksgiving (because Thanksgiving), the week after (pulled lower back muscle), a week in January (infection) and a few days in March (NYC trip).

My Keys to Consistency:

1. Get up & get moving.  Doing something is better than doing nothing.
2. Ease back into it.  Don't overdo it and burn out.
3. Music
4. Set realistic goals and expectations.  Forget about the runner you once were.  Focus on the runner you are today.

#1: My parents got me a FitBit Charge HR 2 for Christmas.  This has definitely help me become more active.  I've made a good effort to complete my steps.  I walk the long way around my office.  I walk during my lunch break when I'm not working out.  Some people may find wearing a fitness tracker annoying, but I love it.  I love being able to see my daily progress.  Also, having the heart rate monitor tracker and sleep tracker is great.

#2:  I did this interval workout for a while to build up my stamina.  It was silly for me to think that I could easily run 3 miles (or more) in a sub-10 minute mile pace after years of inactivity.  As someone who is prone to overdo it, this was tough.  However, limiting myself to my lunch break (1 hour) during work really helped prevent me from doing this.  I can only spend 25-35 minutes working out, so I can allocate enough time to get changed and eat my lunch.

#3: Music has been essential for me to get through my runs.  I wasn't using it during my marathon training in '13, but I've brought it back since it helps motivate me.  My running playlist on Spotify was so big (193 songs/12 hours and 40 minutes) that I had to create a condensed version.  Playlist below.

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is my warm-up song because it's exactly 5:00 minutes!  Unfortunately, there aren't many Aaliyah songs on Spotify, so I have to convert YouTube videos into MP3 files so I can play them off my local files on Spotify.  A small inconvenience, but necessary so I can have songs like:

in my life.  I ran to this and "We Need a Resolution" on repeat for an entire workout.  #bestworkoutever

#4: Currently, the most I've run in one sitting is 3.1 miles.  I definitely think I can run more than that, but I really want to ease back into it so I don't burn out or injure myself.  I used to look at only running 3.1 miles max as a failure since I was running a lot more miles when I was marathon training.

However, I'm not that runner anymore.  I may never be that runner again.  That could have been my physical peak.  Who knows.  I need to focus on the runner I am now, being consistent about workouts and slowly pushing myself to run longer distances and to run faster.

As for goals, the main one is to be consistent and not allow myself to fall off the boat again.  I should be able to work out at least 2-3 times a week, since I have a gym in my building and access to the Riverwalk.

I completed my first race since 2013, a 5K (see next post).  I was really pleased with my performance and will evaluate and decide what to focus on.  I can easily see myself racing more 5ks and completing the necessary mileage to run one works with my schedule.

Or I can try to increase my time/distance so I can eventually complete a 10K.  I think a half may be a bit of a stretch right now unless I really get back into it, but attempting a long run during the week is going to be a challenge for me.

So maybe I'll aim for a 10K sometime in the fall.  I've got all of summer to up my time/distance.  And if that all goes well, perhaps I can run a half marathon in the spring 2018.  We'll see.

Right now, I just need to stay on the boat!

What's the longest hiatus you've taken from running?  How'd you get back into it?