10 Tips for a Successful Comeback

Posted on by Grace Lu
24 Jun

 

    1. Be grateful for where you are. It is so tempting to get caught up in comparing yourself to where you want to be or think you should be, but don’t go down that road. Choose to cherish the progress you have made and believe that you will continue to improve.
  1. Be honest with yourself.  Only you know how your body feels, so if you are in over your head in a workout or what you are doing is hurting, then tone it back. One workout or keeping up with your friends or teammates to prove you are tough is not worth it if it makes you take two steps backwards.
  2. Know when to take a cross training day. It is so tempting once you start feeling good to want to jump in with both feel and tackle everything, but don’t. See #2 and #4.
  3. Celebrate the small victories along the way: your longest run segments, your first run without a walk, your first week with three days of running, etc. When doing so it feels like you are moving forward, even if you are inching along like a snail.
  4. Start with walk breaks. When you are first getting back into it, allow yourself to do run walk segments. It is amazing how much a walk break can help reset your system and re-energize you for the next run segment, especially in the beginning.
  5. Be patient. As exciting as it is to be running again, don’t get ahead of yourself. Take it slow and trust in the process.
  6. Be smart. Don’t increase intensity and mileage in the same week. If you are doing your first workout, then keep your mileage relatively steady that week. Don’t expect your body to be able to handle a bunch of new stimuli in one week after spending a lot of time off.
  7. Focus even more on the little things. All of the little tendons and muscles in your feet and legs will take time to adjust to the increased workload and gain strength. Remember to show them love by stretching, rolling, and doing self-massage.
  8. Communicate. No one can read your mind, so it is up to you to communicate how you are feeling and what you need.
  9. Stay positive. As simple as it sounds, fight to remain positive through it all. Don’t let one tough day spiral into a bad week. Extend yourself grace to have bad days but don’t let them dictate your outlook on the week or month.

Zero-To-5K-To-Half-Marathon-Training-Plan

Source:  http://www.oiselle.com

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