QT: You Will Never Be Starting Over Completely

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For many runners, the idea of logging zero miles over the course of several months (or longer) is almost laughable.

The reality is, it happens to most of us at some point.

It could be do to injury. Life could do life things.

But one way or the other, there’s a good chance you’ll be facing the prospect of starting over at some point in your running career.

A Loss of Fitness is Undeniable

To be clear, what I’m not saying is that you won’t lose fitness after an extended time away from the sport.

You will lose running fitness. Probably a lot of fitness. Potentially all of your fitness.

No doubt about it.

A major loss of fitness makes it feel like you’re starting over completely.

But you’re not.

Allow me to explain…

Rebuilding Fitness is Not Starting Over

When you used to be able to run for hours and are now struggling to run for 20 minutes, it certainly feels like you’re starting over as a runner.

And if I’m honest? Depending on the exact specifics of your situation?

You very well me be rebuilding your running fitness from scratch.

But running is about much more than just your running fitness.

Muscle Memory

There’s no question that our bodies are very much “use it or lose it” machines.

But there is a certain amount of long-term memory that our muscles possess.

So while it’ll take a little while to knock the rust off of your body as you start getting back into the sport, muscle memory will kick in sooner than it did when you first started running seriously back in the day.

Lessons Learned

Any lessons you’ve learned during your months/years of regular running don’t need to be relearned.

With a little luck, previous lessons learned will make rebuilding your fitness and getting back into a good training rhythm much smoother this time.

Confidence

There’s no doubt that feeling like you’re starting over can be demoralizing.

But you know what?

You’ve done this before.

You can do it again.

The Biggest Key to Coming Back?

In my expert opinion, the most important piece of the puzzle in regaining your running fitness after an extended time away from the sport is patience.

Building, or rebuilding, fitness takes time.

It took time before, it’ll take time again.

Odds are? It won’t take quite as long, given that you’re not starting over completely.

But it’s still a process, and there’s only so much you can do to speed up said process.

Coming back from a period of non-running isn't easy, but you're not starting over completely. #runchat Share on X

Have You Ever Struggled to Come Back from an Extended Break? How’d You Get Back on Track?

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