Things I am learning in my Phoenix-like comeback:
1. No cardio for five months is a killer. It doesn't matter how many sit-ups or pushups I can do (and I can do a lot!); I have not increased my heartbeat or struggled through a breathing challenge, and that makes a huge difference. A few days ago I did four miles on a hilly path, and it kicked my butt. My pace was over two minutes more per mile than I'm used to. When I tried it again yesterday, I looked for any excuse to walk some of the hills. I kept thinking, "Wow, when I used to run at this pace, I barely even broke a sweat! What is happening to me!" It took a little bit of reflection and diving into my selective memory to figure out that I used to struggle on those hills just going two miles. In fact, I once bonked hard on that path, and it scared me so badly that I thought I'd never be able to run again.
2. ANY cardio is good cardio. When I wasn't a runner, I was doing kickboxing, walking, biking, and dancing as exercise. I need to get back to doing other forms of cardio to balance out my running. I tried some simple exercises on the Wii Fit yesterday, and it kicked my butt. Like everything else, apparently.
Want to see how I think I look when I do Zumba? Want to do yoga on a surfboard? Want to know the third and fourth lessons I learned in my epic comeback? Click here to see the whole post. Like what you see? Follow me on Twitter @itibrout !