Six Minutes

Yesterday I walked 8 minutes and then ran 2.

I did it again.

And again.

For thirty minutes.

It was Day 4 of my recovery program and I have now graduated to six minutes (total) of running.

Not much but I doubled my three minutes from Monday and, within ten days, I will (hopefully) be up to 27 minutes of running (with a few walk breaks in between).

It's bizarre how quickly things change.

My last good run was back in August and I ran 30 kilometres in about 3 hours and 20 minutes.  I felt tired but strong and confident.

Last night, I felt a little overwhelmed with two minutes.  It went fine and no body parts acted up but my body felt out of practice.  My breathing was ok, my legs held up, but I no longer felt like I could run forever.

I could run two minutes - but could I run ten?

I've kept my fitness up and have become a strong swimmer who swims 80 lengths three times a week.  When it comes to running though, I no longer know what I can and can't do.  So I'm hesitant.  I'm aware of every feeling of discomfort, no matter how mild.  I feel how weak my legs seem to be after so many weeks in the pool.

If only I could run with my arms rather than my legs - I'd be all set!

While I'm confident that it will come back - it's humbling how quickly I've lost my runner's edge.

If someone had told me in July that, by December, I'd be relearning how to run and I'd be a 6k a week swimmer, I'm not sure I would have believed them.

And yet here I am - in my running shoes, ironman hat with a faint smell of chlorine on my arms - trying my best to rejoin the road warriors.