How I returned to my running era

2025 is the year, I want to take my fitness and health back into my own hands. I used to love running, and I used to love racing and participating in events all around the world. I want to get back to that and become as fit and as active as I used to be. But there were two main issues with that game plan. The first problem was the fact that I was not able to stick to a single route and keep myself accountable. The second problem was that I am now older and the idea of chasing after a younger version of myself is just ridiculous. So I decided to sign up for a half-marathon and use that as a step stone for a marathon further down the road. The fact that I have now actually spend money for an event gave me a motivational boost to actually start training, but also knowing that I am running it with a friend was the kick in the butt I needed to stick with my training plan. Community is everything, and having someone with you to keep you accountable is crucial to your success.

The first time I ever put on a pair of shoes and signed up for a race was back in Canada when I decided to take part in the Spartan Sprint in Vancouver. I ran it by myself and just wanted to push myself and get a bit more into shape, feel stronger and healthier. The issue with running an obstacle course race is that you don't just sign up for one. In my case, it started an addiction. Running and going through different obstacles, did not only boost my confidence, but it showed me what I was capable off. I showed off alone, but always had a helping hand and words of encouragement at each obstacle. Jumping through the fire at the end of the course and through the finish line, all muddy, cold, dirty and sore, is a feeling of accomplishment that is hard to put into words.

Once the first race was done, I wanted to do more and more and more. And so my addiction began. Not only did I complete multiple trifectas*, I soon started to take part in several Hurricane Heats**, Tough Mudders and our local F45 playoffs where I got 12th place female. Not only did I love, love, love the community, I also loved the way those races made me feel. I had a purpose, I had a goal, and seeing my overall strength increase with every race was something I worked towards.

I used to run when I was a teenager, I got the running bug from my dad, and always loved it. But after the PCT I fell off the wagon. Not just one wagon, there were multiple wagons I fell off. I was struggling with a severe depression, working multiple jobs just to stay afloat, experienced the loneliness that the pandemic brought and developed an eating disorder, just to round it all off nicely - why the heck not. So trying to find purpose in life was definitely a challenge, and it took me almost 5 years to work myself though it, with professional help and a looooot of self reflecting. Even though I am still not a 100% where I want to be, I decided I needed a new goal in my life, a purpose to keep me going and something to help me get moving. So I did was most people do if they are not planning a family or getting married. I signed up for a half-marathon.

The first couple of months were ... interesting to say the least. The first phase I went through was thinking I am a young, bold 20-year-old that doesn't need to train. I ran an obstacle race ultra with 50km. If I can do that, I can just run a half, no worries. So I went on my first little run. The first phase was quickly followed by phase two. I can barely make it to 2km. By knee hurts, my legs are weak, my heart rate is through the roof, I feel out of breath and really sore the next day. I am old! I realized one important thing: One does not simply run a race, one must train for it. Lucky for me, once that realization came about, one of my Sweat Trainers in the App launched a new program designated for runners. I took this sign from the heavens and signed up. The next few weeks were filled with a heavy load of training. Here is an example:

Coming from almost 5 years of not really doing anything other than running, this was an intense training plan. And needless to say, it got "worse" from there as the distance increased. The one thing I was really excited about, that I grew with my plan. The distance and intensity of the strength sessions increased week by week. If you are starting out I would highly recommend following a professional plan tailored to your pace and abilities the same way I did. Not only did I never entirely burn out, I also made it through the plateau phase. The first couple of weeks I felt great, motivated and excited to put in the work. Then the next few weeks hit, where my body got tiered, the motivation disappeared, and I didn't see any progress. I focused on my deload weeks, listened to my coach, collected feedback and encouragement from my community and kept going. So here we are on week 13 still going strong. I have achieved so much. Not only did I somehow managed to run 17km without stopping and feeling good, but I also managed 20km -  even though I have to admit, they did not look nor did they feel great. But I still have 4 weeks to go until race day.