First session back!!!!

Just another post-run dog picture

​Last Thursday was a big day, the biggest in the past 8 months. Finally since recovering from injury, I was able to do a session! It wasn’t a big session, and didn’t last very long, but that isn’t what matters. What matters is it was a huge step in the right direction, and a huge step in my progression to getting back to a full training week.
 
As expected it hurt. All I had planned to allow me to get rid of a bit of speed, was a 10-minute tempo. It may not sound long enough to be effective, but gosh I was knackered!
I had told myself I was not to look at my watch until I was finished as I did not want to be put off by the speed I was going at. I had an idea of what speed I wanted to go at, but I understood this may not have been achievable. Consequently, I decided to do what I could and then go from there.
 
I purely used my watch as a time marker to allow me to know when I had done 10 minutes. After setting off I pledged not to look at my watch for as long as I could. I peered down after 7 minutes and told myself to push on. I was already exhausted!!! At the end of the 10 minutes, once I had caught my breath back, I was beyond ecstatic. This was the moment I had been waiting for, for a very long time. The moment I would be out of breath and in pain from having run hard. It felt amazing! To those non-runners reading, it probably sounds insane to enjoy being in pain, but to finally be in positive pain, instead of injury pain, was a complete relief and joy!
 
The next morning when I proceeded to get out of bed and venture to the top of the stairs, I realised my legs were a tad on the stiff side. Let’s just say I may have resembled a robot walking down the stairs. The feeling is a feeling incomparable to that I felt when I couldn’t get out of bed because of my injury, and that feeling is one I never hope to feel again. However, the feeling I felt the day after my session was a reassuring one, as it told me I was heading in the direction I wanted, and my muscles were working and strengthening.
 
It may sound crazy, but the pain after a tough session or run is a feeling to be cherished and proud of. Do any of you enjoy the pain of a tough session after you have done it? I can’t say I enjoy the pain throughout every instant, but it is all worth it at the end. 

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