Returning to Your Sport From a Break Is Daunting, But Doable
As athletes, we were all excluded from injury and then made it easy for us to get back into our sport. But what if you weren't hurt? What if you took a break and it maybe lasted a couple of years?
As competitive athletes, it is difficult for us to take it easy. Comparing the glory days and your skills plays a role in every workout. The frustration, the pain, the feeling of staring at your eyes when you gasp or run instead of running. All the time you're screaming in your head
"Y.You don't know what i did "or,
"I'm better than I look now." Maybe it's just me, but
"Don't even let me start carrying the weight gain around!"
My dear friend Kathey has a saying (and doesn't quote me): "I'm grateful and lucky enough to be able to do the sport I love" or something close to it.
As someone waiting for a knee replacement and unable to walk, I would love to be this lucky. This upcoming operation was the beginning of the derailment of my triathlon training. Why should I keep training in one sport when I can only participate two-thirds of the time?
It wasn't until a few years later that swim / bike events became increasingly popular and reached even larger events. By this point, I was already out of swimming shape and doing other sports and loving it, which made it easier to move on and not dwell on what was missing in my athletic life.
Return to your sport after a break
You've decided to end your chlorine-free strips of skin and evenly tanned quads, but where in the world do you start? It's such a daunting task. But remember, you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time.
For now, leave the Garmin at home. Yeah, I said it, so get over it. It would be helpful if you did this for a month or two to get back into a rhythm of exercise and get enough recovery time.
Please just go slowly and don't kick your ass because you've let go of everything and have to start over. It's time to release the pressure and enjoy the feeling of movement.
I'd taken a few years to make a million lame excuses that I didn't think would ever happen. I've moved a lot and my new town is full of miles of trails that scream for some cyclocross adventures.
It's hard to find words to describe the feeling of riding a bike again. The best part was the novelty of a different type of ride and the lack of experience and feelings associated with an old bike. It kind of made the low miles I drove seem okay. It gave me forgiveness for not going 60 miles out of the gate.
Time to put the excuses aside, my friend, and get it. We are in it together and I will be your responsibility partner. Take your time, don't rush and be consistent. Now is the time to capitalize on the pandemic and lack of racing to start training. Fall in love with the sport again.