athlete: redefined
Fifteen years ago I ran the Chicago Marathon. Since then, I birthed three beautiful sons and almost forgot what it was like to be an athlete. I’m now in my comeback era. Here are three things I wish I would have known when I started finding my inner athlete again.
Consistency is the key to success. It’s incredibly tempting to want to go out and run a mile as fast as you can. However, avoiding max efforts right away is key to an injury free return.
Knowledge: There are hundreds of return to running plans, including Artificial Intelligence. It’s important to go with a certified coach. They call it personal training because every plan is built differently, with key indicators of recovery and injury-avoidance! AI can’t pick up on this, and just because a plan worked for someone else does not mean it will work for me.
Minimum work: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, and 2 strength sessions in one week! This is the minimum to meet the standard guidelines.