Remember when running 5k was….
HARD! The hardest thing you think you could put your body through (minus giving birth). Then it got manageable and part of your weekly routine.
Five kilometres here, five kilometres there and by the end of the week you accumulated numerous 5k runs. You may even dabble in longer distances which then become your new struggle.
Remember when 5k was EASY. As you zoom pass your normal 5k loop and decide to continue on racking up the mileage, feeling strong and confident.
Then after a surprising (at the time) injury you can barely walk without pain, you can’t put your shoes on or place your child in their crib because your injury hurts too much. Five kilometres seems so long, whether you are running outside or trying to hit up a treadmill at home or gym, like GoodLife Fitness.
Resume running 5k again
Remember when 5k became HARD AGAIN! You never thought you’d return to this point. You may have even taken those EASY 5k runs for granted. Thinking you can just pop them out when ever you want, no need to stretch, no need hydrate or fuel afterwards. You’ve got this, right? You used to do it before, right.
Eventually, you realise the mistakes you made with those EASY 5k runs as you struggle to get stronger again. Running 5k is HARD again and for some reason you are loving it. You are loving the fresh air, the (slow) speed, even the amount of dirty laundry you have accumulated. You love how it makes you feel; physically and mentally.
You remember when 5k was EASY and know you will get back there. It may take a while but you are thankful you are able to pound out those 5k runs again with little to no pain.
Do you remember when 5k was EASY for you?
Do you remember when 5k was HARD for you?
How often do you run 5k in a week? or 3 miles?
Piper's Run 
Oh man, there are STILL days when 5k is hard. I’m trying really hard to make that my go-to distance, just to get some consistency going, but it can be really tough. I realized lately that part of the reason it’s so hard is because most of my training runs aren’t non-stop. I have to wait for a crossing, or a train, or whatever, so I’m not used to running 5k without a break. Anyway, I know you’ll get back there, you’ve just got to keep plugging away!
I think hard 5k’s can really make you stronger. That can be frustrating waiting to cross the street and having to stop a lot. You’ll build yourself up to running a consistent 5k in no time!
If I can get my butt out of bed and go early enough I don’t have to worry about traffic as much. Just need to work on prying myself out of my nice comfy bed!
THAT can be the hardest part of your run 😉
I can definitely remember when 5ks were hard…. It wasn’t that long ago!! Now 3 miles is my absolute minimum for a training run during the week.
It’s funny for me because 5k’s last year were a breeze! Not the situation now but I’m running them with a smile on my face because it means I am getting my hamstring stronger 🙂
Yes to all of this! 5ks were my easy day – and then I moved to Alaska and basically lost a month of running in the moving/driving craziness. I’ll never forget the first 5k I ran in Alaska – I thought I was going to die because it was so hard. But I loved being able to run again and it was all worth it! I’m now back to the point where 5k is easy, but there are still some days where I’m dragging by the end and can’t wait for it to be over!
I can only imagine how challenging those first runs in Alaska were for you! Wow! I bet you see some beautiful landscapes when running 🙂
Ditto Kristen…5K was my chilled out day, then I got really sick for 6 months and then moved continents/arrived in a new city/started a new job with insane hours and it got hard to motivate myself to head out at all. I started doing lots of classes at my gym, and then mixed in longer and longer runs until 5K got easy again. I find it hard to get my motivation back for running after long races as well…first run is always hard for me. It’s strange, I don’t feel that with biking. Maybe I need to find people to run with, to keep up that motivation.
Loved the post:-)
My 5k runs have been consistently hard for the last 1-2 weeks but I know it needs to be hard before it gets easy again.
Thanks 🙂
I think running a 5K faster and faster gets progressively tougher as you get fitter!
Agreed!!!
That’s true too! You always want to be your last best time which just makes you go flat out!
I enjoy a good 5k race these days, a different kind of challenge.
With your 50km run, you must feel like a 5k is nothing 🙂 By the way, awesome job on your Ultra!
This is such an awesome post…I wish I could have read it a few months ago when I was bumming over my Achilles! I can so relate to this. It’s the ebb and flow of being a runner. I always try to keep in mind that nothing is permanent – and that applies to both good and bad. When you are uninjured and fast, it doesn’t last forever. But injuries, even though they feel like it, don’t last forever either. And when they are gone, they’ve usually taught you something and made you stronger 🙂
Thank you 🙂 You are so right – ebb and flow of a runner! I went for another run today and it was hard but GREAT at the same time. I know it’s going to be hard for probably the next month or so, then it will easy up only to get hard again as I increase my mileage.
I’m still trying to figure out what this injury is supposed to teach me. Though I’m not 100%, I’m sure that “teach” will come soon 🙂
It will. Even if it just teaches you to listen to your body even more than you already do. As runners, we are so in tune to our bodies. I think when you know what certain injuries feel like, you can be more aware and ward them off in the future!
I went through a mind cycle just like this post marathon. Every distance felt hard as I was going through recovery and when I was at peak fitness before the marathon a 5k felt super easy! Now each run I do as I’m trying to rebuild my mileage seems like an adventure and also a little intimidating that I won’t cover the distance. So crazy how this happens to us, especially after illness or injury.
It’s comforting to hear that a marathon runner feels the same way I do sometimes 🙂 Are you running Johnny Miles this weekend? It was on my list to run (Half) but sadly, not this year.
I still find 5km kind of hard. Not hard like I’m going to spew like in the beginning but I still have to push all the way through. That said I don’t really run further than 5km and I only run oocasionally as part of my over all routine. But in a similar fashion I went on holiday for three weeks and had all of that time off weight training and I could say I remember when doing 90 seconds of single squats with 15kg on the bar was easy and that break has put me down to 10kg.
It’s amazing if you take a few weeks off from working out (whatever the activity is) and how much “fitness” you lose!
Running is such a funny journey! I’m lucky that 5k is still a pretty easy distance for me (although trying to run it faster and faster keeps things interesting), but I can relate a lot to this with how I think about the marathon distance. I ran a full last spring without incident, but now with my second marathon on the horizon in the fall, it’s hard to believe I was ever able to run that distance or will ever be able to do it again! But I guess that’s the fun. There’s always a challenge to overcome.
It sure is! I think that’s the draw for people with running, there is always a challenge to overcome and we seek it out no matter how we get there.
Nice! Glad you’re coming back! It’s funny, but I first thought of a 5k race and thought those are NEVER easy! Keep it up!
Thanks! It’s so nice to be running more again!
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