A little while ago I wrote about praise for having a running base and outlined my plan to rebuild my running base after having had my baby. I started back ‘officially’ May 14 and have been working on running at least three times a week, and a few outlier weeks aside, have been able to maintain that schedule. What I’m learning though is that base building is hard! I believe I took for granted that I’ve had a solid base for years and now all of a sudden I truly am starting from scratch. Each run humbles me a little and reinforces that the only way to really build a base is to just keep running and run consistently.

Originally I thought my base building would include a long run, some form of speedwork and even hills but what I realized is that simply getting out and going for a run is sufficient for rebuilding a base. My preferred schedule would be a minimum of three runs a week for a minimum of three miles and ideally at a 9 minute per mile pace or faster. But the reality is that I don’t have the endurance, strength or even the time I had anticipated to always achieve my current base running goals. Some days I only run 2 miles. Some days my pace is still closer to 10 minutes. The important thing is that I am getting out to run and allowing my muscle memory to guide me one step at a time through each run.

The catch is that my 12 week half marathon training plan begins July 15 and ideally my base will allow me to comfortably start logging more runs for longer distances. Though my frequency and distance hasn’t been terribly consistent, I think my 10 weeks of base building have indeed given me the foundation I need to really start training. And to be honest, I am ready to move from the steady runs of base building to the rigors and challenges of training.