3 week break from running, where do I start?

LetsDoThis103

Hi! I had to take a three week break from running. At the time I stopped, I was running about 60 minutes a day, about 6 miles, 3-6 times per week. Yesterday was supposed to be my first day back, and I told myself I would run 40 minutes. Well, I am very disappointed because I only ran for about 11 minutes before I started to walk, then I just ran about 1 or 2 minutes, then walked for a few minutes for the rest of my workout. I don't want to have to start all the way from scratch, but I guess I have to. I'm not sure if my not running more than 11 minutes was a mental thing or a physical thing. Either way, any ideas on how I should build back up again? What sort of goals I should give myself each day? I've done a bit of research online, but haven't really seen anything that sounds right. Have you had experience with taking time off from running and coming back? What was your experience?

Thank you so much for any help!

mokster

are you on a treadmill?

i once took a two month break from cardio after a big two day bike ride. when i went back to the gym, i had the most problems with running. my sister though recommended that i slow down. i did that for several sessions to get back into my timed running habit and gradually worked up my pace. i think i originally set a pace i could technically walk... ha.

anyhow, it worked for me, but i run on treadmill with it's own little tv. that was super helpful when i was moving at a snail's crawl for 30 minutes to an hour. ha.

LetsDoThis103

That's a good idea. I usually run outside, but I was thinking that if I go on a treadmill, it might be easier to work my way back up