The Phase in Running No One Posts About

And why it feels uncomfortable and why it matters

There’s a phase of running that almost no one talks about. I’m in it right now, coming back to running after my broken ankle in November last year.

For some of you, your phase might be that your plan has recently ended, you’ve run your goal race, or life has simply shifted and you’ve lost your usual weekly structure.

Suddenly you’re in running “limbo” either on your own or not at all. There’s no one expecting you and no one noticing if you don’t show up.

This quiet, limbo phase might be especially hard when everyone else seems to be “smashing it” and suddenly you wonder if any of your runs are even worth the effort.

Why this phase feels so uncomfortable

Most of us don’t just run for fitness, we run because running belongs somewhere in our lives. When our usually “container of accountability” disappears, it’s easy to mistake these feelings of uncertainty as feelings of failure. As though our running has gone backwards or that we weren’t any good at running in the first place.

Often, what we’re experiencing isn’t a loss of ability, it’s usually a loss of context. For me, this is the first time in 25 years that I haven’t belonged to a running club and I won’t lie, it feels very strange.

But this phase isn’t something to rush through or “fix.” It’s a transitional phase, a new opportunity to “build” phase.

A point in time where your relationship with running has had a shift, from something mostly held by the outside world, races, clubs, weekly meet-ups, familiar faces, to something much more internal, healing, rebuilding, remembering why you run at all.

And yes, that shift can feel unsettling and scary.

But quieter doesn’t mean weaker.

Slower doesn’t mean stuck.

Invisible progress is still progress even though it’s well, invisible.

It’s hard to believe that this phase won’t last forever and so much easier to convince ourselves to stop, I mean come on, 30 mins!! I used to run marathons (before breakfast!).

But his phase can mean you’re just inbetween the runner you once were and the runner you’re becoming.

I admit, it’s not glamorous but it’s far more common than anyone posts about.